Building Relationships
Relating to Students
Teaching Adults
"Adults bring life experiences and a level of maturity into the classroom that children and adolescents do not. Their expectations and motivations reflect this."
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A Vision of Students Today
"A short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today..."
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Building a Rapport with Students
Focus on Communication
"Good teachers go beyond the building blocks of English such as vocabulary lists or grammar drills to develop a learner's oral, written, and even non-verbal communication skills."
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Building a Relationship with Students
"Think back over your school career. Who were the teachers that had the greatest impact on your life..."
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Engaging Learners
Encouraging Student Participation in Discussion
"Students' enthusiasm, involvement, and willingness to participate affect the quality of class discussion as an opportunity for learning."
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Motivating Students
"Some students seem naturally enthusiastic about learning, but many need-or expect-their instructors to inspire, challenge, and stimulate them..."
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Motivating Students: Creating an Inspiring Environment
"We can positively affect the environment within which students learn by paying attention to
students’ sense of inclusion, their attitudes toward learning, the meaning they make of course
material, and their feelings of competence.
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Why Focus on Student Engagement?
"The research findings are unequivocal. Student learning and student retention are correlated strongly with student engagement."
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Facilitating Classroom Interactions
"...we can greatly enhance the amount of information that our students retain by systematically providing
classroom experiences that allow students to: Discuss learning with others, Engage in activities and learning experiences that allow them to personally interact with course content, and Teach one another..."
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Blank Stares and Sealed Lips
"You are standing in front of your 2:15 class. The
students sitting before you seem to be listening…but you just can’t be sure. And then it happens..."
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Student Groups
Millennial Students
Millennials in College: How Do We Motivate Them?
"The author cites the fundamental experience of convenience and instant gratification that these students experience in everyday life as the principal challenge to educators."
link to articleEducating the Net Generation
The full online book of the groundbreaking work by Diana and James Oblinger.
link to bookWelcoming a New Generation to College: The Millennial Students
"The article discusses the facts about the so-called Millennial students."
link to articleTeaching “millennials”: give them what they need
"One of the major challenges in developing effective teaching strategies for the millennium student is bridging the gap between the analog—even pre-analog—and the digital world.
link to websiteThe Millennial Student
Presentations from a national symposium in the US.
link to websiteThe Net Generation in the Classroom
"The article focuses on the use of modern technology to teach new generation of college students."
link to articleLearning in the 21st century: Teaching Today’s Students on Their Terms
"This white paper helps educators understand and embrace ICT to create better learning environments for students.
link to articleMotivating Millennial Learners
"...identifying the learning characteristics of millennial students and how these may be translated into effective classroom motivational strategies."
link to documentA Framework for Teaching and Learning
"...a framework for analyzing and understanding the processes of teaching and learning as related to millennial learners..."
link to documentMature Students/Second-Career Students
Characteristics and Experiences of Mature Nursing Students
"To explore the characteristics of mature nursing students, including how they perceive themselves, and to identify the problems they experience, which may influence whether they continue with their course."
link to articleAdults Contemplating University Study at a Distance: Issues, Themes and Concerns
"From a range of interviews, six themes were identified including fears, motivation, support from home, academic preparedness, suitability of programs, and identity change."
link to articleBarriers to Business Education: Motivating Adult Learners
"The study compares the responses of 646 adult learners in degree programs from six institutions in the U.S. and Canada to determine statistically significant differences in motivations and barriers to enroll by gender and ethnicity."
link to articleWork, Study, Family: Undergraduates with Dependent Care Responsibilities
"These studies of adult students suggest that undergraduates with multiple commitments are highly motivated, master jugglers, who overcome great odds to complete degrees."
link to articleImmigrant Professional Retraining
Seneca's Guide to Education and Training for Internationally-Trained Persons
Information for students, including contact information.
link to documentChinese Immigrant Women: From Professional to Family Careers
"We investigate labour market outcomes of Chinese immigrants in Canada focusing on the impact of career change on women as they enter the Canadian labour market."
link to articleLabour Market Integration of High-skilled Immigrants: Maximizing Knowledge Spillover in Toronto
"The article focuses on labor market integration of high-skilled immigrants. It emphasizes on the role of knowledge spillover in Toronto, Ontario, Canada."
link to articleGeographical Migration, Psychological Adjustment, and Re-formation of Professional Identity: The Double-culture Shock Experience of International Pharmacy Graduates in Ontario (Canada).
"This qualitative study examined the experience of migrant-pharmacists in Ontario as they enculturate both personally and professionally."
link to articleValuing the Knowledge, Skills and Experience of Canada's Immigrants
"The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) welcomes the opportunity to present its views to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration with
respect to its consultations on the “Recognition of the International Experience and Credentials of Immigrants”."
