Reading – The Seven Languages of Respect
Share your experiences. When do you feel respected by your students? Is there something that you have implemented with your students that you feel has encouraged respect?
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I am acutely aware of the value of displaying our own community of practice in the classroom where all contributions are valued validated and resected The rule for our class is that we show respect when others speak and we are mindful of content of the “shares’ and time frames. In our section of early Childhood educators- relationship development is the most important t aspect of everything we do and is the foundation stone for the development of the student in understanding the content and being successful . Each student is given a role in our simulated environment and hence… Read more »
I had heard of the love languages, but not the seven languages of respect. Intuitively I knew there had been a shift in respect for the younger generations and how it was achieved, but for me, this confirms it and provides insight from both sides. I work at TAFE mostly with students straight out of high school. One of the topics I teach is establishing relationships. I give my students the opportunity to run a class session, where they select a game that is relevant to the topic. They then conduct that session. Entrusting them to do this,I have found… Read more »
I sit in a circle with my students and always try and learn their name immediately to build rapport and invest a lot of time building a relationship getting to know them and sharing stories to encourage trust and engagement before delivering content. The seven languages of respect really resonates with me and I definitely believe showing genuine interest in our students and building relationships creates the best platform for an engaging learning experience.
I agree learning students names (quickly) is an important aspect to developing a good rapport with students and showing respect to them.
I teach in the VET sector and believe that the 7 languages of respect is a great leap forward in understanding and reflecting on how we show respect to students. I am a Gen Y teacher and teach adults that are often quite a lot older then me. I have found that simply stating at the start of the semester that we are all here to learn from one another and share our own experiences to contribute to everyone’s learning makes them feel valued and respected. I prefer to facilitate rather then lead a class when appropriate so the students… Read more »
Monique,
What you have written really resonates with me as does the 7 languages. It is such a privilege as educators to go to work and have the opportunity to not only assist our students in learning but to learn ourselves.
I teach in the VET sector to classroom, online and commercial students. I feel respected when students participate actively in learning activities as this demonstrates an appreciation of the value of the education to their current and future work. I have implemented Moodle forums such as this discussion with topics that draw out experiences, analysis and critical thinking. Students demonstrate their respect for one another as well as their teacher in these interactions.
I feel respected by my students when I can see them responding to me in class.
I also feel respected when they speak to me an tell me something about their own lives. I have a sense of trust betwenn us , like an open channel.
Sorry for the typos
Kerry,
I agree , it is so rewarding when our students engage and we know we have created a welcoming environment for them to express themselves. it is such a reward as an educator to connect as well as educate.
Respect is spontaneous reactive attitude that creates an awesome experience among individuals who live, study or work together. It is mutual and stimulates people to build respectful relationships, behave positively and to appreciate each others company. I teach adult migrants English and love my job because of the unsolicited respect I receive from my students. I believe that building a good rapport with them and earning their trust results in being unconditionally respected by them. I’ve found that they tend to respect you more when you listen to them attentively and show them that you really care. Talking about my… Read more »
I think Bernard’s approach also demonstrates high levels of emotional intelligence which supports your teaching methodology and student interactions. Identifying the impact of your actions and behaviours on others and understanding of the situations and emotions of others maximises your teaching outcomes.
I teach in TAFE and I have some classes of younger students in late teens and some classes with older students, including students who have returned to study post-retirement. I definitely notice differences between the two groups. The younger students are driven by grades and will engage best if direct links can be made between task and passing. I feel like I have to constantly make these links to earn respect. The older students value feedback and personal comments on their progress. To earn the respect of older students it is important to be familiar with their work and to… Read more »
I also teach at TAFE and find this an interesting challenge when teaching a class with students of various ages, backgrounds and walks of life. To find some common ground and bond the group initially is important for cohesion and to build a level of respect and encourage group morale.
I teach in the VET field and find that students of all ages and backgrounds respond to a teacher being respectful and engaged with the individual student as a person. I teach in the Community Services and Nursing training packages and the subject material and the competency requirements the are based on respectful relationships. If I feel a student does not have respect I actively explore that relationship and work on common ground
Sometimes, it is very hard to relate to students individually as much as we would like. This is because of the concentration of content in so many courses. Teachers are driven by assessments these days and what they would like to do and what they really do can be two quite different things.
