Encouraging Students to Attend Class

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Laura Turner, and today, I'm going to talk with you about how to encourage lagging students to attend class. One of your primary goals as a teacher I think should be to be a mentor, and to be a supporter and a giver of knowledge. Along this vein, you should in some way care about your students and their progression through your class. So you should number one of course have the students Email already. So, if your student is lagging class and you know that they want to do better, and they should do better you should first Email the student, and say you know, Johnny, I realize that you're not coming to class as much as you should be. If that doesn't get a response out of the student actually pull the student aside after class and talk with them, and set up a meeting with them so they can come in and talk to you one on one about what they're doing. When you meet with that person outside of class try to discuss the problem areas with that student, and how you can help them, rather then what's going to happen to them, you know if they don't step up. So, you need to really extend your helping hand because you don't really, I mean if you want to, if the student wants to share with you what's going on in their lives they can, but otherwise, you don't really know what could be going on with them. They could have many other stressful things going on with them you know, besides your class, so try to be caring first, and then, when you find out you know, if that's not the case be more firm. So next, try to highlight that student in class and let them talk more in class, and especially encourage them to talk more, and encourage them to do more when they are in class. And then, hopefully they will start coming more to class. So, be open and don't be afraid to suggest to the student that they drop the class if they think they can do it at a later date. You'll say you know, it's okay you know, we'll just do this next time. Let them know that there is a way out, rather than just totally failing your class."