Tips to use when dealing with difficult students
Here are some tips I personally use for dealing with difficult students and difficult situations:
• Meet privately – having an audience causes more defensiveness.
• Expect that difficult situations will take time to resolve – if you feel rushed, ask to meet at a later, specific time.
• Don't take things personally. Recognize that your role is to be calm and objective. (Vent later with a friend or colleague if you need to.)
Use Active Listening Skills
• Clarification – ask questions to clarify if you are unsure
• Paraphrasing – rephrase content
• Reflection – rephrase feelings
• Summarization – listen for themes or main points
• Physical cues – use head nods, eye contact, open body posture; this lets the listener know that you are listening
Work on one problem at a time
• Make requests, not ultimatums
• Focus on the present not the past. Focus on what you want, not on what you don't want
Hi Melinda,
Take advantage of your seansoned instuctors and student services to find resources for students.
Patricia
This is my personal challenge also, learning what resources are out there for students. Have one right now that I'm working on to find resources to help them. It's hard to just say come in earlier to work in a resource enviornment because many students have jobs also and home/kids scenerios that help cause some of the school problems. However I'm finding that I am growing new brain cells while helping the students find resources and that is exciting. I feel more confident that I can help them with learning at school. Mindy Smith
Hi Deborah,
We have to be there for our students. Most of our students have all kinds of personal problems that they share with us. We should listen and give as much advice as possible, but sometimes things are simply beyond your scope. When things are more than you can handle, refer the students to experts in the area.
Patricia
AS a relatively new instructor, (3 quarters) I'm learning that there can be a variety of road blocks in student's way. You're right, we can't handle many situations and so I handle the situations as in my private practive...refer to the professionals that can help. It's hard sometimes though to not be the one to provide that help, but I can still be their resource person. I hope that this will teach another skill, how to find answers within a network.
Debbie
Hi Damaris,
I have also come to realize that sometimes students have problems that are beyond my scope, and I do not know how to help them, therefore I direct them to experts in that particular field.
Patricia
When dealing with difficult students I like to follow the steps mentioned by Kimberly Hallman. My first step is usually to have an informal meeting with that particular student privately at the end of class and see if I get a clear understanding where the problem behaivior is coming from. It gives me a chance to formulate a strategy to better deal with the problem. Listening and asking questions is the best way to proceed. And at the end of the meeting coming to an understanding and or agreement with that student about solutions.
I like the part about the active listening as I use to work in elementary and secondary settings where we stressed active listening. One way to see if the students are actively listening is to ask students randomly during your lecture to, for example,to summarize what has been discussed thus far. By informing the students prior to your lecture that you will be asking randomly for a summarization or paraphrae of parts or whole of the lecture, this will help students maintain active listening skills. It is important that the instructor also use the same skills such as eye contact to maintain this process with their students.
