Sustaining self-esteem and motivation
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Sometimes you will want to encourage your group to work harder or to take revision seriously. General exhortations to the group to 'buck up' can be taken very personally by students whose self-esteem is already low and can have the opposite effect. For example, students who feel they are doing their best, but still are not keeping up with their work, may become so discouraged that they lose motivation and believe that whatever they do will not be enough.
Some students may have had great difficulties in their past education, leading to very low expectations. Just exposing themselves to a new learning situation may be extremely challenging. Low confidence and self-esteem may make it very difficult for a student to believe they can be successful, and problems to do with learning may seem insurmountable. Lack of motivation may make life and study very difficult.
Other students feel compelled to strive for perfection – the fear of not excelling may be perceived as failure, or it can lead to procrastination and not getting started on tasks.
You may need to say to a student ‘good enough is good enough’ and help them to focus on what is necessary and achievable.
The way forward is through your own knowledge and understanding of each of your students. It is important to be alert to signs of anxiety and stress and to work from what you know are a student's strengths. For example, you could ask for a portfolio of pictures on a subject rather than a written report, or ask a student to interview someone on the subject and offer a layout for the interview instead of giving them an unstructured assignment.
- Find out what supporting networks are available within your institution – there may be a student dyslexia group for example – and check the drop-in times at the disability services department.
- Set aside some time when students can ask questions in private. This can be immensely helpful for those who find it stressful to talk in public.
- Look out for signs of overload, which may cause ill health due to poor eating habits or excessive work. A conscientious student may not pay enough attention to their health.
- Give some thought to the way you mark a student's work. It is obviously important to maintain academic standards but it is also important to try to encourage through constructive criticism.
- Make sure to recognise successes – these should be nurtured and expanded upon.
- Be aware that mistakes are often made by accident or a lack of awareness rather than carelessness. This is often the case for students with specific learning difficulties.
Support methods for enhancing time management and organisational skills by providing spare timetables, giving reminders about hand-in times and room changes in writing as well as orally, and making sure required reading has been understood.