7 Principles of Education - Student/Faculty Contact

 

It may look like a child’s drawing ... but it is all my own work.

    This post is inspired by a Coursera MOOC entitled “University Teaching 101” by John Hopkins University. Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson developed the original seven principles of best practices in education were developed by Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson. You can find further information about the principles and the work of Chickering and Gamson here.

    I would like to look at each of the seven principles in detail. Each blog post will deal with one principle and how we can modify the principles for our classrooms. These principles are universal, and I believe they can be used in all classrooms from pre-school to university and even in the foreign language classroom.

1. Student-Faculty Contact.

    Student motivation is the key to learning. In every lesson, we see the tell-tale signs of lack of motivation in our classrooms. Heads down, minimum effort, glazed eyes, and an atmosphere of lethargy. How can we stop this? How can we create enthusiasm and zest in our students? One answer can be found in student-teacher contact. Getting to know our students and their hopes and dreams and taking an interest in their lives is vital for any teacher, but it is a role that is often neglected in the EFL environment. There are many reasons for this, obviously, the language problem is an issue, as is the lack of time teachers spend with their students. But as with most problems, there are always solutions. Spend time with your students. This can involve playing sports with them or making crafts with them. Find the time to interact with your students on a personal level. You will find their motivation and involvement in your classes will increase.
Here are some other ways we can increase our contact with our students:

• Talk with students on a personal level.

    Take an interest in their hobbies, use your experience to help them. Don’t always feel the need to be “on”, let your guard down and relate to the students.

• Take an interest in their goals.

    Perhaps your students don’t have any goals. If that is the case, help your students develop their educational and career goals. One of my first lessons for all my classes involves talking about mission statements. We talk about what we want to achieve in the class and what we want to accomplish in life. This also consists of the teacher telling the students about their hopes and dreams. Remember, a well-defined goal encourages motivation in students. Create a lesson around your students’ goals and their future. Help your students develop their educational and career goals.

• Let them into your world. 

        Share your experiences with your students. Learn their names. Treat them as equals. Our job is to teach them English, but we also have to encourage their characters to grow and increase their confidence. One way to increase a student’s confidence is to address them by their name.

• Take an interest in their learning.

    Talk to students who regularly miss your class, find out what issues they may have and work together to overcome any problems.

• Hold regular feedback sessions with students.

    These can be structured or unstructured. The key is to demonstrate to the students that you care about their learning, development, and life.

• Student Development.

    Help students search for future study or career opportunities. Share the information you have with your students.

• Follow their passions.

    If your students are not passionate about learning English, talk to them, find out what subjects they are interested in, and introduce them in your next lesson. If your students are passionate about science, why not develop some lessons around science. Use your classes to develop their interests.

I believe we can certainly increase our student contact and, by doing so, increase the level of motivation and involvement in our students. What do you think?

Yes, a thirty-something made this.