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Back to Orientation

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Welcome from Dr. Lucy Guglielmino

Setting the Stage for Success

So you've been hired to open a new GED program or maybe you have been asked to review the existing program and make some recommendations about ways to improve the program. Either way, you have your work cut out for you. You've worked in other programs, but this is the first time that you have the responsibility for everything, including:

• Selecting the books and materials
• Setting up the orientation for students
  
• Assessing the academic strengths and weaknesses of new students
  
• Building individualized learning plans
  
• Designing group activities
  
• Reporting student data and those all important Literacy Completion Points

Where should you begin? Always start with the student in mind. Throughout this web-based training, you will have an opportunity to view video clips from a GED class at Indian River Community College in Ft. Pierce, Florida. These 15-30 second video clips will provide you with a brief look at different strategies in action. One word of caution - if you are using a dial-up modem, expect that it will take a minute or so to download the video clip.

Take a look at starting with the student in mind.
Walking into the front door

Sometimes the most difficult step for students is walking through the door of your program or classroom. What you do and what you say can make the difference between the student staying or leaving. Keep in mind that students come to your program to achieve specific goals. If they leave, those goals may never be realized.

Here’s Your First Assignment

Take a few minutes and pretend that you are a student who will be walking through those doors in just a few minutes or a few days. How would you feel? What would you want to see? How would you want to be treated?

Take out a piece of paper and make a list of all the little things that would mean a lot to your future students.

So what was on your list? Did it include some of the following thoughts?

So what was on your list? 

• Desks, tables and chairs that are made for adults
• A friendly atmosphere, a room with plants and motivational posters, maybe even some music in the background
• Someone who would explain things to the new student, maybe a volunteer or another student who could serve as a mentor
• Computers and connections to the Internet
• Newspapers, magazines and books for students to use when working on projects
• A pot of coffee for those early morning classes

You don't get a second chance to create a good "first" impression. A smile, a handshake, and sincere interest in each student are the first steps in Setting the Stage for Success. See and hear how the staff at Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce, FL welcomes new students to their GED program. Does your program make the same "first" impression?

Greeting in the Office

Now it is time to see how much you know about the operation of GED programs.  Click the ticket to proceed to the pre test

Let's take a Pre Test!

Done with the Pre Test? Great! Let's continue.

This program was developed by Dr. Lucy M. Guglielmino, Florida Atlantic University, through an Adult Education State Leadership Grant from the Florida Department of Education, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education.   Content Developed by Susan Pittman and Bonnie Vondracek. Web development by Dr. Debra L. Hargrove. Videography by Steve Foley, Foley Video Productions.

Disclaimer:  While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this web-based training component, it is not an official publication of the Florida Department of Education.