Personal-Touch Teaching

Donna Andersen, M.Ed.

There are no smiles (or suckers) from bank ATMs; there are no answers from answering machines. Modern technology acts like we're robots and not people. Because of our culture's cold, detached attitude, personal-touch teaching is vital; and when we treat our students as individuals, we say, "I care." What can we do to "warm up" our teaching?

1. "My name is me."—Using the student's name in and out of class and writing it along with comments on his tests and papers is important, for it shows that we think of the student as an individual.
   
   
2. Personal Information Cards—On the first day of class I distribute cards and ask the students to write their name, home state, future goals, etc. I also copy the photo from their campus I.D. card and attach it–this helps me learn names. (A colleague takes a group photo of each class to help her memory.)
   
   
3. "Yes, I read your whole paper!"—Making comments throughout a student's work makes a difference. (My son was very disappointed when his professor gave him an "A" on his term paper but neglected to make any comments.) Correcting the spelling, punctuation, and grammar, even if you're not an English teacher, also says you took time with a student's work and that you care.
   
   
4. Encouraging Comments—"Better than your last quiz, Jonathan!" written by the grade takes little effort, acknowledges the student's progress, and motivates him to "keep on keeping on."
   
   
5. "Open Door" Policy—Availability and approachability are essential in any people-profession. When I'm in my office, I leave the door open as an invitation to "drop in." Arriving early and not rushing off after class makes me available to my students and gives us a chance to visit. I also give students my home phone number so they can call if they have questions or problems.
   
   
6. "Mothering" ("Fathering")—I take the motto "in loco parentis" seriously. (Remembering that every student is someone's child revives my patience as I work with adolescents.) Like a loving mom, I refuse to let students procrastinate. Spurgeon said, "Well begun is half done." I motivate the students to get started and to continue working on major projects by giving homework assignments–"The next time you come to class, I want you to have put in another hour on your project. Your final grade will be affected if you don't." And then I pass around a sheet on which they indicate whether or not they have met the time requirement. Or, spot checking the project in progress encourages them to work steadily. Students appreciate this when they are able to turn in their papers on time (for a change!) and when they have enjoyed and actually learned something in the creative process.
   
   
7. Extra-Credit Encouragement—Extra credit gives a student hope, and good teachers always inspire hope. Samuel Johnson wrote, "Where there is no hope, there can be no endeavor." Reading recommended books gets my students into professional literature. An extra-credit question on an exam may help a student who "blanked-out" on one of the other questions. And, I give students a few extra-credit points if they ate breakfast on the exam day. Most of my students are women, and the "future mothers of America" need to be establishing healthy eating habits now. And, besides, they will probably do better on the exam if they have some "fuel in the tank."
   
   
8. Listen, Really Listen—One of the most important acts of love is to pay attention. Listening to our students assures them that they are worthy of our attentiveness–that they are loved. Be sure to:
   
   
1. Listen with your mouth—Brief comments, inviting remarks and questions ("Umm," "I see," "Really?") indicate that we are paying attention and encourage the student to continue.
   
   
2. Listen with your eyes—Making comfortable eye contact and avoiding glancing around the room show that we are listening.
   
   
3. Listen with your body—Squarely facing the speaker and even leaning forward slightly as he talks are subtle but effective ways of showing that he has our full attention. Responding with facial expressions, smiling, and nodding in agreement indicate that we are "tuned in." Shuffling papers, looking at our watch, jingling the change in our pockets (men) are negative body language which speaks loudly. We don't want the student to feel that what he says in unimportant or that we have better things to do than listen to him. Everyone appreciates the gift of time.
   
   
4. Listen with your heart—Junior and senior high students often say one thing and mean something else. A discerning spirit helps us "read between the lines" of a student's conversation.

Personal-touch teaching takes very little effort and meets the heart- needs of our students. We can't just say that we care; we've got to show it!

Reprinted from Balance, a publication of the School of Education, Bob Jones University. Used with permission of Bob Jones University. Please write BJU Press, for permission to reproduce this article.