I build and facilitate blended or online courses to a variety of students in the VET sector. I feel that I have earned the respect of my students when I have addressed issues they have raised particularly in the technical side of their courses. Difficulties they have are often in logging on, accessing resources and understanding requirements. This is especially true when these problems were addressed across weekends, overnight and during holidays. I believe the reason the students respond this way is they realise I understand they need help right now and cannot wait till office hours. In terms of… Read more »
This is great, I agree with Robyn that being timely is a clear way to demonstrate our respect to students studying in the online space. We do owe students as much respect as they owe use as teachers and I know they appreciate when we do empathize with them and show we are there to help first and foremost.
I am a teacher in VET system and have students of various ages (from 16 to 70+) who attend my classes. From my experience I find that the Seven Languages of Respect don’t just apply to Gen Y in today world, but actually to all of my students no matter what age they are. I also believe this could be from the fact that in VET environment we are seen more as facilitators of learning and often draw on previous experience of our students to provide more learning opportunities in class.
I teach music and feel respected by students when they tell me of their achievements in music related fields and invite me to their performances that occur outside school. I am excited when I hear this and I always congratulate/thank them and respond positively to their communication. I am genuinely happy for their progress and I believe they can sense this. I take time to inquire more about their situation and establish a conversation. If I have to cut short the dialogue I will apologise and explain why I have to leave. They always understand and are accomodating
I agree that respect must be earned. A lot of my students are older than me, very successful professionals in their chosen fields. I feel that I start earning respect when I can show them that I value their time and experience by modifying delivery/ content to suit their needs, giving useful examples or templates they can use at work, but at the same time breaking down difficult concepts and making them feel comfortable asking questions or discussing problems.
Thanks Marina. That is a great suggestion to modify delivery/content to suit the needs of the learners. Its a great way of showing respect for the individual circumstances and your students must feel that you care.
I agree with that, students of VET frequently come with impressive knowledge and life skills. The sharing of those experiences can enrich the learning space. The younger student can be the one who pulls us up so that we explain things in a more meaningful way and again everyone can benefit
I too have students who have extensive overseas qualifications and experience in their chosen field. I try to modify and adapt the teaching materials to give maximum exposure to the language and norms of the field in which they will be seeking employment. Time consuming but crucial in gaining the respect of students.
My students are similar to yours, Marina. They are well educated and some have years of experience, but can’t find a good job because they lack acceptable communication skills. I addition to preparing personalized lessons and helping individual students with their specific needs, I gain their respect by showing empathy and treating them with genuine kindness, acknowledging their experience and education and respecting their diverse cultures.
It’s hard to break habits and mindsets after 40 years in the profession – but I am conscious of the shift in student expectations and endeavour to build student’s respect. Fortunately my teaching context promotes a student centered approach and enables the students to experience some flexibility. Also, from the start we are encouraged to spend one to one time discussing with the student their strengths, previous learning experiences and goals for the course they have enrolled in. The foundation for a respectful relationship commences.
Ann, I agree – one of the most important questions to establish respect is to find out about their goals, why they signed up for the course, what they hope to achieve from it. It makes it easier to plan lessons, to give examples and establishes the relationship
Ann, I agree and I find that VET supports a diversity of methods of delivery which also allows positive engagement with the learners. The practical application to the work environment be that through real experiences and/or simulation supports the development and enhancement of a person-centered individual approach
In the VET sector you can be faced with 17 yr olds up to any age so having that varying age cohort brings about its own dynamics in the learning space. I feel respected when they call me by name and they feel comfortable to clarify problems they are having with their assessments/ learning tasks. I greet the learners by name when they arrive, use my own stories to underpin my teaching and actively engage learners thru questioning techniques using their name
This way I am sure your learners feel that you are actively interested in their lives and experiences and you are a real person that they can learn a lot from. Sharing own stories is a great way to engage learners
I have 17 yr olds from overseas – international students. I would really like them to value the learning support work I do in class but I know the reality is for them, that the part-time job comes before class attendance, especially since my class is not compulsory. So I try not to take lateness or non-attendance personally – but I really would like them to engage more.
I teach adult learners online for TAFE and RMIT Online and feel that respect is not a major issues. Empathy is crucial though and it is vital to engage students in order to enhance their learning experience. I do this through being available 24/7 – yes, my mobile is usually on unless I am asleep. My students respect the effort that I put in to their learning experience and know that my goal is to enable them to succeed. It is not about me but about them after all. Respect is indeed a two-way street and I always treat my… Read more »
Dana I’m sure your students appreciate your availability. My experience on on-line learning highlighted the need to have a question answered ‘now’ so that I could continue. One course I enrolled in required us to book a Q&A session – with a 5 day wait – it was so frustrating!
