Don't feed into the negativity of students. Counter their complaints with positive statements in reference to training aids, or facilities personell, or about other instructors.
In reading your post the first line really says it all,"In regards to student complaints, each one is listened to " Listening to the student instead of trying to guess or tell them what they are feeling,we will never fully understand unless we all willing to LISTEN everthing else is just a guess or our personal opinion,and we can only get so lucky and guess a few right and that is unacceptable. If we want to help and care to help we must first listen and then respond,if we are ever to be effective.
Hi Eric,
If you are fully prepared it will significantly decrease the amount of challenging students.
Patricia
You are so right. It is very hard to remain upset if the person you are dealing with is professional. It reminds me of killing people with kindness, instead we as educators use professionalism.
Patricia
I had a nice long reply, but my computer glitched and wiped it out.
It basicly said to be as prepard for class as possible and have all information needed available for the students. This will eliminate almost 100% of challenging students. I also use situations that occur to develop new instruction and invormation for future students.
I think clear expectations are the key here and responding in a professional manner when issues come up. It is very hard to remain upset if the person you are dealing with is professional.
Hi Charles,
You are right on point! A disgruntled student can definitely poison the class. The disgruntled student must be taken care of immediately in order to prevent negativity to others.
Patricia
Thorough prepartation, clear goal setting and sharing of expectations, both your's and your students can help avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Identifying and addressing challenging students early can help avoid having a disgruntled student poison the class.
Hi Bharat,
It seems as though you can always get more done with one-on-one discussions when an angry student is involved.
Patricia
Class discussion definitely helps. Also one on one discussion with the student will help us to find out the root cause of the angry student.
Cheryl,
I agree, your rules, policies, procedures, etc. must be made known on Day 1. You have to make it known to your students that you are a stickler for policies that have been established.
Patricia
I think that it is important to set rules, guidelines, and policies from the start. This way students know what to expect and what is expected of them. YOu can always go over your policies such late assignments or tardies, with them if they become a problem and refer back the the syllabus and remind them that this is your policy and that you are sticking to it.
Cheryl
Hi Jason,
At times, it is necessary to get the department chair involved. Some times issues are totally out of an instructor's scope, and administration has to step in.
Patricia
Some issues are brought up for discussion by the class. I do not address the issues of an individual in this manner, only complaints and challenges experienced by some or all of he class. The problems of an individual are addressed as such, until they become a problem for the group - in which case, the matter is discussed with an objective instructor or the department chair.
I try to connect with them and ask them if everything is "OK" do you need to vent on someone or do you need someone to listen to you, how can I help you get past this problem so we can get back to the class project and be able to concentrate on the class project. Then ask them to step into the hallway to talk in private or an office..
Hi Bruce,
It is important to be prepared on the first day. The remaining days are important too! It is a must to be prepared at all times.
Patricia
Being prepared in class on the first day is the most important.This should reduce complaints by having your students imformed and a course outlined so there is know misunderstandings on work to be performed, quiz dates, and final test date.
I feel that by involving the students as much as possible in classroom structure it tends to eliminate complaints. In some (of course not all) instances it is appropriate to ask for student's opinions on assignment due dates, project requirements, etc. This gives them an opinion and eliminates some complaints.
get to know the students individually and let them know that you are interested in their concerns and willmake an effort to consider these concerns should it be appropriate
When beginning each class I like to discuss lessons and objectives from previous days. I invite the students to tell me what worked for them or if they had found some challenges. If there appears to be a unanimous complaint I adjust my teaching technique for that topic but if it just one or two complaints we write them down and as a group address validity. I have only ever had one angry student and that was because of outside problems he was having. We agreed to talk after class and I helped him with guidance counsellors work through the situation. He is now one of my best students.
