Hi Robert,
Our students really do have a lot going on outside of school, sometimes we need to slow down and simply just listen to the students.
Patricia
Be a good listener..listen to what the students are saying;
Treat students as individuals.., i.e.they all have unique needs;
Set clear expectations...use the syllabus to do this
Hi Craig,
I like to go over grade assignments with students so that they can fully understand why they got the grade, and why they got a question wrong. I like to be proactive when it comes to assignments to minimize complaints.
Patricia
Hi John,
It can become a real big problem if you bring your emotions into various issues, concerns, complaints, etc. as they pertain to students.
Patricia
I try to stay emotionally distant and professionally present so that my ego does not impair the opportunity to hear the legitimacy or illegitamacy of the complaint.
In many cases, I find the complaint can be resolved by reviewing the syllabus and specific requirements of each assignment. In many cases students may have omitted parts of assignments. To make sure they do understand assignments, I give them the opportunity to consult with me one-on-one during the break or after class. I also give them formative feedback on each assignment, indicating where they last points and the reasons why.
Hi Walter,
For complaining and/or challenging students it is important to arrive at a rational decision as soon as possible so that the issue is resolved.
Patricia
Being fair and consistant. Clearly stating expectaions and rules. Using rubrics for assesments. Be involved in all students and observing their behaviors.
Most student complaints and challenges can be dealt with by anticipating the problem areas and addressing them in the beginning. That's one advantage of the discussion of the syllabus, coursework, grading procedures, etc on the student's first day. The point is to make a fair and level playing field.
Of course there are always surprises and I can not anticipate everything or every student. That's when it becomes very important to talk with the complaining student away from the group, actively listening and being willing to take the problem to another faculty level when it is beyond my skills.
First and foremost, have a good rubric and make sure student complaint/concern procedures are a line-item in your syllabus. If you must hear the complaint, do not drag out a decision - arrive quickly ( you may have precedent ).
Allen, that is great - I love your post. Sometimes I have issues with students and their cell phones, and I too walk over to their area and stay for a couple of minutes to let them know I know what they're doing, and it needs to be put away. I know there are times I'm covering material that students already know, which makes it difficult for them to stay on task. But, I never thought of connecting the two like you did in your example. Thanks for the idea!
Complaints require much thought. First to determine if it is a legitimate complaint, secondly give yourself time to deal with possible solutions. Most often the complaints I hear are ,"It's too cold," or "It's too hot." This type of complaint is easily solved. "when are we going to take a break," is more logistics than planning.
Challenges result in a lot of one on one discussions. I was lecturing a class in a computer lab, and noticed one student texting on a cell phone. I casually walked over to her area and stood for a few moments during my lecture. A She never attempted to put the cell phone away while I was near her.
We took a ten-minute break and I asked her why she was not on task. She said, "I already know that stuff, I work with it every day." I told her that was great! However the students on either side of her are struggling. I asked if she could help them out. She smiled and said she could.
I brought her gently back into the lecture, and with her helping other students near her she is staying on task and listening to the lecture.
Earle, I agree. This is a must and I do it too - it has come in handy on more than one occasion.
Great approach! very smart
I think challenges are easier to manage than complaints. When any of my students have challenges with their class work, I encourage them to speak up and let me know. I tell them that chances are if they are not getting, there are at least a couple other studens who also aren't getting and no one should ever be embarrassed to ask a question. When this occurs, I go over the material again, step by step and try to figure out which step is causing the confusion. Sometime I need to figure out a couple different ways to explain the same concept, but I like doing this as I always tell my students there's usually more than one way to skin a cat.
Compaints are a little harder for me. Complaints I can do something about don't bother me - a student complaining they can't see the board is an easy fix. But when complaints like "why do I need this class", "I'm never going to need this", "Why do we have to stay so late" - they annoy me. I try to take it in stride and can relate to them, as I too was once a student (and am currently enrolled again part time)and I 'feel their pain'. Most of the time it comes down to this: this is a means to an end, and certainly by now you've come to realize that there are just some things you have to do to reach your goal.
I am new to teaching, but I know that listening is a key element to managing anger in any setting. I previously worked in an extremely high-stress hospital environment, and listening to people often diffused possibly difficult situations.
Hi Amy,
Excitement is contagious, and enthusiasm starts at the top. I am sure your students regard you as being very personable as well as approachable. It is great to make your students feel comfortable communicating with you.
Patricia
I whole-heartedly agree with those who have talked about how they set expectations the first day of class. I always begin class with a fun activity to get them interested and starting to thinking about the overall theme of the course. But then the second half of that first calss is to set expectations right from the beginning and to allow students to ask questions.
First, I set the rules up front--first day of class and I stick to them. But I also try to keep my students comfortable with an enthusiastic and happy attitude. I am always smiling. My students expect this from me. But what it actually does it makes them feel comfortable talking to me and letting me know the challenges up front. If they tell me what is wroing, that is the first step in diffusing the problem. If they don't tell me, they leave frustrated and still having the complaint. I listen to them, and if they have legitimate complaints, we can discuss it. I have met them in the middle with certain things. They feel as if I care about their opinion.
I listen to their complaints and discuss the relevant complaints with other staff memebers and the administration. When I come back to the students with an answer (not always the answer they want) they still realize someone has listened and addressed their concerns. Some of the complaints even I agree with but we must all move on with challenges facing us just as in the workplace.