Hi Dana. I agree that being available outside classroom hours is important and shows the students that you are flexible. You have very student-centred approach and it appears that it is a crucial way of giving and receiving respect
I found this loss of empathy very worrying and fear the basic loss of the ability of people to communicate with each other.
In terms of engaging with your students I applaud your availability. There may be times when you want to be ‘off duty’. That is fine and students will, I’m sure, respect your need for setting some limits.
Hi Dana I also feel that availability goes a long way to building mutual respectful relationship
I teach for TAFE in a blended delivery environment and find that I am given respect when I show flexibility in engaging with students, they really appreciate the assistance at odd times outside of the official contact times (classroom/workshops/adobe connect). I think they also respect me because I understand they are people first and students second with conflicting schedules to mine. Students understand that I care about them completing their studies and will do everything in my power to see them achieve. If I see someone struggling I ask what I can do to help. Students appreciate a listening ear… Read more »
Hi Judith
It seems you give a lot of thought to each student and their progress through the course, as well as understand the complexities of adult life – that doesn’t remain static from week to week. I’m sure this contributes to a strong and respectful relationship. I also use the listening ear approach and aim to be flexible to meet their learning needs. Sometimes explaining something in a different way is enough to help the over a learning hump so they can progress.
I teach in VET and definitely don’t like the formal title idea 🙂 I prefer a less formal consultative classroom environment for my area of teaching. I have been subtly using my own version of the languages of love with my students for several years now but find nothing can beat the universal language of love -mutual trust and respect. When I am on class I am 100 percent there for them and they know it. Nothing more gratifying than bumping into previous students 10 years later and finding out you influenced their life in a positive way because you… Read more »
Hi Robyn,
I couldn’t agree more with your views as they fit in with my own and it seems that this mutual respect paradigm works well. It also fits in with my wider perspective on life as I always am mindful not to judge but instead respect people’s right to be. I also love being a TAFE teacher 🙂
Hi Robyn,
I completely agree, I think for TAFE the Teachers side of Seven Languages of Respect is slightly modified due to the type of environment we teach in and our cohort.
I also love being a TAFE teacher and love my students.
I’m with you on this, Robyn. I also feel that dispensing with formal approaches of teaching and providing learners with a more informal teaching-learning experience, pays towards earning respect.
Preparing personalized lessons, employing interactive strategies and helping individual students with their specific needs breaks down barriers and helps gain their respect.
Being empathetic to their current situation, treating them with kindness, respecting their diverse cultures and acknowledging their education, experience and expertise in their field of study/ profession also helps.
Respect is something that cant be assumed just because we are teachers & they are the student. It is essential that a student can see we are authentic in how we act in our classrooms, whatever they may be. I am in VET an have come from an industry that has a definite lines of power structure – the kitchen. An apprentice back when I studied was expected to give respect because they had to. I find with our apprentices now they will give respect when they see you deserve it because of your actions, words & skills. I think… Read more »
I agree Sharon. The students are looking for a way to link with us. If they feel acknowledged and you show some interest in them, they relate much better to the subject matter as well
Totally agree Sharon. Our students are human beings that want to be heard, be seen for who they are and what they can achieve, when we as teachers can engage at that level, respect is developed both ways.
Interestingly, because I deliver to young adults at college the expectations from me as their teacher are different to what I would have expected when I taught primary aged students. The seven languages of respect for students discussed are the principles I apply in adult education. I found the commentary around communication interesting. I always acknowledge the difficulty students have writing for periods of time. However I hadn’t stopped to consider the empathy or vocabulary aspects of approaches to communication prior.
I agree that acknowledging the difficulty of the learning is important to engendering respect as you are showing empathy. I teach adults who are balancing work, study and personal lives and always try to complement them on their management of competing demands. If you show respect you are more likely to be respected.
I feel respected when my previous students refer their work colleagues to enroll into my courses. I also enjoy when I have shared an experience with the class and they follow up with me at morning tea or lunch wanting to know about it in more detail or to share a similar experience with me.
