Discussion – What makes a good student?

[Leon]

Let’s consider the concept of a good student. What makes a good student? Think of five to ten ideas and share them with other course participants on the discussion forum. (Focus on The Student – 2A)

[Janice C.]

I think a good student is willing to cooperate with teachers and willing to learn. But as a good teacher, we should accept all kind of students and perhaps not to label students as good or bad. We are there to help students to learn, whether they are considered good or bad.

[Gabi Kotlubaj]

@Janice- this is very perceptive. One of the ways how to approach this problem of a mixed ability classroom is to differentiate learning objectives, depending on the level of student ability. ‘One size fits all’ approach is not very effective- make sure weaker students are assigned tasks that are achievable and motivating.

[valich]

I think a good student is a motivated, competitive, attentive, creative, diligent, hard-working. A good student is ready to cooperate with peers and teachers, do critical thinking.

[Gabi Kotlubaj]

You nailed it;=) – collaborative learning and critical thinking are very important! As teachers, we not only impart knowledge but also help our students become more independent as learners by encouraging them to think and learn from peers.

[Ferny]

A good student has to be eager to learn, motivated and open-minded, having confidence in the adult and being able to be conducted on the path of learning. Then he becomes collaborative, active and respectful

[Gabi Kotlubaj]

I agree with you very much; student motivation is the key to successful learning, and the extend to which our students trust us as a teacher will also impact on how motivated they are to learn.

[valentinakarpeiko]

In my opinion a good student is a hard-working, motivated, ambitious, creative, industrious. A good student do critical thinking and readu for cooperation and teamwork.

[Gabi Kotlubaj]

Critical thinking and collaboration have been mentioned by another person on this forum as well. I wonder how you feel about course books and how their design fosters critical thinking? or perhaps they don’t ;=)

[irynaroubel]

I think that a good student is ready to communicate, create, collaborate and think critically. He or she should be eager to follow the learning paths provided by the teacher. In fact, all students can become good ones if our approaches to teaching inspire them to learn. That’s why teachers should do their best in order to achieve this goal.

[Gabi Kotlubaj]

Such a great point! Being able to inspire students is so important. The question is- how can we do this? ;=)

[Anja Kroening-Maynard]

I agree with most of what you have said – although I am not sure being competitive is a quality I would have added. For me the key quality is motivation – all else follows.

[Gabi Kotlubaj]

Anja, the competitive ones are typically the motivated ones ;=) how can we then say that being competitive is not a quality;=) I’m just saying-I agree with you!

[Oksana Novikova]

I think, a good student is motivated, interested in what is going on during the lessons, active, attentive to all details.

[katrinalindley]

I think this question might be a bit difficult for new teachers. In my opinion a good student is one who participates well and lets you know when they’re struggling.

[Gabi Kotlubaj]

Thank you, Katrina. It most certainly is not an easy question; however, we do hope it will make course participants reflect on their own learning experience in order to answer it. Reading other people’s post will also help new teachers to get a sense of what may constitute a good student- after all, there is no right or wrong answer to this question.

[l.koval.l25]

First of all, there are no good or bad students. There are good or bad teachers…but that’s another pair of shoes, I guess. If a teacher manages to develop the students’ interest in learning a foreign language into a passion, it can empower any student for easy and fast learning. Passion is a key ingredient that keeps any student going.

[Gabi Kotlubaj]

I love your idea that there are no bad students only bad teachers;=) This is actually one of the principles of Neuro-linguistic programming and I couldn’t agree with it more ;=) However, there are many people who will beg to differ;=)
Thanks for your thoughts!

[Michael Lynch]

I think motivated — after that, willing enthusiastic participation makes the class more enjoyable.

[Gabi Kotlubaj]

Thank you, Michael! It is interesting how many times motivation has been mention in this discussion thread; you added a new element to this though- student motivation adds to the positive and enjoyable classroom dynamics. Thank for this, Michael!

[noemi.ch]

From my point of view, good students are motivated and hard-working, and are able to take advantage of every situation to learn by themselves, not expecting the teacher to provide all the answers but being willing to take on a new challenge. Yet, they are not afraid to ask for feedback or help whenever they feel they can benefit from it in order to advance on their progress.
In addition, they settle realistic objectives for themselves, and are ready to re-adjust them if it is necessary.
Lastly, they are open-minded and respectful with their peers, and are willing to cooperate and work as part of a team.

[Gabi Kotlubaj]

Thank you, Noemi. I really like the focus on learner independence in your post!

[nicola.brodie-scott]

For me a good student is excited to learn and not afraid to ask questions. They like to interact and are not afraid of getting something wrong because that is how they learn. They are willing to put in the work to see the rewards it brings.

[Elizabeth Pillolo]

A good student is highly motivated. He/she pays attention in class and takes part actively by asking questions or participating in conversation/ role plays.
A good student doesn’t just do the assigned homework but does self study and incorporates English into his/her daily routine e.g. by watching series or movies in original language, reading articles or books in English, etc.
Students who obtain good results are often those who really enjoy learning English and like it as a language.

[irynaroubel]

A good student is motivated. This person understands why he or she wants to study the language.
A good students is ready to follow the teacher’s advice.
A good student understands that if you want to make progress, you should keep on learning and exercising regularly because it is the key to success.

[ele]

A good student is motivated to learn, ideally he/she has a goal they want to achieve. I find the worst students are those attending a language course only because their parents Want them to.
A good student takes active part in class, shows a collaborative and proactive behaviour, doesn’t cheat and works hard at home too.

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