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Student Success
First-year Experience
Your Guide to Success at Seneca
Seneca's guide for student's entering their first year.
link to documentUnderstanding the College First-Year Experience
"For the first week or two, they are simply overwhelmed by the college experience including locating classrooms..."
link to articleBusiness of Freshman Student Retention
"Many colleges and universities have integrated "freshman seminar" or "experience" courses into their academic programs to enhance the retention of first-year students."
link to articleEvaluating the First-Year Experience: Students' Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors
"The article discusses the implementation of First Year Experience (FYE) programs in universities and colleges and examines the students' change in knowledge, attitudes and behaviors (KAB) in the U.S."
link to articleTools for Student Success
Success@Seneca
"Success@Seneca is dedicated to student success.We promote a positive college experience and work with students to increase student engagement, persistence and graduation rates."
link to websiteEncouraging College Student Success: The Instructional Challenges, Response Strategies, and Study Skills of Contemporary Undergraduates
"This study examined the study skills college students use, the challenges they face, and how they see themselves responding or coping with these challenges."
link to articleStudent Success Strategies
"Here you'll find practical applications of the On Course Principles. Each strategy has the purpose of empowering students to become active, responsible learners."
link to websiteStudent Retention
Taking Student Retention Seriously
"...most institutions do not take student retention seriously. They treat student retention, like so many other issues, as one more item to add to the list of issues to be addressed by the institution."
link to articlePromoting Student Success: What Faculty Can Do
"An essential ingredient is an unwavering, widespread commitment to enhancing student learning on the part of faculty members."
link to articleRole of Academic and Non-Academic Factors in Improving College Retention
"This study...reflects ACT’s interest in analyzing the critical issues
affecting persistence in college. It builds on extensive ACT research on retention..."
link to articleFaculty Roles in Student Retention
"This webpage will briefly summarize several important resources on student retention and will provide practical applications for the classroom..."
link to websiteIdeas to Encourage Student Retention
"Sixty-three ideas are presented for faculty use in dealing with retention/attrition."
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Special considerations
Diversity in the Classroom
Diversity and Complexity in the Classroom
"...many of these students feel that they are treated as unwelcome outsiders, and they describe having encountered subtle forms of bias..."
link to websiteSupporting Learners at Risk
Rethinking Learning for Students at Risk
"Students identified as being at risk of educational failure often receive a watered-down curriculum that emphasizes the acquisition of basic academic skills."
link to websiteOntario Association for Students At-Risk
"We are dedicated to the needs of students at risk; in risky places; in risky times.
link to websiteUnderstanding the At-Risk Student
"Behavioral theorists have long attempted to define the observable anti-social behaviors of students who have been assigned to the group of persons labeled "At Risk"."
link to articleSupporting ESL Students
Supporting ESL Students in Inclusive Classrooms
"Tips and suggestions for helping English language learners succeed in regular education classrooms."
link to websiteStrategies to Support ESL Students in Math
"Supporting ELL students’ math development is, in some ways, similar to supporting that of native English speakers."
link to websiteLesson Plans and Resources for ESL, Bilingual, and Foreign Language Teachers
"Below you'll find links to lesson plans and resources that should prove valuable in the classroom."
link to websiteSupporting Students with Physical Disabilities
Services for Students Who Experience Disabilities - Seneca College
"Students are encouraged to contact the Disability Services Office prior to beginning their program at Seneca..."
link to websiteOnline Guide to Disabilities - Seneca College
"Information for faculty, staff and students on how to deal with disability issues in the classroom."
link to websitePhysically Handicapped Students
"For students with physical handicaps, self-image is extremely important."
link to websiteSupporting Students with Physical Disabilities
Advice for teachers who have students with a disability.
link to websiteSupporting Students with Learning Disabilities
Online Guide to Learning Disabilities - Seneca College
"Learning disabilities, while “invisible”, are nevertheless real."
link to documentStudents with Learning Disabilities
Teaching strategies from Special Needs Ontario and U of T's Adaptive Technology Resource Centre.
link to websiteNational Center for Learning Disabilities - Especially for Teachers
"Teaching a group of students while keeping in mind individual learners’ needs is a challenge."
link to websiteDealing with Difficult Situations
Strategies for dealing with difficult behavior
"Discusses strategies for teachers for understanding and dealing with difficult student behavior."
link to articleClassroom Management
"Not all student behaviors require intervention or confrontation while some are serious enough in nature to warrant formal disciplinary action..."
link to websiteAddress Problematic Student Behavior
"Reports of problematic behaviors are on the rise nationally, not only in the classroom but in society at large."
link to websiteManaging the College Classroom: Perspectives From an Introvert and an Extrovert
"The authors propose that how one handles classroom incivility is a matter of personality type."
link to articleDealing with Challenging Instructional Situations
"The following table suggests ways to respond to some difficult instructional situations that involve adult learners."
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Bev's Teaching Tips