I feel like I am being authentic when I share my own experiences of learning. I am hearing impaired and a class I had was very diverse with culture and linguistic backgrounds. Some groups have a cultural mind set that they agree with the teacher regardless if they understand. I suspected that some were not getting there so I shared that when I don’t hear a person I’ll ask them to repeat but if I don’t get it by the third try I usually just smile, nod or laugh. Sometimes this is not the right response. The class all laughed… Read more »
Hi Lucy,
I do share my experience in class too. I find it also to be a great ice breaker in the beginning. Another tip I received from a much more experienced teacher was to not be afraid when you don’t know something. As teachers we know our subject, but we don’t know everything. Sometimes students come up with some very interesting questions. I am not afraid to say that I don’t know the answer to this question, but always look at this as an opportunity to turn it into a learning experience by suggesting to researching the answer together online.
It is always so encouraging when you catch up with previous learners and they share the positive impact you have had on their employment outcomes as a result of their study and gaining a qualification. Very rewarding!
This was very much my experience as well. I spent many years teaching in a gaol. I have on several occasions had students come up to thank me for the impact I had on them while they were in custody. It was a privilege to share the journey with these students.
I feel respected by my students when they greet me warmly and are happy to contribute ideas to their learning , in a reciprocal manner and they can be flexible when required.Also, when they can honestly tell me they haven’t understood something.
Activities where students need to communicate and share information I feel encourages respect all round.
Vivian,
I think it is a very positive sign when learners feel they can safely say that they do not understand. It is very reassuring as a teacher as they clearly want to understand.
I agree with Vivian and Karen – having taught international student groups with diverse linguistic backgrounds and cultures I feel respected when they feel they can repeatedly let me know they are not understanding something and we can work together to find a way they can understand the concept, word or meaning. Early Childhood Education has a whole new vernacular language so it is not easy to ‘translate’.
When students complete a task that I’ve set them, I feel that they are being respectful because they value the learning from completing the task.
eg students complete readings or activities prior to class.
i love nothing more than to sucessfully engage a group of students where there is nothing but silence and total concentration.
To then be bombarded with questions and advice on how they can achieve their individual goals is the most rewarding feeling.
Just love being a teacher, 🙂
We have a code of conduct we ask our young adult learners to sign. One aspect is on constant chatter in the classroom. I always apologise upfront to prospective students that they will probably call me on this themselves. I hate constantly quiet classrooms. The sound of engaged learners is music to my ears!
I feel respected by students when they engage, participate and contribute in the classroom. I facilitated delivery of business administration units in a simulated office environment called a Practice Firm. Each week responsibilities were rotated and shared. Responsibilities included reception work, word processing, mail, finance, scheduling and running meetings to name a few. The activities were relevant, real and transferable and seamlessly linked to assessment. Finding ways to make the learning interesting and meaningful will go a long way to getting respect.
Totally agree with you Elsa giving students a sense of responsibility that are relevant to what they will do in industry will build respect. I also think sharing fun stories of what you have done when you worked in industry also helps them to stay engaged and builds respect both ways.
Hi Elsa,
What a great idea in giving students responsibilities which are akin to their learning objectives. I teach business subjects but also teach English to Speakers of Other Languages [ESOL] and like to create a collaborative learning environment by getting students to correct each others work and engage in fun activities which are competitive – within reason. I encourage learners to not be afraid to make mistakes because we learn from our mistakes in life as in learning.
I feel respected by students when I see them outside of class and they say hello and stop to let me know what are they are doing now that their study is finished.
Hi Julie Anne yes I also get a buzz when a student from years ago recognizes me and stops to have a chat and I love to hear about their journey since their training. What I find is that this is common with older generations however not the same with the younger generation maybe it’s just me being sensitive.
i agree this does give you a warm and fuzzy respectful feeling.
Agreed great to see someone you’ve taught doing well and that you have indeed had an impact, feels rewarding
I’ve been a teacher so long my ex-students have children of their own. It is lovely when they introduce me by name after so long. It indicates a relationship had been built and has had a lasting impact.
The other interesting part is that if I recognise the face (I taught a long time in infants schools) I often can remember their name as well.
I feel respected by students when they are actively participating in the activity. If it’s questioning them about their learning and they share their own stories about how they have dealt with the concepts. Having the whole class listen to others is a big part of ensuring everyone gets their views and opinions across.
I totally agree with your feelings SueAnn.
Nothing more rewarding than when an entire group of students become actively involved in group discussions and share life experiences.
