Student success is teacher success. When our students overcome obstacles in their learning due to our support and encouragement, or experience transformations from our well-constructed course design and subsequent instruction, we succeed in cultivating spaces where their success is made possible. However, contemplating the necessary ingredients to cultivate student success is multifaceted and heavily influenced by a multiplicity of factors. What motivates one may not motivate all. Having a perfectly organized course and a stellar instructional approach may still not yield success for all students. Incorporating four simple practices through collaborative learning communities could be a game changer for teachers willing to embrace a more humane approach to teaching and learning. Fostering student success may be highly individualized, but there are four universal practices that might yield successful student outcomes.
Curiosity
Learning occurs when new situations are presented, open-ended questions are posed, higher-order thinking and imagination are piqued, shared conversations are promoted, and assorted outcomes are possible. These five components of curiosity quickly captivate students’ attention because learners are immediately engaged in ways that allow for their individual contextualization, cultural connections, and academic comprehension. Curiosity benefits “priming the brain for learning” (Robson, 2022). Learners become engaged more quickly and for longer amounts of time. They strengthen their abilities to remember new information, make insightful connections, and ask meaningful questions—both in the moment and in their memories. Curious students develop patience, accept uncertainty, and build self-confidence (Hsiung et al, 2022). Authentically modeling and positively reinforcing curiosity in the classroom contributes significantly to everyone’s critical thinking, decision-making, program solving, and well-being.
Teachers are encouraged to listen carefully to their students’ conversations. When provided opportunities to talk, students often share their layers (and lack) of understanding in their own words. Teachers can keep a curiosity board or chart. Questions and comments posted on the board or poster are incorporated into future discussions. Posting students’ questions and comments communicates that thinking is valued; plus, posts stimulate more questions and comments. Attentive teachers can easily capitalize upon their students’ conversations to introduce new learning experiences and/or advance learners’ explorations. This process, known as “idea linking” (Hagtvedt et al, 2019), boosts curiosity. When idea linking produces intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, students are more likely to naturally invest in their curiosity.
Communication
Effective communication between university faculty and students is fundamental for enhancing academic success, student engagement, mental health, and trust. It supports constructive feedback, helps navigate academic challenges, and promotes an inclusive learning environment. Teachers’ communication style along with empathy and genuine feedback have been found to be the most influencing factors engaging students in constructive academic behaviors (Afzal, et al., 2021).
Clear and direct communication for expectations and assignments with helpful feedback are one aspect of effective communication. Giving specific, direct feedback on assignments and asking clarification questions about student assignments helps to elevate their higher-level thinking skills. Providing videos of the explanations of each assignment with the rubric can also increase student performance. Reading and responding to student reflections of their work increases their learning experience.
Connections
Fostering student connection is by far the most challenging aspect of fostering student success. Teachers must connect students to the content, to one another, and to the world beyond the classroom. Foundational to these practices is establishing collaborative communities within the classroom (Premo et al., 2018). Cultivating community, a place where all students feel a sense of belonging and agency, is vital to student success and requires intention on the part of the teacher and buy-in on the part of students (Premo et al., 2018).
Devising innovative field placements or service-learning opportunities has transformative potential (Yeager et al., 2022). Serving the community while exploring content provides students with potential sites of belonging. For example, a reading course I teach is based out of a local school where teacher candidates can practice administering assessments and delivering interventions on real students. This experience is conducted with their classmates and later reflected upon collaboratively. As a collective, we examine data, responses to interventions, and complete self-assessments. This process fuels inquiry learning as it forges deep connections among growing practitioners. Likewise, students develop a deeper sense of efficacy and connection to the students they teach and the profession of teaching.
Compassion
Confucius says that wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of (wo)men. That certainly holds true for teachers as we navigate the differing personalities, struggles, and concerns of our students. Since the pandemic, students are coming to us with increased levels of stress, anxiety, and academic challenges. Teachers must be equipped to cultivate compassion through creative course design, clear expectations, and positive interactions among students in and out of the classroom.
Compassionate teaching involves recognizing and addressing the emotional and psychological needs of students. It is an approach that balances high academic expectations with genuine concern for students’ personal experiences and challenges. Research has shown that compassion in education can lead to improved student motivation, reduced anxiety, and enhanced learning outcomes (Goleman, 2011).
Successful strategies can be as simple as beginning each semester with allotted time to get to know your students well before proceeding with course content. Include weekly teacher-created videos that add a personal touch to course content or relevant, current events so experiences can be shared. Reaching out to students through email, providing personal cell numbers, and being responsive to student questions and concerns all help to build that personal connection that drives motivation and learning.
Teachers can foster success through sparking curiosity, demonstrating transparency in our communication, establishing deep connections, and modeling compassion for our students. These four simple but powerful practices have the potential to transform our teaching, student learning, our classrooms, and our communities.
Dr. Crystal Voegele, EdD, brings over 25 years of experience in education to her role at the University of Central Arkansas, where she serves as a faculty member specializing in literacy education and teacher preparation. After beginning her career as an English and ELL teacher in Arkansas public schools, she earned her doctorate in Higher and Adult Education from the University of Memphis in 2023, where she was recognized as the Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year.
Dr. Tammy R. Benson, EdD, is a long term educator who has always placed service to the teaching profession first in her career. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning and the University of Central Arkansas. She was previously department chair where she led a dynamic faculty for six years. Before that, she served as director of an award winning graduate program, the Master of Arts in Teaching licensure program. Her servant focused leadership skills have resulted in significant increases in faculty teaching evaluations, research and grant projects and service opportunities for the department. Her total years of service at UCA in various roles totals 34 years.
Nancy P. Gallavan, PhD, Professor Emerita, University of Central Arkansas, is a teacher educator with 50 years of experience. For 20 years, she was an elementary and middle school classroom teacher, primarily in the Cherry Creek School District, Colorado. For the following 30 years, she was faculty in higher education. Most of her higher career was spent at the University of Central Arkansas where Dr. Gallavan was a Professor in the MAT Program, an award-winning graduate program for career changers. She led the UCA College of Education Lighthouse Beacon Initiative, chaired multiple dissertation committees in the UCA Leadership PhD Program, and served as Academic Liaison in the UCA Office of Institutional Diversity and Community. Three of her doctoral candidates received national awards for their dissertations.
References
Afzal, D., Arif, S., Rasul, I., & Chaudhry, M. (2021). Effect of teacher’s communication styles on students’ engagement. Journal of Educational Research, 58, 5593-5604.
Goleman, D. (2011). The brain and emotional intelligence: New insights. More Than Sound.
Hagtvedt, L. P., Dossinger, K., Harrison, S. H., & Huang, L. (2019). Curiosity made the cat more creative: Specific curiosity as a driver of creativity. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 150, 1-15.
Hsiung, A., Poh, J.-H., Huettel, S. A., Adcock, R. A. (2022). Spoiler alert! Curiosity engages patience and joy in the presence of uncertainty. Center for Open Science, PsyAr Xiv: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/x5hgc
Robson, D. (2022, Sept 6). Curiosity: The neglected trait that drives success. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220831-curiosity-the-neglected-trait-that-drives-success
Yeager, E. P., Benjamin, S., Dillette, A., & Goad, A. (2022). Developing self-efficacy through transformative field experiences in tourism pedagogy. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 22(3), 242–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2022.2096174
