It is not a secret that teaching students are not so easy as it seems since tutors should not only know subjects and disciplines perfectly but also be capable of seeing and understanding students’ needs and preferences. Therefore, each and every teacher should know various methods on how to make lessons productive and interesting regarding different students’ attitudes and approaches.
Having this in mind, we have come to a conclusion to write an article that would be of a great assistance to students of different backgrounds, different countries, etc. This short, yet, an effective material will greatly help those, who have ever experienced or are still experiencing difficulties in communication with group mates. Another main prerogative of this same article is to let beginning and perhaps even experienced teachers, tutors, professions, etc know new methods of interaction as well as communication with potential college or university students. Above all this, we DO really hope, that some personal stories described below, would benefit your own experience and make you act in the right way regarding any situation in a class.
As for me, my college life hasn’t always been perfect and ideal. That’s probably one more ground, why I have decided to mention 7 major things every teacher should know about students. To my mind, they are very important, as they were used successfully by teachers during my education. So, here they are:
1. Background – personally I consider that at first, it is very important to understand potential students’ backgrounds, which can and do tell a lot about them. Because some of us come directly right from colleges or universities, thus have ambitions, achievements, goals and honors. Others can have no education at all. Thirds might come from totally another country and even not know and consequently, speak a native language. As a great way out of this situation, my teacher used special questionnaires to know about each of the students. Furthermore, they definitely give a clear idea about students, in terms of experiences, skills, education, aims, etc;
2. Communication – socializing is another not less integral part of education. I can even say that it plays almost the most significant part when building relations among teachers, tutors, lecturers, etc and their students. And it absolutely doesn’t matter where a student comes from, what’s his/her gender and background are– considerate communication is a must.
I guess I was pretty lucky in a college having studied with people from various countries. Strange enough, we never had any difficulties as for creating a friendly and positive environment. Nowadays, when we know about typical stereotypes and inappropriate language, it is very easy. Just think, how misjudging might effect and influence on you or your group mates. It is way better to encourage them and treat likewise. Then great result will not be long in coming;
3. Emotions – all people are different and, consequently, react on various situations following no particular pattern. Some prefer to hide emotions to not seem weak, whereas others are all bursting with them. In either situation, an individual approach is required. Every professional and experienced tutor should be capable of distinguishing real feelings and emotions, thus coping with them. From personal experience, I eagerly say that being too emotional doesn’t always play in your favor. It is way better to drop acting and show real things and how they are. When I did it, I have got friends and so needed at that time support;
4. Bad habits – as it was aforementioned, we all come from varied backgrounds and those, who were raised and grown up on the streets, very often, have bad habits, e.g. smoking. Yes, it is not the worst thing to try, but still is negative. To assist group mates to get rid of it, friends and teachers can try to persuade them to read additional materials, where successful students describe pros & cons, possible effects and, of course, bright and positive life without these bad habits;
5. Motivation – absolutely every single person has dreams and students are not an exception. Some dream to have a high-paid job position, others to travel the world or buy an apartment, etc. Nevertheless, whatever the dream is – it automatically requires motivation. Without it, nothing will work and either short or long-term goals won’t be achieved. It is important to be focused, concentrated, and, which is more important, self-motivated. Having these features and following them all the time, will definitely lead to positive results and one day soon, all dreams will become a reality. I have always dreamt of working in a sphere, where I would have a possibility to write for blogs, magazines, etc. And here I’m, writing this article, describing the personal experience to help students cope with potential difficulties during the educational process. One of my biggest wishes came true, just because one day I decided to be self-motivated, focused, and work hard for it;
6. Relationships – good relationships with students is the core of being a successful teacher. From the one hand, students should realize that there exists only one leader in a class – a teacher. From the other hand, this same teacher should be also like a “friend”, who is always there for assistance and help. Therefore, the line between a leader and a friend is so thin. A tutor should also be aware of relations among students in a class, trying to make them friendly, pleasant, etc for all parties;
7. Learning style – it might sound ridiculous, but my humble opinion is that teachers DO need to know as much as it is possible about their students, including learning style, which very often stands on personality. To realize what a student’s learning style is, a teacher should be capable of reading him/her like a book. Understand when a student feels comfortable with an approach or unhappy and help right away. If somebody is struggling to learn things due to a particular learning style, then it is significant to make corrects.
Those are just 7 major points teachers should know and consider when dealing with new students every year. Yet, there exist much more, which we are sure are known to professionals in this sphere.
All in all
Let’s face the fact, that nowadays, occupation of a teacher is one of the toughest worldwide. It doesn’t only suppose being good at a certain subject or a few. It means having nice relations with a class, thus motivate them to learn and reach amazing results. But we, students, are so different. Each of us has characteristics and behaviors teachers have to cope with. Nevertheless, we DO really believe and hope that tutors, teachers, and professors in colleges and universities always do their best at creating a positive atmosphere, which in the end, automatically leads to our potential good results.
Christine Allen is young writer and blogger. She believes that you can get everything that you want. You just need to be sure in what you really want and be patient. You can follow her on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Google+.