SueAnn,
I feel the same way. It is so satisfying to see genuine engagement in the learning.
Couldn’t agree more. It brings such a great feel to the classroom when students are sharing themselves – I had a lovely student from Laos who shared with the class how she would play when she was a young girl [ early education ] we were all fascinated with how creative their play was – using sticks as chopsticks, coconut shells for bowls and shredded paper as ‘noodles’ . This was way before sustainability was entrenched – so on point. It also showed the class that although we are different we are the same in many ways.
I had a great first session with my TAFE Tvet access group, We played lots of games to demonstrate and apply questioning techniques. They loved taking turns to control of the games and distribute rewards.
The Topic was Engaging customers and the flow on was engaged learners.
One of the learners even stayed back to shake our hands and thank us for a fun lesson!
This is what motivates me to continue teaching ….
That’s wonderful Tanya as TVET students can sometimes be very difficult to engage and you can feel disrespected quite easily . Having them really involved in the class certainly helps.
I also love using games in a TAFE classroom it is such a good way to get engagement and sometimes they like to change the rules to make it more interesting or fun.
I teach English as second language to adult migrants. My students come with varying levels of motivation and need and with differing family commitments which makes it hard for them to reach class on time, either due to lack of motivation or due to family commitments. I feel respected when all my students try and come to class closer to the start time as the activities that I usually plan for the day are from easier to difficult level of complexity to assist students with disparate language levels. I feel they show respect by appreciating the work put in as… Read more »
I feel the respect of students when they share a story that is personal to them, demonstrating the trust that their confidence will be respected.
it is great to hear these stories, as we often forget how hard or different our lives and theirs can be.
Yes, I agree with this as sometimes coming from different perspectives, we’ve tended to forget the difficulties some students may have.
Agree totally, we sometimes assume that we all have the same backronds and lifestyles and take for granted that the skills and knowledge that we may have should be easily transferred to students but we all have different needs and requirements.
I too enjoy this Chris, it certainly adds to the richness of the learning experience and also makes the discussion so much more authentic and engaging.
I feel the respect of students when they are willing to participate and engage to collaborative discussions or when we are brainstorming.
Nothing makes a lesson flow like a dream than, learner participation and robust discussion
I feel the respect of students when they are willing to contribute, collaborate and engage. To encourage students I always allow them to opt out, encourage self direction and ask why as often as they do.
As a TAFE teacher I often have classes that consist of students covering various age groups. Treating every student with respect end actually listening to their experiences not only gains respect but is interesting to the class and forms the basis for work to be completed in class teams.
Hi Sandra, I am a TAFE teacher also.
I’m with you, encouraging our students to share their expedience. It is a great starting point for creating / reinforcing knowledge. It is paramount to the learning process.
Sandra I agree that with so many different types of students in our classes is treating each student with individual respect makes a difference to the whole class dynamic. It is modelling the behaviour for everyone to learn from and reciprocate to each other not just to the teacher.
I’m a TAFE teacher as well and it’s not unusual to have several generations in the class. I also feel that respect is given to me as ensure that I treat everyone as equals, we all have something to contribute to the session. I have found that everyone has strengths and by encouraging students to allow their unique strengths to shine in class by assisting each other really ups my respect level. The tec wiz kids (for want of a better description) I have found love helping the seniors with technology and the seniors might assist with their more formal… Read more »
I teach Technology and Business Services but also have twins in this same Gen Y group. Our cohorts are very diverse so flexibility is something I practice with all cohorts when teaching which I find is always received really well. I am sure to always take an active interest in the lives of students and I believe that authenticity is key to gaining the trust of our Gen Y students. When these students are absent from class, rather than greeting them with “where have you been”? I have always taken the approach when greeting them after a time of absence… Read more »
Hi Kim, This is really innovative and positive. I always make sure I have copies of anything that the student may have missed ready for them, this also enhances positivity, not only missed but thought about!
Hi Kim and Sandra, the demand for flexibility is definitely real and it is great that you both implement strategies to this end. I find it difficult to be as flexible as some students would like. This is due to many barriers. Our organisational structure and systems are not truly flexible with training, plan, course end dates and funding cycles.
Hi Kim, thanks your approach here is great. I’ve also had online rage courses and whilst I cannot physically approach them with this greeting, I’ve always tried to let them know that I understand sometimes life gets in our way of study. We have to appreciate that if their adults they make the decisions and sometime people have bigger issues to deal with. I let them know this and they’ll reach out to me if needed or when they’re ready to deal with life.
