(I’m republishing my greatest posts from the second half of 2024. You possibly can see the complete listing of them right here)

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As most individuals know, “exit interviews” are usually accomplished in firms when a employee is leaving and an employer can acquire suggestions about they felt about working their and be taught their causes for leaving.
Although I take advantage of the identical time period, I flip its which means on its head for voluntary exit interviews I supply to college students close to the tip of the 12 months.
I acquire worthwhile suggestions from them by nameless evaluations of the category and me (see Greatest Posts On College students Evaluating Courses (And Academics)), so we don’t actually speak in regards to the class or me in these conversations.
In my scholar “exit interviews,” I supply to do them with any scholar who needs one. In these conversations, I clarify, I’ll supply my feedback on what I view as their strengths and areas the place I feel they may wish to think about enhancing.
In my IB Principle of Data class, college students can come as much as me anytime over the past three weeks of faculty after we’re engaged on a closing essay and mission. In my ELL Newcomers class, it’s usually over the past couple of days of faculty after we’re watching the film “Ferdinand” (we use the guide as a mentor textual content for a story-writing unit, which is the final tutorial exercise within the 12 months.
I comply with the identical technique in these interviews that I do after I present suggestions to writing – go very heavy on the strengths, and simply talk about one-or-two areas for enchancment – at all times in a really optimistic tone.
Sometimes, between one-third and one-half of scholars benefit from these interviews. They often decide up velocity close to the tip after college students with whom I’ve talked have shared with others how good they felt about their conversations.
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