Live in the solution
How can we support our students to live in the solution and not the problems? Their challenges seem so great to them some times.
Jim
I think there are many things you can do to encourage students to seek solutions. One of the ways to do this is to acknowledge the problems in the first place by providing your students the opportunity to share their problems with you. Once the problems are shared, you can then brainstorm with the students on ways to overcome their problems.
I have also found that it is helpful to remind students of why they are here in the first place. The first day of class, I ask students to email me why they are taking classes, specifically what they want the end result to be--a better job? A better living for their children? etc. When a student is struggling with other things in their lives, I remind them of why they are attending school in the first place. It is easy for a student to forget the end result and only focus on the problems right now.
Another suggestion would be to give students the opportunity to get to know each other so they begin to form a learning community. Establishing a support system through a learning community for the students will help them get the support they need from their peers when the problems come up.
I also like to share my personal journey with students to let them know that going to school wasn't easy for me, but because of my persistance, I was able to finish.
Do you have other suggestions Jim?
I like your suggestions. I would add that even though it's trite, modeling the "glass is half full." There's a tremendous amount of power in language--written and spoken--and the student can observe the instructor's handling as a model of what it could look like.
For example, when a student presents a problem, you can begin by saying, "okay, let's first look at which parts ARE working." That allows the student to begin the issue looking at what needs to remain, what they have already set in place that is moving forward. Next move to the parts that "need work." Carefully avoiding negative phrases like "it's broken," or something similar.
And always end with a positive solution-oriented note. For example, pointing out that the student has already solved the parts that are working, and now they can apply those skills to the other portion. Sprinkle these discussions with words like, "let's figure out how to tweak this," or "I wonder what else might help," or "let's make this change and see what happens."
One of the things I have learned how to do with active listening and some of my other training is see them through the problem -- respond to the situation at hand, acknowledge that they are having a rough go of it, and do my best to guide them toward figuring out what the problem will look like when it is solved. Then, we can back up and look at perhaps the first thing they can do to head down the road toward that solution.
I always encourage them that they are "smart and can figure it out" -- often they will share experiences from the past in which they solved a similar problem, and we can apply methods and actions from there. That gives them a sense of power and hope that they can succeed.
Of course, there are sometimes students who are actively looking for problems in order to fulfill their own self-fulfilling prophecies (e.g. I'm no good in school, nobody in my family has ever graduated college, I am a failure at everything I do) and those are the hardest cases in which to help them goal-set through the problem.
Living by example by living in our own solutions is also a great way to model problem-solving behavior. If the students are able to see the side of us that is human yet capable, they, too, may be inspired to make it through their issues. Often these can be teaching stories from our own experiences when we were first learning the materials.
Active listening is a good suggestion, but may be a little more challenging in the online environment because of the inability to "listen" to the nonverbal communication as well as the verbal communication. However, the trick to good listening in the online environment is reading between the lines and contacting the student whenever you think they might be going down the wrong path. Thanks for comments Alison. They are very insightful.
Thanks, Dr. Ernst.
I have the opportunity of also working with all of my students in real time in the classroom; though I know their writing styles and modes of communication online will be different, because we work face-to-face and have that relationship, I am hoping that decoding the nonverbals in what they write might be a bit easier.
We shall see!
"Reading between the lines" is an apt turn of phrase, because it elicits inquiry, which can lead to further discussion and a deepening understanding of each situation. While not making assumptions (even though I may think I "know" the student), I can formulate questions about the situation and that can lead to insight and problem-solving on both ends.
I like to minimally initiate a conversation with the student on what are some possible solutions to these problems? I just ask that they humor me and no matter how silly the solution sounds...lets get everything out there. Then one by one, go through them and find the solution that works best in that particular case, which may be a different answer in another case.
Sharing possible solutions and discussing each one is a great idea Jennifer. Thanks for the suggestion.
