Students with Attitude
There's always one in the class: the student who carries a chip on her (or his) shoulder from Day 1.
It should be no surprise to anyone if I suggest that many of these students are simply applying a preemptive defense mechanism to disguise something less obvious like shyness or insecurity.
I'd be interested in finding out what other reasons students have for packing an attitude for no apparent reason; as well as what instructors do to overcome those obstacles.
Joe,
I think that some students believe that they "know it all" and do not need your class. Such students almost can behave as if they are doing you a favor by attending class.
In such cases I simply try to approach the student very positively. If a student approaches me with an "attitude" about a late assignment or class attendance, then I try to relate his/her classroom behavior to the workplace. This often captures their attention.
Also, I try to refer to my Course Syllabus. Since the Course Syllabus is the ruling document, I explain to such a student that all requirements and expectations have been outlined clearly in the Course Syllabus.
Often such students do not bother to read the Syllabus and have little idea of course expectations.
Usually once a student with "attitude" gets my drift that I will accept nothing less than his/her best performance, often the "attitude" subsides when he/she realizes that my testing period from him/her is over.
Does that make sense?
Deena
Joe,
I also think that some students do not believe that deadlines apply to them.
Deena
Erica,
I think that when you offer a boost of confidence and let a student know that you expect only the best from him/her that the "attitude" quickly subsides.
Deena
Hi Jasmine,
Point out the mistake to them and let them know to use it as a lesson learned.
Patricia
I work with students in a clinical setting that question their clinical evaluations by their instructors. Instead of being receptive to the learning experience they insist that they are perfect and cannot believe that they have made a mistake. How would you deal with this situation.
Patricia,
I agreee that some students need that extra push but when I encounter that student with the attitude it makes me nervous. My students have to complete an externship, and how they behave in the classroom is the same behavior they will display in the clinical setting.
If we push too much the student then becomes the entitled too person. When this surfaces in the clinical setting it becomes a nuisance to the staff. After all, the staff is granting us favor and we need them. One bad apple can spoil the bunch.
There has been times when I had to remove a student to diffuse a situation because of bad attitude, and the student expected that extra push.
Hi Erica,
I agree, they won't be getting a daily pep-talk from their boss, but as instructors we need to be as encouraging as possible. Some students really need the extra push just to graduate.
Patricia
Eventaully, my goal is to limit the encouragement. Granted my student feeds from it, I doubt his boss will provide a daily pep-talk.
Hi Joe,
It is great for all students to have self confidence, but they must realize they have to work hard and put forth great effort academically.
Patricia
Erica,
I have found that there is the occassional student who relies solely on self-confidence as a mechanism for success. It could be that this strategy works effectively in the student's day-to-day life, but fails him miserably in an academic environment where quantitative and qualitative measurements are strictly applied.
--Joe
I have one student who is attitude filled and defensive. I meet with him. I try to pull out why he is so negative and tell him that I know he can do well, and expect nothing but his best. I constantly have to reinforce these concepts, but now he is telling me that he expects to get an A on his next exam.
Meet with students to dissus a better attitude
meet with student to dissus attitude problem .
