Ensuring that extrinsic needs of the student are met will help to set up students for success. They will be better able to focus on their intrinsic needs.
Encourage students to open up about themselves and find out their desires or motivation for taking the course.
I have learned the importance of understanding what motivates students and that they need support from family & friends and the university. I also was able to review Maslow's Hierarchy and that students need their basic needs to self-actualization met. Also, Maslow's Hierarchy moves from extrinsic to intristic.
You begin to realize that besides communication there must be comprehension.
I've learnt that if you are able to put yourself in the student's 'shoes' and look at the coursework from their perspective then you will be able to approach the presentation of the material in a method that will be more meaningful to the student.
Understanding of student support & being there to listen to their fustrations. Learn how to not let their fustrations escalte by setting rules.
I liked the idea of having bio cards on students to see how their life experiences can be woven into the lesson(s). Also, increasing intrinsic motivation for library instruction is important so they get the most out of the time. Maybe I can ask students to complete a Poll Everywhere question prior to the instruction.
From this section I learned more about our students and who they are. The most interesting part fo rme was the student's fear, specifically that they were concerned their peers would look at them as not being successful. In the 'online' classroom it's easy to forget the peer to peer social fears that students still feel.
Students are driven to be successful for a number of reasons. They want to succeed and, in an ideal world, they would. The reality is that in spite of their desire to succeed and the best intentions, events occur that serve to diminish their intrinsic desire for career training. As an instructor, this list can give you a starting point from which you can develop learning opportunities that will help the students get over troublesome situations that might cause a shift in intrinsic priorities leading to program departure.
What I gathered from this Module is that all students are different. Don't think you can just prepare a lesson and everyone will understand, retain and learn it totally differently. I learned one needs to be prepared to think outside of the perverbial teaching platform box.
Learning about my students can assist in how I prepare to teach the students and increase the opportunties to link the content with their lives
I think that it is interesting to learn more about how to retain students in your classroom and help them to be more successful. I liked hearing about the two different types of learners, non-traditional and traditional, and understanding their perspectives, fears, ect. This section also provided necessary information on how to manage your classroom when dealing with student's frustrations. Students do have frustrations, and when they bring them to the classroom, it interupts their learning. Listening to their frustrations will go along way and then provide direction and advice is a great response. I want to make all my students comfortable and ready to learn. I want them all to be successful.
Knowing the students background and what they can contribute to the class is very important to me. As a facilitator, this will allow me the chance to have interactive discussions with the students and make everyone feel a part of the conversation.
My biggest take away is investigating each students motivation for taking the course. I have seen many students on the spectrum from fully engaged to apathetic, and had not really considered that this is the underlying reason. I think it is important to ask each student their goal and reason for enrolling, and reminding them of this if they become discouraged.
Reply to Amy Horak's post:
I love getting to know my students and in return, I reveal a bit about myself that way together we personalize the class. This way the class begins as an open forum to reduce fear so that all will be more comfortable to participate.
Reply to James Trittin's post:
Yes, I believe that a list of students and their attributes, concerns, and goals will only help you as an instructor to keep your students on track.
Good information on the differences between adult learners that are changing careers compared to students coming from high school.
I have learned the importance of getting know your students and their expectations and experiences to better help them learn and meet their goals.
What stands out to me is that it is important to remember that each person will have different reasons for continuing their education. It is also important to try to understand that each comes from varied backgrounds and life experience.
Understanding a student's perspective is essential in improving my ability to a better instruction.
