Having a sense of Belonging
Students want to be safe and comfortable in their learning environment and they want a sense of belonging. Often times as instructors we miss some small non-verbal ques from the students that they feel as though they don't belong.When this happens we need to realize this and make adjustments
Stephen--
Absolutely correct...paying attention to the non-verbal clues is very important. They are not always as obvious as we might think and can make a huge difference if we notice and react accordingly.
Susan
I also agree. It is important to pay attention to the nonverbal cues so he can better meet students' needs and help them be successful.
There has to be an effort on the part of the instructor to give them a sense of belonging thru group activities and other opportunities to connect with their peers and the instructor. That way they build relationship that they hopefully will try to maintain throughout their educational path.
Alberta--
You are so right! The instructor should try and structure the course to provide these opportunities to build relationships. This makes a huge difference.
Susan
I sometimes go sit with the students who seem uncomfortable or ask them about their trip to school or day. The goal to make each student feel as comfortable as possible.
Often, in the hallways, I will stop a student and specifically how they are doing and what courses they are taking. Many times we discuss a topic or they will gladly tell me about their day.
I agree with Diane also. Many times students say a lot with non-verbal cues such as intimidation and shyness.
I agree also with this Roberta and Susan.
I try to have the students think and tell five good aspects about themselves. I can name at least 100 about myself, but some students actually will say, with all seriouosness, 'there aren't any." Very sad; I will usually say "you choose to come back to school and show up." Those are two great aspects. Then I will ask the students to add three or more good remarks about the student. This greatly aids the student with self-esteem and friends.
Richard--
This is excellent. Thank you for being so diligent to help students achieve their goals!
Susan
Richard--
Great exercise. People are often overly critical about themselves and yes, it is sad when students seriously have nothing good they can identify about themselves.
Susan
I concur with all the statements. I also believe that students need to have a connection outside of the classroom that is still connected to college.
Sometimes we have those students who just don't click with a particular instructor. As a backup to connecting to the classroom, there should be a connection to the college. There is where civic and social groups sponsored by the college can promote bonding experiences with the college as well as their peers. Peers outside of the classroom can be that missing link to pull another peer through the program and hopefully to graduation.
Usually I find with students who are mostly non-verbal are shy or nervous due to the notation of thinking what peers may think about their findings or perspective.
The comments show that the college experience has many elements both in and out of the classroom. Those experiences will be helpful as students move into their choosen careers.
That can be true. As you know having students work in small groups can be benefical to making the learning experience more comfortable.
Nicol--
I think you are absolutely correct. Do you have any special tactics you use to draw them out?
Susan
Claudia--
As you point out, these can all be very useful learning opportunities. If we use them as such, it helps them to see the application to their profession.
Susan
It is our job as instructors to make our students feel safe, assured and happy to be attending our school. Having a positive attitude, a winning smile and being compassionate to their needs, are just some of the ways to ease their start of school.
Jeannine--
Your point about instructors having a goal of student's feeling comfortable at the school is a good one. The impact the instructor has goes way beyond the subject matter and creating a positive learning environment goes a long way.
Susan
Being safe and comfortable in the environment in which we teach is very important to the success of a student in the classroom. It also seems to me that if we work to explain how the material we are teaching will actually help a student succeed in their chosen career path, we are also helping them achieve a sense of being in the right place to achieve their career goals contibuting to that sense of belonging. Often students don't see purpose in material taught, so an added layer of instruction must be developed to show the everyday value of what we teach is relevant to their chosen career. Not always easy to do, but it can also be a retention effort as well.
I think that many times the realtionship with the instructor is the most important selling point for any school.
The adult student wants to feel comfortable with whom they are going to be instructed.
