Intervention
There are a number things that can cause a student where he is ready to drop out of school. The instructor needs to listen to comments made by these students, just in case they say something that can be used to bring a positive result. The problem with things today, we can't ask about certain things due to Federal Privacy issues, which in my mind is somewhat counterprodutive for the student.
I believe that intervention with a student is not only when there is a problem, but also when things are going well, this will help instill confidence in the student, so if he happened to fail at a task or test, then it might not be a down fall for the rest of the course.I do respect student privacy,as I hope they would respect mine.
I belive positive reinforcement is a good way to help student retention. Students need to know that they are on track and making progress in there learning and technical skills.
What techniques do you use to provide positive reinforcement, Bruce?
What do you mean by positive intervention, Timothy? How often do you do this?
What sort of things are off limits because of privacy concerns? Would anyone else in the school be able to address them if you made a referral?
If a student has a learning disability, we cannot ask them if this is the case. They have to come to us and tell us. We are allowed to mention our policy in regard to ADA, but if we suspect a student has this condition, we can't ask them.
I agree. There is no better way to make a student feel good about there hard work than to let them know how impressed you are with there commitment. I feel if they know you care they will work harder to impress you.
The laws can make things difficult. So if you ask them general questions like What can I do to help you prepare for the next test? Then they sometimes tell you where they are having difficulties. Possibly reading the material or a language issue. Now we can dirrect them to someone to help.A lot of students are too shy to admitt hey are having trouble.I like to get a conversation going with these students befor class and this may show them you ok to talk to.
How do you let your students know how impressed you are? Written comments? Verbally? Do you record this?
I do what ever is needed when a student has a problem in my class or with school. When it goes beyond that I refer them to a manager or counseler.
It is very important that we tune into our students I am dealing with a student with anger/ outburst issues -- I realized that this student only needed some more positive reinforcement of things he did well- not just what is incorrect
(Other students where giving him grief of a past drug addiction issue)
I showed he respect for changing his ways focused him on what he is doing well now & got the other students to back off
I agree with todays privacy, and personal protection laws being somewhat counterproductive. There are so many things we are not allowed to ask in our attempts to get the information needed to solve a student's problem. It almost forces a situation where we can not help much unless the student offers the information up first.
How were you able to change the other students' behavior?
I agree and with the right channeling we can make the difference in the student's lives.
Constant support and encouragement are the keys
How about having the students fill out a survey/evaluations each module?
This is a rather common practice to track student satisfaction. If your school isn't doing this, how do you get feedback about students?
Sometimes it seems too late when students feel compelled to withdraw. They are in communication with their advisor or seemingly so. They have already made the decision or have literally given up. I communicate with students that are behind, even one week, and ask “How can I help?” That question gets to the heart of the issue usually, and the issue might be just being so far behind that there is no (perceived) chance to catch up. Then, with late penalties…. I am not that strict with students who are late and have not told me a reason or had not asked for an extension in advance (One weekend I did have 14 students ask for extensions due to deaths or illness in the family.) I want students to see that if they come up with a “two minute warning drill” to complete 1,2 or three assignments overdue, it can be done and I will allow it to happen and help them in their progress. It takes their commitment, perseverance, and support on my part. Faculty is here for the students’ success. They all have things that get in the way as we all know and most have experienced. We should put ourselves in their shoes and empathize with their difficulty with the things in their lives that they are trying to juggle.
Students do fill out surveys where I teach addressing their satisfaction with the course, course materials, the instructor, tech support, the library and the administration. They comment on the availability of extra instruction, labs and library support. Of course, I am most interest in what they have to say about me, and it is not too difficult to pick out that anonymous student who had problems or did not do well in the course. The trick is to think about how that student could have had a more positive experience.