Auto correct is a pain – it was meant to be “online tafe courses”
Kim I love your approach for welcoming back an absent student. I have had many students disappear for a while due to a motivation change, home life issues, transport or health, and it is really hard for them to come back when they think they have missed too much. I try to encourage them to return and join in where we are up to. This only works without prerequisites and pick up the missed work later. It’s better to get back into th w swing of it. When other students see this they feel that it is ok to hit… Read more »
Hi Kim – our learners come from very different and diverse backgrounds some of which are very complex. Respect for diversity is also key.
As a teacher pastrychef is is common that students refer to you as chef, as i have children in the same Gen Y group and have learnt from them, I have made a point to my student to call me by my christian name. I feel this builds a certain amount of respect from the student in the way that in my class there is no hierarchy. The students feel free to address me with question, feeling , career paths -mosaics!!!. As a person below described this might be easier as my students have the same common interest FOOD!!!
I agree. As a Teacher of Leadership & Management to have students from foreign countries addressing you with Professor or Most Respected Teacher. It takes time to move them to a position where they can us my first name and relax. This is a reflection on their history and also their preferred method of learning by rote, rather than open discussion and problem solving.
I see it as part of our role to encourage not just learning but cultural exchange so they can benefit from our more relaxed, sharing culture in Australia.
Scott good idea to break down the hierarchy stemming from the kitchen context, this inevitably opens up discussion and also makes for better teamwork which is also critical
Please refer to this paper on networked learning:
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1041/2025
Different learning objectives and different life contexts of learners in an open course lead to different levels of participation in learning activities and subsequently to different learning outcomes. The current research pointed to a maturing of e-learning users; the more experience in networked learning and through MOOCs, the higher the level of participation. People produced artifacts and created learning networks when confident with the technology and with the topic under discussion, while among new MOOCers there was a higher level of consumption of resources created by others. These results confirm research by Mak, Williams, and Mackness (2010) showing an emerging… Read more »
Greeting the students courteously, and asking them to introduce themselves, during the orientation session is especially important in vocational education and training. Be aware of the differences of background, skills and experiences, and the learning styles among students, so we could encourage every one to participate actively in the group discussion and learning activities. Treat every student with respect, and acknowledge their cultures and beliefs, so students believe that we are there to support their learning. We also need to build trust with students, by communicating with them through face to face classroom sessions and online sessions, and helping them… Read more »
Yes, I agree, I think it really helps for our Gen Y students to feel validated when we listen to their stories and experiences. Thanks for sharing.
I work across schools and vocational education. Students warm to honesty, respect and consistency. Its a two way street for an educator and students so the value of ideas and actions that create a productive learning environment for all involved are acknowledged and reciprocated.
I agree totally, I often think about being a student and think of the actions that I found respectful in a teacher, and it was as you said, honesty, respect shown and consistency in all interactions.
Greeting the students warmly, acknowledging them by their name, asking them for input and ideas, providing them with constructive feedback, be a genuine person showing empathy as well as vulnerability, are all key aspects and have gained me students’ respect.
This is pretty much how I see my self with students I Interact with.
Yes, I totally agree and to be honest, I find that if I do all these things then gaining respect is never an issue, it happens naturally with these Gen Y students when they feel valued and validated, I love teaching the younger generation, I have learnt so much myself from listening to their stories and experiences.
Yes! students do love for you to make the effort to remember their names and also their industry and work experience (I am a TAFE teacher) it shows you care enough to make the learning experience relevant to them. The same applies to students who recall experiences or examples I have taught them previously, its so nice to hear.
I teach in Vocational Education, and as I teach in a creative field its probably easier to connect to students as we already share a common passion. I find that giving student options such as choosing the subject matter , or giving a range of choices for topics for a creative project really helps, rather than dictating that everyone has to use the same images etc. I also make sure when i first meet new groups to give them an idea of my professional creative career (without going on too long or sounding boastful-just factual) so that they trust that… Read more »
Having conversation with students is critical to success in establishing a good communication and relationship with them. It’s also a huge challenge when students are experiencing anxiety when engaged with conversation, due to various reasons, such as difficulties in sharing information, or weak communication skills.
I agree with you that teacher needs to inspire their students through their enthusiasm and passion at work.
