How to handle student that being negatively influence by other Student?
I notice few good student, that do good when the other student is not present in class. I observed the changes on his grades and attitudes when he is around with this clown student, he become totally different person. I don't know How to approach this type of situation, because I don't want to be misunderstood by him and the other student too, any help and suggestion are welcome.
I suggest talking to the student one at a time outside of classroom is a correct way of dealing with this issue. As we know, students need to be more aware and should be given the chance to be part of their own learning.
Brenda,
Thank you for sharing this example with us. You are right about the need to be able to work with others in the real world. We all know it but sometimes our students seem to forget this important principle. The more they can practice it the better their success rate is going to be.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
This is so true. I teach culinary and one of the topics I discuss with the students on the first day is that team work is essential in our industry thus they need to learn how to work with others in a professional manner by being respectful and tolerant. You will always have a situation at work where you might dislike a person because of personal reasons but when it comes to work you must get the job done so you have to get over it. So I tell them that if they are having issues with a classmate I expect them to resolve it among themselves first before getting me involved.
In fact two weeks ago I witnessed how two students had a disagreement, they discussed it in a frindly manner and then reached to to an agreement. I approached them after they had finished their lab and congratulated them on their behavior.
So, in a way we as instructors are also responsible for teaching our students to overcome these challenges.
Place the two students in 2 groups that are in opposing positions. Let them do case analyses.
After all, this will help prepare them on how to handle similar situations in the professional working world.
Hi April,
Good advice from your father. Many of our students miss this part of their career training. They need to have strong people skills so they can work with diverse groups toward a common goal. You are helping them to do such with your work groups. Good strategy for getting them immersed in people skill development.
Gary
I agree with what others have said - this is a problem we all encounter as instructors. My class is always in a state of work groups. I split them up once every 5 weeks. It's facinating to see how the class dynamics change. I also preach something my father said to me as a child: Until the day you retire, you eill work with people you don't like. Use now as a time to develop skills to overcome those situations so it is old-hat by the time you graduate.
I have been in similar situations. Sometimes it takes an instructor to persuade that student to work independantly, maybe move their seat. I encourage my students to be the leaders in their own life and education. Make class time their time to grow, and reach their goals.
Of course school is school and work is work but I also think that it is very important that we "simulate" the job site whenever we can.
Good idea. Sometimes you can turn the disruptive student into an ally. Often they have natural leadership ability, they just express it in a dysfunctional way. I think that sometimes if a teacher has too much of a traditional background, a class clown is a real threat to them. They see it is a direct challenge to their authority, and head to head conflicts can arise. Never a good thing IMO. But with a little patience, SOMETIMES the clown's energy can be channeled into a more positive direction and they can be surprising asset to the class.
I usually divide the student up and split up the groups. Therefore, all students get to work with each other. This is so they learn to all work together. For in the real world we most work with all kinds of people.
Mariann U
Hi Mariann,
This is good advice for instructors. If an instructor does not take control of the classroom the disruptive student will. Once that happens then chaos will reign and it will reduce the learning of all students. There must be containment.
Gary
Many people have suggested moving the students around so they are not sitting near each other. Another addition to moving students, is moving desks and tables themselves. It is a good idea to change up the organization of seating every so often.
Sometimes desks can be arranged normally, in rows, facing front. Sometimes you can arrange the desks in a circle or semi-circle. This is better for discussion than lecture. Another option is placing desks in pods of about four. This works well for small group work.
Hi James,
What a great way to turn a class around. By taking "control" of the class and involving the ringleader you were able to keep the class on target. Thank you for sharing your approach with us. Many times instructors are afraid to follow the steps you did and the results are not the best for anyone.
Gary
This approach also sets the pace for the rest of the students. They will follow by example and circumstances. Therefore, by reprimanding the first problem student future occurrences do not happen.
Mariann U
It's true. Your student may want to focus on learning, but his friend is preventing him. While the student would feel like a jerk telling the clown to leave him alone, if you step in as an instructor ... well they have to listen to you. Probably the student who is being distracted will understand that this is for his own good and may even appreciate you doing something that he himself could not.
I too have witnessed this phenomenon in several classes that I have taught. For example, I recently had a situation where there were a handful of students that were not satisfied with their technology lab experience.
Several of these students were actually good students that really understood the material. Unfortunately, their observations quickly devolved into complaint sessions, and shortly after that, I noticed that some of the students that were struggling started to chime in, and they began to blame their struggles solely on the school.
In my situation, what I did was grabbed the "ringleader", and I explained to him that while I understood where some of his frustration came from, I needed him to understand the impact that he was having on the entire group.
I was able to get him to see that we both want the same thing, and we came up with some more constructive ways to address his concerns other than rant sessions.
Hi Mariann,
Good approach to handling a management problem. A disruptive student must quickly learn that this behavior will not be tolerated in the class just as it won't be in the work place. By holding firm to your standards and enforcing your policies you are doing a real service to and for your students.
Gary
I basically discuss with the student causing the problem indvidually and also the student impacted by the problem. I then divide the class in groups and rotate them on a weekly basis. As such, the 2 students are not placed in the same group. I also inform the problem student that I will send him home if he continues to disrupt my class. Since I am a clinical nursing instructor this usually works. For if the student is sent home he misses a day in clinical and needs to make it up. If students has greater than 2 absences he fails the term.
Mariann U
Hi Summer,
I agree that instructors need to talk directly with students if there is an issue in terms of their future success. This way you can lay out the situation and them help them work toward positive outcomes. They also will appreciate the individual attention that comes with such a discussion.
It is sad to hear about the student that feels such a high level of peer pressure that she turns her assignments in at break.
Gary
