Challenging Students
What student traits/actions do you personally find most challenging? What do you do to help those students to be less of a challenge and become successful?
Students that simply say, "I do not understand ANYTHING, I am TOTALLY lost" are very hard to deal with. I get to the root of what they don't understand, and I emphasize that they have learned something. I also will spend additional time with the student to help the student understand the complex area(s).
Patricia
The trait that I find most difficult to deal with is the center stage student that has to joke or comment on everything said. Some of the comments may actually be entertaining but it takes the topic off track, which makes it even harder to control. I will usually try to give that person more responsibility by taking them out of their element and have them lead a group session or hand out the class assignment (paperwork). Little things that I can come up with that takes the class focus off them but heads the class in the right direction.
Hi Thomas,
Simply, nip this student's behavior in the bud. Put a stop to his/her actions immediately!
Patricia
The type of student that challenges me the most would be the one who says he/she can't do anything for themselves. What I try to do is explain to them that they have to start doing things by themselves. If they have this attitude in the dealership no one will take the time to help them when they really need to be helped. I start out with simple projects that will help gain the confidence to hopefully they start doing the harder projects by themslves.
Hello Adam,
I seldom come across the type of student that says he/she can not do anything by themselves, however, during my 20 years of teaching, I have witnessed this type of student. You must instill in this type of student the confidence that he or she needs in order to move forward.
Patricia
i guess i find 1 at each end of the spectrum, 1 student is loud, and has a comment for everything and the other doesn't have a voice at all i guess.
i usually will have some back up questions ready for the know it all that are much more difficult and require a little time or research . it usually works, brings them down to the real world. the quiet ones i may be more direct with and ask them speciffcully to answer or maybe ill ask them to help me with something to get them involved. it usually works also.
For me the most annoying trait is the inattentive student particuarly during lecture of material I know the student needs to know to be successful.
Disregard is a trigger for me so I need to be careful about over reacting.
I usually find that the student is bored or feels unchallenged with the material. I try to offer additional information or have the student demonstrate a motor skill exercise for the class that pertains to the material. Most students are eager to demonstrate their knowledge to the class and it is helpful to the students that are stuggling with the material.
If a student is inattentive and they are having trouble comprehending the material sometimes having another student explain the material to the class from their view point helps.
Asking the inattentive student questions can help draw them into the discussion of the material as well.
Hi Bill,
Imagine that, students that are totally opposite! You have one that talks too much, and one that acts as though he/she can not say a word. You use great tactics to control these students.
Patricia
Hi Steven,
I too have found sometimes students can reach other students. I like to do group projects because students can really learn from each other.
Patricia
Students that are the most challenging to me are the students that don't particapate in the class discussions or lab activities. There aren't usually a slow student, they either lack confidence or shy.
I try to determine whick it is and work on that. If they are lacking self confidence I usually give them a task. I don't let them know that I am watching, but I do observe from a distance. I figure out if there is a comprehention problem or confidence. I have found that reasurinng the student that they are doing good and they will to better. they are not the exception in the learning process but they are doing like most the students or better. The more that they participate the easy the learning will be for them
The unprepared student is the action / trait that is most challenging for me. It really bothers me that a student that has had ample time to complete a task shows up unprepared, sometime this person misses class because he or she was unprepared and thinks because they were absent they are excused from the assignment. I try to show this type of student that in the long run they are hurting themselves and their potential for success. I also inform them that in the real world failure to complete a task on time could cause them to loose a very lucrative job that might be hard to replace, and I also let them know that being unprepared is totally unacceptable in the real world as well as in my class. Time is just to precious to waste not being prepared so we discuss ways to budget their time so they can better plan out their day so they don't miss their assignments.
Hi Charlie,
It is the job of the instructor to ensure the student that they can do it. I always tell my instructors, we must be our students cheerleaders. Some students really are counting on us to got them pumped up. We must continue to be great confidence builders. It's amazing what you discover about students based on observing. I share my observations whether they are good or bad, and I do so in in a very tactful and professional manner.
Patricia
Hi Errol,
What an excellent tactic to use to help students determine how to better manage their time. You said it beautifully, employers will not tolerate unpreparedness. Being unprepared will definitely get you fired in the workplace. I like how you do not sugar coat things with your students.
Patricia
The student I find most challenging is the center stage type. This person almost always has to be talking or commenting about any of the material that you cover. In the past I usually tried to talk to the student privately to help them understand that other people in the class need a chance to interact. The role of observer, that was suggested, sounds like it may be a helpful tool as well and the next time I encounter this situation I will be trying it.
Hi Lyle,
The role of observer is a very helpful tool. I am sure it will prove to be very effective for you as well.
Patricia
I find that the student that I have the most difficulty with are those that we call inattentive students. This bothers me in the way that I ask them why they are here and if they give me an answer that say's they want to be here I inquirer further of how we can get them to demonstrate to me primarily that they want to be here and let them know that the action of being on the phone or in constant conversation during the lecture mainly is perceived as I do not want to be here. In our discussion we also find other ways to get them involved and find out what might be so important with what they are doing sometimes you find that things outside of school are consuming there thoughts and they need to get them handled.
The trait that I find most challenging is the student that asks unrelated question like “why is the sky blue?” While question are great you might even say we are in the Q&A business , complicated and unrelated topics just slow down the process and frustrated the other students. What I usually do with this type of student is praise them for asking such a good question but explain to them that the answer requires more time than I can take right now so I would be happy to answer that for them at break or after class. Than when I have the in private I can talk to them about focusing there questions to the topic we are discussing and anything else that they would like my help with that doesn’t have to do with that days material can be discussed when it won’t distract other students that don’t want to go into the same depth, or direction as they do.
Hello William,
Your institution should really adopt a no cell phone policy. My institution has had a no cell phone policy for about eight years now, and it has been extremely effective.
Patricia
Hi Salvatore,
Wow, you handle this situation just as I do as a seasoned instructor for 20 years. Job well done, continue to handle situations tactfully and professionally.
Patricia
