Monday, October 20, 2008
Difficult students and cultural barriers
I know we've all had the difficult student. The student who just wants to come in and get their paper edited by us, not contributing to the appointment, or worse, using their cell phone or writing emails on their laptop. I have been thinking about this recently, not due to the way that students act here necessarily, but from other situations that have come up lately with students in my HC group. I decided that since my appointment did not show up today, I would search Google for information. I typed in "difficult students in the writing center" and this was the first link that popped up. I think this provides an interesting view of "difficult" students and the tips are useful for us all to remember while in one of these sessions.
http://www.lynchburg.edu/x2420.xml
Additionally, the website had a link to information on bridging the cultural gaps. Being an Anthropology major, this is something near and dear to my heart. I think this is a pretty basic look at cultural differences and how to handle them, but it's still interesting!
http://www.lynchburg.edu/x2415.xml
The other links are interesting as well. Feel free to check them all out!
Renée
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2 comments:
I think this is a very helpful website! We've all had those students who come to the writing center because their teacher made them, or because they just want us to edit their paper. It is important that we give the student positive feedback. It is also important that we simply ask the student what they need help with. The modified sheets that we have them fill out at the beginning of the session asks the student what they hope to accomplish during their session. I find this information very helpful. I always look at it before I start the session. I try and understand what the student expects to gain from their half hour session with me and what their main focus is. Asking the students questions and having an overall positive attitude will make students feel more relaxed and encouraged and it will make them want to come back to the writing center in the future.
This is a great article that you've found. All of us have had that student who pulls out the cellphone during the session. Nothing is more irritating than trying to help someone who doesn't appear to want help. The advise given seems beneficial, I'll try to keep it in mind the next time I have such a session. I also liked the quote at the bottom of the article:
"The bottom line is that I am responsible for my own well-being, my own happiness. The choices and decisions I make regarding my life directly influence the quality of my days." -Kathleen Anderson
This is something we should all keep in mind. (I'm going a little off topic here...) I recently read an email about the choices we make. Instead of reacting to every situation, we can make a choice. We can choose to see the positive side instead of dwelling on the negative. Instead of focusing on the student's inattentive behavior we can think positively. At least the student came in, he showed up instead of wasting the appointment. That's my thought for the day! It's your day, make it a good one or not!
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