RT 101
Even though I have taught for a number of years for an institution that focuses on retention, I learned a lot in RT 101. In fact, I learned more than I had anticipated.
The information that stood out the most to me was that on stress and its relationship to student withdrawal. I had never linked a student's withdrawal from a class with his or her fear of failure. I plan to use this information to focus more on encouraging my students and to point out to them that they can succeed and how we can work together to make that happen.
I agree that the fear of failure is a great motivator and we have to be able to help a student erase that fear so that withdrawal is not an option. Other students are often good motivators for those who are thinking about withdrawal. Sometimes their comments and actions tell those student that "Hey, I can do to" so it is important that you get your good students involved in helping those who are struggling. Perhaps a mentoring program, study groups, discussion groups, etc.
Seems to me like todays society is very fast paced, and things can happen quickly. You have to stay on top of what is happening in your classroom, getting to know your students, and being comfortable with communicationg to them will help with retention. When you get to know them, you can identify faster when they are struggeling and help get to the bottom of the issue faster. I thought RT101 helped re-inforce those ideas to help retention. I liked the point they made that retention doesn't just affect the student, it affects us as well. We cannot teach of there are no students in the classroom!
You are so correct when you stated that todays society is very fast paced. Retention is something that affects everyone involved. In taking the online course RT101 I took from the course a lot of great information to apply to my class. What I have been able to realize is that orientation plays a very large role in how the potential student views the school as a whole. I feel that more effective training could be used for our campus admin. A lot of students are left in the dark on expectations, staff, and so on. With a greater effort I forsee better results, but each faculty memeber must do their part.
B oy; Were my eyes opened after doing RT101. I guess i knwe these things but having them asssembled in a logical and and orlderly manner put it all in sharp focus. i will definitely apply what I learned. Retentino is a big problem at the place I teach because our students come from all over the country and for most this is their fisrrt time away from home. being on their own puts a huge amount af stress on them and I can now see how i can make a diffrence.
This course reminded me of how overwhelm students can become, when they are coping with personal stressors and the stress of school. It made be appreciate the times when I have spoken to a student outside class to try to encourage them to keep going, inspite the adversities they may be encountering. It has especially motivated me to keep encouraging students, and smiling on those days when I don't feel like smiling. A smile and a hello can be a powerful motivator, althougnit may not always be enough when a student's stress level is to the point where they feel the only coping mechanishm they have is to turn and run. I feel as an instructor, I work with a team of people that has the students' best interest at heart, and that I am a very important player in the retention part of that. If we lose students, then I may lose my job.
