College is Not the 13th Grade: The Solution
Educators find themselves insisting new students make the leap and behave differently, more responsibly, more seriously with regard to their academic ambitions once they enter onto our college campuses. As such, educators can also find themselves in a quandary, convening in the faculty workroom or in online educator forums commiserating with colleagues over new students not rising to the occasion as quickly as they would prefer.
By the time they reach college doors, though, they have been children much longer than they have been adults, and many may have come from the school of thought that children are to be seen and not heard when it comes to engaging in the learning process and education on a whole. How, then, can educators expect thirteen years of habits and expectations to become undone and reworked during the course of, say, one new student orientation session?
Here are three recommendations for educators to help students successfully make the leap and make it in a more timely fashion:
Encourage students to take a college success course if your campus offers one, or incorporate elements of college success programs into your syllabus and course. Consider what you believe are the attitudes and behaviors necessary for success on the collegiate level, drawing from personal experiences and other sources, and draft a list to share with students. It might be punctuality, effective verbal and written communication skills, or even the benefits of regularly exercising and/or consuming a healthy diet. Consistently provide students with resources - websites, podcasts, articles, videos, on-campus workshops - where they can learn more about the recommendations you make.
Hold open and honest conversations with students both collectively as a class and in one-on-one settings. Explain to students the behaviors, attitudes, and habits they form now are in preparation for being self-sufficient adults who serve as leaders in their personal and professional communities. Bear in mind, though, the manner in which you hold these conversations will determine how well the messages are received and, subsequently, implemented. Remember there is a big difference between talking down or working hard to make a point of what students do not know versus guiding them with encouraging words, sharing what they need to know.
Share with students a list of characteristics of successful college students versus a list of the characteristics of struggling college students, drawing from a variety of sources to include your own experiences. Years of being in the world of work can create a gap that causes educators to forget what their college lives may have been like and the fact they contain hidden gems. I know for me, I wish I had consciously known writing and reading were my learning preferences; I knew I was one of those students who had to take notes and who had to have her textbook as a reference while the professor lectured, but I never knew why that was the case. To that end, one characteristic of successful students might be "they know how they learn best and operate accordingly" versus a characteristic of struggling students might be "they are unsure of whether reading, writing, listening, or manipulating objects works best for them when they learn."
Are you curious as to my motivation behind this post? Read "A Reality from Both Sides of the Desk" to find out!
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