Module 5

The Pre-Academic Student

Don't let the university get in the way of your education.
--Raymond Brown

Introduction

As instructors, we are used to the academic setting. We’ve passed through the K-12 system, gone to university, and most likely completed some graduate studies. We can walk into any academic classroom and be reasonably comfortable with its culture and norms; we know the lingo, what to expect, and how to succeed. It’s a cultural microcosm that is familiar to us.

Many immigrant students, however, are facing a double-dilemma. In addition to being foreigners in the dominant culture, they are foreign to the academic subculture. When entering the university environment, they not only have to navigate dominant culture issues, they have to learn a new set of norms unique to academic settings. Understanding this dilemma is critical to promoting success among students who may be entering the higher-education classroom for the first time.

Impostor Syndrome

For students who never attended a college or university, had little previous formal education, or did not finish their schooling, entering an academic setting can be daunting. They may feel like impostors—as if somehow they have fooled others into thinking they deserve to be in the classroom. Once there, these students face incredible pressure to keep up a false image. They may feel depressed or anxious. They fear failure, or worse—being discovered for what they really are. When confronted with learning difficulties, they become ashamed and fearful rather than proactively seeking solutions to problems.

Being in any new environment—like a “fish out of water”—can make anyone feel like an impostor, especially when a student may already be experiencing cultural discomfort. In addition, certain family systems can cultivate impostor feelings. Students’ families may not support the pursuit of educational or career goals because of a conflict with gender or cultural roles. Other family disfunctions, such as alcoholism or abuse, can lead to strong feelings of impostorism.

Students who feel like impostors may not be able to internalize their accomplishments. They attribute successes to luck, personality, perseverance, or having fooled others into thinking they are smarter or more able than they really are. As students succeed and pass to the next level, these feelings only intensify. Consequently, students may jump from situation to situation, to avoid being found out. They may also cause themselves to fail, providing proof to themselves that they are fakes.

In order for students to succeed, they need more than a mastery of facts and knowledge. They need to be assured that they are not impostors, are justified in pursuing their goals, and are entitled to succeed. They, like anyone else, belong in the classroom and have valuable knowledge and experiences to contribute. Although instructors may not be able to completely erase impostor feelings in our students, we can contribute to a climate of comfort and assurance.* Make it your goal in the classroom to:

create a welcoming environment

build a community where no one is dispensable

acknowledge prior student knowledge and experience, and give opportunities for students to show what they know

praise successes

encourage students to define their goals and make a plan to achieve them

allow students to voice to feelings of insecurity

verbalize impostor syndrome and bring it out into the open

Assumptions You Can’t Assume

“I don’t understand why no one did the homework I assigned,” one instructor commented. “It’s listed in the syllabus!” “I told them all to get their ID cards at registration,” complained another. “But only two out of a class of twenty did.” “I told them there would be a test on Friday,” said a third, “but they looked shocked when I handed it out.”

When working with pre-academic students, there is often a great gap between what instructors assume students know and what they actually do know about university conduct. The rule of assumptions is: don’t assume anything. Communicate your expectations as clearly as you can. Second language learners have a difficult time with nuance and implied instructions. Even when you feel you’re speaking clearly, you can’t assume that students 1) understood what you said, 2) internalized it, or 3) knew that you really meant it. Often it takes repeated instructions, coupled with a written reminder on the chalkboard or a handout, for students to absorb the information.

Below are some assumptions that might bear explaining (or demonstration) in the pre-academic classroom:

what a syllabus is, and what the students should look for when they read it

where student services are located on campus, and what to do once there (consider a group trip to important places on campus)

how homework should look when it’s turned in—typed? handwritten? free of errors or first drafts?

the policy on late homework

what students should do when they must be absent

where students can use computers and printers

how to use the library (another field trip)

what to bring to class

how to use a planner to keep track of assignments

what grades and evaluations mean, and how they will be figured

expectations for group and peer work

where completion of the course will lead, and what choices are open to students

how students can communicate problems or difficulties to the instructors

Instructors may feel initially frustrated at all the required hand-holding in the beginning. There may be a feeling that students should “get with the program.” Be patient. Remember that as the term progresses, students should become increasingly more independent, with less need for sheltering. More information about moving students from dependence to independence will be covered in module 7.

*see the section on the affective filter in module 4.

Module 5 – Discussion Springboards and Plan of Implementation

The Pre-Academic Student

Date of meeting: ______Class Title: ______

Instructor Name: ______Instructor Name: ______

Area of Instruction: ______Area of Instruction: ______

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Use the section below as a discussion guide. Use the back of the form to take notes on your partner’s responses.

1. Have you ever felt like an impostor? Describe your experience. How were you able to resolve your feelings?

2. Have you observed anyone in your classroom who may be experiencing impostor syndrome?

3. Have you experienced any misunderstandings with students because of their unfamiliarity with the academic setting? Describe any strategies you used to resolve the situation.

4. Looking back at the first week of the term, discuss what you might have done differently in terms of student orientation to the academic setting.

5. How do you identify whether students are understanding and internalizing your instructions?

Plan of Implementation

With your co-instructor, form a plan to implement the following ideas during your class sessions this week.

1. Discuss concrete ways in which you can help ease students’ feelings of being impostors.

2. Describe how you can use multiple methods to reinforce your message when giving information to students.

3. Identify one campus resource with which students may not be familiar. Develop a plan to make this resource accessible and comfortable for them.

Module 5 – Reflection Summary

The Pre-Academic Student

Instructor Name ______Class Title ______

Content Area ______

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Please complete and submit this form to the program coordinator. Your reflections can be discussed with your co-instructor at your next meeting.

1. In what ways did you address impostor syndrome in the classroom?

2. Did you feel that this issue was pertinent to your students? Explain.

3. Describe ways in which you are using multiple methods to reinforce information given to students.

4. Have you noticed any change in student comprehension because of this approach?

5. Which campus resource did you identify as being unfamiliar to students? Describe how you made this resource accessible to them.

6. Additional observations:

1