N is for Noteworthy

How would you define "noteworthy?" Perhaps "something which is important, worth noticing." What if we expand that definition to include not only things but people - specifically, students. And what does a student need to do in order for you to take notice?

Early in my own career I remember reacting more quickly to negatives than the positives, only because negatives seemed to demand a need for immediate control. We know from our educational psychology courses that people naturally seek attention, even if it is through negative behavior. I look back on my reactive behavior and know now it wasn't what I should have done. I have learned over the years we get more of what we reward and less of what we extinguish.

So what does that look like in the world of virtual teaching and learning?  Can you find ways to reward those who are less than stellar in their response to your course expectations? How easy is it to send an email to a student who is attaining high percentages or the highest grades on a test or quiz? It is more difficult to find a reason to applaud a student's 60% or a late assignment which is finally submitted, but we need to do just that. Presenting a positive where one is rarely awarded could reap huge benefits in self-esteem and a renewed or new commitment.

Praise disenfranchised students often enough and they begin to connect. Remember the recommended approaches in the virtual teaching world: check-in emails and phone calls are important, delivering a sincere tone of concern for a student's success. We want to be the person a student runs toward rather than another person he or she might run from. Even when a student is only reading an email or text message, the important idea? He is reading and it will get progressively harder to ignore repeated and sincere offers for assistance.

A student's active enrollment in a virtual learning environment is noteworthy, becoming less and less novel. However, rather than being able to see a student in a classroom environment, now we need to use all our available tools to reach out and engage in different ways. Decide how your students came to be on your class list because personal choice and commitment are key. Let your students know you honor their commitment then set the hook and move them forward. Nothing sweeter than a student who learns in spite of his reluctance or negativity. That, indeed, is noteworthy!

Reflection: Develop a personal definition for noteworthy and start a list of noteworthy events, people, influences in your daily life. Can you add your own name on a regular basis as someone who makes a difference and is worth noticing for students?