I agree. I teach in Leadership & Management. This cohort is driven by achievement, the desire to prove themselves worthy of promotion or a payrise in the workplace. They are largely passionate about successfully completing their Units and showing respect for their ideas and contribution is critical to the respect they feel as part of a group.
Gaining respect from the students is a two way street. The teacher has to lead the way and quite often, by showing authenticity in the first instance can be a great leveller. One method that works well for me is in my first class with my young adult learners, we do a informal icebreaker – ‘tell us something about yourself and a ‘fun fact’. I start first and always include something about myself that could be perceived as a fault or negative trait. This shows the students that I am human with vulnerabilities – just like them. This communication in… Read more »
Gaining respect from students has definitely changed but I also think as a teacher , students gaining my respect has also changed. To gain my students respect as a vocational education teacher i.e. I have to have currency in my vocation as well as in my teaching , I like to hear from them their experiences around a subject I am teaching, why they want to study that particular vocation and I share my experiences in the industry that they want to move into. Its a two way street. This gains respect both ways as we can all learn from… Read more »
Fell I am gaining their respect when during class introductions I ask each student their hobby/interest. Write their responses down and next week when I see them I ask them have they done something in relation to their hobby or interest
That might work, but sounds a bit forced, but as I’m teaching in vocational education with adult learners it tends to be a more organic, by the way kind of discussion, Ill ask them about their background, or interests as Im discussing their work one on one, which is easier than high school as the group numbers are smaller and there is a range of ages. I think adult learners would feel a bit creeped out if I wrote suff down about them and kept asking later! So I guess different strategies would be needed for different learner cohorts!
Hi Jennifer,
I agree with you.
This is a major part of what i do in the pastry section, find out what students enjoy most.
Millennials, Electronic Natives, the Net Generation. Many names have been used to describe the new generation of college students, whom population experts have identified as being distinctly different from the previous generations in terms of their technological abilities, teamwork skills, and openness to participatory pedagogies (e.g., Howe and Strauss 2003; Lancaster and Stillman 2002). However, if there is general agreement that younger students do not have have the same attributes as their older counterparts, scholars and commentators still offer divergent assessments of this contrast. For example, Howe and Strauss’s (2003) optimistic description of the new generation, based on theories and… Read more »
It’s a huge challenge when our students are coming from a diverse background. I have students ranging from 20 to 59 years old in my class in TAFE, and so it is not about one generation, but a number of generations. We need to acknowledge that we could only embrace different generations in terms of their technological abilities, teamwork skills, and openness to participatory pedagogies, as you mentioned, as some of the teaching and learning strategies. It’s also critical to acknowledge the 3 presences, i.e. teaching presence, learner presence and social presence are commonly embraced in an teaching and learning… Read more »
One of the tenets of Trauma informed care is genuinely respecting your client. Now I understand that while I thought I was being respectful it may not have been perceived by Gen y as respect.
True totally agree. Perceptions are subjective to personal experiences. Once again, we come back to the method and form of communication. Communication is complete when the other party perceives the intended meaning. Hence, demonstrating respect is communicating in a way that acknowledges the other person and it will eventually lead to gaining respect in turn.
When at the end of the day students have enjoyed what they have participated in and come and thank you. I always encourage students to do there best and I know that what earns students trust.
Completely agree Jane, it is so rewarding nd you feel so respected when at the end of the class students come and thank you for the class and acknowledge how much they have enjoyed it and learned.
As part of our Vet courses students have the opportunity to run and work in a diverse range of areas in our fully licensed restaurants. Respect in this environment I feel is fostered over time. Respect is earnt by the teacher demonstrating industry current skills. Respect is also earnt by providing regular constructive feedback to students. Students who act on this quality feedback generally grow and develop skills at an exponential rate. This generates self confidence and in return helps generate mutual respect.
As you mentioned:”Respect is earnt by the teacher demonstrating industry current skills. Respect is also earnt by providing regular constructive feedback to students.” I also think that students need to be assured that they are in complete control of the learning, when they are exposed to various social media postings, or classroom discussions. It would take time for students to fully participate in every discussions, as some students are hesitant in raising questions, or responding to questions in the early stage of the course. Also, some students may feel overwhelm when they find too many postings that they have to… Read more »
It is the most rewarding moment to see students appreciate your intention to do good to them and act on the feedback given. Totally agree, it is a way of respecting your knowledge and putting their trust in you.