Getting Tough
Any advice for getting tough with students who do not work on assignments. It gets hard to want to give the extra effort to students who do not seem to care about school. I hate to give up but at some point it seems like a lost cause.
Hi Edward,
Don't have a quick fix answer for this one, as it is one that seems to challenge all teachers. I do encourage the students to work on assignments, then I check for progress and talk with them about how I might be of help to keep them moving forward. Many times this rapport building is enough to get them going. If not then I let the consequences of non work start to unfold. This puts them into a situation that they have to produce or they are gone. It does sound harsh but they have had a number of chances and they have not taken advantage of any of them. I am always concerned that I will let a student leave my program with inadequate skills and will not be able to do the required work. I do not want students like this reflecting poorly on my program. It can really hurt the reputation that my program has with employers.
Gary
Edward,
Tough may not be the answer. I would suggest finding how students fell about the assignment and how come they don't want to complete it. Most learners need to see the relevance in what they are doing or the (WIIFM)"what's in it for me".
I have experienced that if the students think its busy work or it has little transfer to their real world application they find no interest or motivation. Not even the negative consequence of not completing the assignment is incentive enough to get them to work.
Hi, I can relate to this topic. What I have found through my teaching experience is that we can't save every student. In a college setting we could only hope that all students would see this opportunity for higher education as a plus. However, there are those students that come to the classroom cause mom said they had to or move out or there probation officer suggests it to stay out of trouble. What ever the reason is these students do not show the effort.
When this happens I have the students type or write out a essay. "What did I want to gain from coming back to school". They sometimes forget why they registared in the first place. When they are there because they were forced to be there, then I would say, well this is a great opportunity for you. This is my classroom and these are they rules and guidelines that need to be followed by all. Let them know you understand there fustrations and if they are willing to give a little effort, it would not seem so bad.
I hope this helps.
bye, margie C
Hi Margie,
Thank you for the excellent overview of the various reasons that students end up in career training. I know you as have I seen them all. The ones that I feel saddest for are those that feel forced to be enrolled in a career program and cannot see the value of it. What a great opportunity wasted, when over 15 million youth in the world do not have even an elementary school to go to. I like to focus on these students and see if I can reach them in some way. In some cases I do and others I don't. Though I often see these same individuals come through the program later after they have finally reached the end of their ropes and start to see the value of advanced training. I always try to let the students know that they are welcome back should they want to return. This leaves the door open for them.
Gary
Edward, The replies you have received have a common statement. Make sure that you give your students an outline of the course and go over it with them on the 1st day of class. This lets them know what is expected and why the tasks are necessary so they do not view it as "busy" work. As the course unfolds and some students are not doing the work as well as they should, TALK TO THEM. Some students are too shy to talk to you, or are having trouble understanding the subject. COACH them;to get THEM talking - "lets talk" MENTOR them; to help them resolve the issues, and through your LEADERSHIP; you help them overcome the obsticles in front of them. When you do all of these things we are TEACHING.
I think it is imperative that we get tough at times as Instructors. Some of my best students went through "rough" stages in which I helped push them out of. It is also a perfect time as an Instructor to hone your MOTIVATING skills. I usually sit down with them one on one and list the pros and cons of giving up. Life may be more simple...but the long term effects? Usually it only takes that one discussion to motivate them to give that needed effort. Students often fail to stop and look at the consequences of their actions. We can use our time and expertise at this point to teach them a valuable "life skill" instead of just something pertaining to our field.
Hi Kristin,
You targeted a key component of being an instructor, holding students to a standard. Encouraging them to stay in the training is essential and then showing them how their future is being developed as a result of their investment in their training. That you rapport you develop with them will help them to succeed as you well know.
Keep up the good work.
Gary
THIS IS ONE SUBJECT I HATE...AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING OTHERS VIEWS ON IT...
WHAT TO DO ??
You can motivate as much as possible and give the students tools to be successful, however, the student is responsible in the end for their ections. My approach is motivate, talk to any students who may be falling behind, but as instructors, we can't "baby" some students along without the appropriate grades.
This is a very difficult challenge. People have offered some great ideas: 1) remind students of the big picture (why they are back at school) and hold them to the expectations that you set at the beginning of the course. I teach general education courses, so I am always trying to emphasize the practical importance of the course material in order to motivate my students.
@gmeers
Dr. Gary you hit on a few things that I have worked my way through, being relatively new to teaching (3 years) I have found through much trial and error that I simply must let those fail that will not dedicate themselves to learning. I can only offer to help and be there when they choose to ask for it, I have a responsibility to the program to graduate an educated product that is going to be effective in the work force.
Getting students to complete assignments can be difficult. I feel assignment completion depends upon the age, maturity level, and motivation of each student. Once the instructor has clearly set the expectations for the class; it is up to each student to grasp the required material and apply it into the outlined activities in the course. If the required material is not understood it is each student's responsibility to let the instructor know so that the appropriate clarification and further resources can be given as needed to enhance learning and promote successful outcomes.
Diane, I agree with your assessment. What I would add to this would be to set the expectation from the moment they walk in the door to enroll to your school. This includes admissions, financial aid, and education to reiterate that the expectation is to complete all work for all courses in a timely manner.
Yes Diane, the instructor has to clearly set the expectations from day one. However there are instructors who do not follow this guidline. Then to expect that all staff in admissions, and other departments will similarly hold the students accountable and responsible!
I am accountable only for my actions and I will set the bar high. Many students do respond and apply themselves, and some are just not motivated.
Participation is difficult to achieve in some cases. As stated, some do not see the need.....no payoff! Often I suspect this attitude is reflected in their daily lives, so getting them to buy into your class requirements is tough! Tough even when not doing homework or lessons has a negative effect on their grade! I do try the "write a short paper on why I'm here" or "what do I expect to learn" exercise, and sometimes it works. My best success comes when I can help them see the possibility of a positive outcome and how their unique situation can improve.
Placing value to an assignment seems to pay off for me. If the assignment has no value, the student puts no effort into it.
