Deanna, excellent comment. No two students are alike and one size seldom fits all. Instructors that take the short cuts and attempt to focus on a single methodology do not last long or tend to be miserable always swimming against the current. By taking some time and getting to know your students you can better meet their needs and better achieve the desired learning outcomes of your lesson plan.
James Jackson
Alan, good guide knows when to lead softly and when to lead loudly. Both are required at time but always with tact, respect and understanding. Students should always know you care but also know you mean business. The balance can be difficult but following up with explanations that get into the details of how time is critical and wasted time is time away from their learning of the class materials often drills home the importance of your course policies and the reasons for your actions.
James Jackson
Andrew, excellent job and setting the stage early has been proven to be the best approach. You may also want to consider discussing disciplinary actions as well as your class policies. When students understand the consequences of their actions early they tend to be less disruptive or at least not be surprised with your implement the consequences you have already discussed.
James Jackson
David, excellent point. Being adult is not chronological in nature. As an instructor you are just as likely to encounter 35 year old adolescents as you are 25 year old adults. What is important is to have dialog with your students, get to know them and where they are on the maturity scale. Those that are less mature may require more of your time and some tough love when it comes to guiding them to a higher level of understanding of themselves and what will be expected of them in their career field.
James Jackson
Tamatha, I totally agree. Best to be honest and have discussion and even discourse with students versus just hoping a situation will go away or ignoring it all together. The more you talk with your students the more you will understand their thinking patterns and their motivations.
James Jackson
I have had several classes now but two stand out in my memory.
One class had a couple of groups with go getters and my biggest problem was to keep them occupied. They would go through course material in half the time other classes did. They actually challenged the slower classmates to keep up and they did.
I was able to find the group interests and come up with special projects for them to work on.
The other class presented shall we say a challenge. They did not have an educational background for the material being presented so progress was difficult. They also wanted everything done for them. There were so many trips to the hall for behavior issues that I lost count and generally they did little good. Extra help was offered in terms of tutoring and time with myself and other instructors but was rarely used by the students.
We were in the midst of a major administration change at the time of their first semester which did not help. Approximately half the class was lost due to attendance violations and or being arrested and the response from those students was so what. Those that remained did start to improve in following semesters but always needed to be pushed to do the minimum amount necessary. They have since graduated.
I had an individual who openly said the "f" word many, many times even after being asked to stop. We pride ourselves on professionalism at our career school. The last time this person cursed several times in a row, outloud before class, I personally called him out in front of the students who were present. I asked him if he was using professional language and he immediately stopped. He apologized in front of everyone in class and apologized again to me personally after class. After taking this course, I see I should have asked him to step outside for a chat instead of correcting him in front of the class (since class had not yet started). However, we have had no more issues of cursing during class. If for some reason it happens again, I will just ask him to leave the class.
classroom discipline is very important,it shows you are structured and have strong management skills.I have had students that will push you to the limit to see how far they can go until you loose your patience and temper and loosing your profesionalism.what I use in my class room I display confidence,being organized,being positive,show respect,build rapport with students using profesional technique tools which creates a structured classroom enviroment to where students can learn.being patient and being in control of your behavior is very critical. Working with students that have behavioral problems are challenging This is why classroom discipline is important ! zach bernal instructor
I think that prevention is a key in an adult classroom along with consistency, and communication. The beginning of each term I review the school's rules and emphasize why we have the rules. Usually a quick reminder here and there helps out, and remaining consistent throughout the term lets the students know you are aware of what is going on. Our classroom does not allow cell phones, so I ask students to communicate with me if they need to have it on vibrate or they are expecting an important call that will be during class time.
I have discovered that utilizing multiple techniques based on the individual student/s and their personalities. One time I may use the "silent" technique only because that student has proven to be a "chatter" person and is verifying their answers. Another student may need a quiet response of "do you need assistance?" that initiates them into responding "out-loud" what it is they truly are needing (instead of within a group whisper mode).
I do think asking them to stay after class helps to alleviate it from escalating further.
I have found that usually just talking to the student about the situation helps tremendously. I talk to them after class and 99% of the time that's all it takes.
I am one that also uses silence when I have students that wish to has side-bar conversations during class. It usually works, but sometimes, I tact leaves and "Sgt. Shelton" makes his appearance. Though possibly improper, it usually gets everyones attention and I have no problems after that.
classroom discipline is very important. Without it, managing the classroom is hard for an instructor to complete. There has to be respect in the classroom
I have great success with the use of silence when students disrupt the class with talk
Most of the time other students say something to them long before I have to
I had two students that carried over their bullying from High School. They were friends in High School and then enrolled in the Career College together. I would end up calling these students out at least weekly. The y would deliberately wear hats and hoods, which is against school policy, they would lay their head on the desk and not participate, and one fell asleep. The last time I called them out the one student said you are embarrassing us by calling us out. I explained you are embarrassing yourselves. Ask you fellow students what they think of your behavior and see if I embarrassed you or you are embarrassing yourself. Later I found out that all the instructors were having the same issue. I am
If I have tried everything else such as involving a student in the class, reasoning, offering additional help, sometimes the only thing left is to send the student out of class and meet with them in private to explain my expectations again. Since they obviously did not understand them when I presented them on the first day of class, they may need to be explained to them again. I find a student is more disruptive if they have a partner and also noticed they are younger students carrying over high school behavior.
I try to clearly define the class expectations on the first day of class so that my students understand how to conduct themselves in the classroom. If I have a situation with a disruptive student I usually ask them to leave the class so that the problem can be resolved in private.
David, we have all had situations that we would handle differently as we mature and become more comfortable leading by example. The learning process is the same for us as instructors as it is for our students. The lesson to learn is to capture that feeling of revelation and use it over and over again as you notice your students making that change from adolesent behavior to adult behavior. Experience is one of the best teachers and you now have some great experience to take you to that next level of being good teaching to a GREAT teacher. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
One of the common threads of this forum is how we expect our students to be adults. Turn 18 and legally you are an adult. I don’t think you have to be 18 to sign up for college. The point is that, although our students are probably 18 and over, they are not there to be adults, they are there to be students. Learning about what they are going to college for is the objective.
I agree that many students act like “children”; however, everyone learns at different rates, and everyone deserves an equal chance to develop the way they are most comfortable. I have always said that you cannot change someone; you can only set the example. Let us not practice insanity by trying to get different results by doing the same thing over and over again. Instead, let us change our own behavior to get different results from our students.
The other day a student was flicking rubber bands through the classroom. I never identified the students, but finally saw a rubber band fly through the air.
I immediately stopped the lecture and said, “I want the rubber bands to stop immediately! I don’t know who is doing it, but I am talking directly to you. It is immature, ridiculous, and I am very embarrassed for you, right now.”
Although I’m sure several students were in agreement with me, I think that I embarrassed whoever it was doing the flicking. What I should have done instead is said, “I can see that someone is flicking rubber bands through the classroom and I don’t think that it is conducive to the learning of the rest of the class.
My first response might have been the response of a Controller. The alternative response seems more like something a Guide would say.
I consider myself to be more of a Guide style instructor, but sometimes when I am faced with a situation that I have never experienced before, my inexperience and emotions get the best of me and I tend to want to “Control” the situation.
The best tool for this, is self reflection.
