As adjunct instructors, we have been given repeated instruction from staff not to hear out students who are complaining about school, financial aid, scheduling, etc., as this will breed discontent among the remaining students in the classroom. We are to refer them immediately to the Dean of Academics.
In my two years of continuous teaching, I have not had students come to class angry, except for the hassles they feel that they have with the campus administration.
Hi Paul,
I simply let my angry students vent in a private setting without any interruptions from my part, and most of the time when they have finished venting they feel better. Listening is a must!
Patricia
Hi Shawna,
Listening is a must. I have had angry students to tell me thank you for simply listening. Listening can sometimes make things all better.
Patricia
Hi Jon,
Some angry students simply just need to vent, and venting makes them feel so much better. Listening is key!
Patricia
First and foremost i listen to the angry students issues. What is the underlying problem? sometimes that is all it takes to defuse the situation.
Letting the angry student air their greviences with the instructor privately shows the student there can be a resolution process.
Those are great ideas! I think sometimes they just want someone (anyone) to listen to them and not judge and not talk. Then, they might feel better. Or, together, we can decide upon a course of action.
Patience is vital to me in handling student's anger. Through critical thinking, I try to figure out if his/her anger is justified, then how I can resolve it: explaining events to class, knowing that it may start an arguement, or just focus on doing good job, and later on invite student to a private talk. Sometimes complimenting that student for a good job he/she has done may help reversing their feelings.
Agreed, Dana. It's crazy how "note passing" can be such an effective way to calm down students or get them to truly articulate their issues. Sometimes the emotions get in the way for them to articulate what is not working for them.
I also believed there is a HUGE role for active listening. We need to let them know that they have been heard - one step beyond us listening.
AS was mentioned in the course, listening is the first thing. I have found that maybe they want extra attention. Talk with them, try to get to know them. Once they see that you are there to help them and not out to get them, they might calm down and trust you. I just had a student like this recently. By the end of the term, she seemed less angry and actually smiled once in a while. At first, it seemed like she was trying to catch me not knowing what I was talking about. When she couldn't stump me, I guess she finally realized that I knew what I was doing.
Hi Deanna,
Listening is key! Sometimes all a student has to do is vent to feel better.
Patricia
listen to them as long as you maintain control of your classroom
Listen without interrupting. Sometimes when you let them speak and they hear the complaint it sounds just as trivial to them as it does to you. Sometimes the complaint is valid and needs to be addressed. If so, I make sure to thank the student for the input so that in the future the student will just come in to talk without the anger.
Hi Patricia,
I clearly understand what you are saying. The 20+ other students should not have to be put on hold for the one student. What I have done is dismiss the one student from the class until there is a time convenient for me to talk to the student.
Patricia
I love the suggestions but if you are out in the hall with the one student, what is happening to the 20+ others in the classroom. Are we letting them down or are they relieved to have less tension in the room?
I feel that you should first find out what the problem is. Sometimes students are usually angry because of something they heard. I am a firm believer is sorting out the problem and then attacking it if you need to. Sometimes you don't have to attack it becuase once it is sorted out it is handled.
I have also found that by taking notes while listening to the student vent, the student seems to feel more "included" or "cared about". Even if at the end of the discussion, the decision or solution does not go the student's way, the student almost always thanks me for listening and for considering his/her opinion. Listening alone is great but actually writing down notes gives the appearance that you are indeed invested in that student's academic & personal welfare.
I believe that the first step is to listen. Second, you should have the student write down their frustrations. This is a good way to keep the situation in control and free of distracting the whole class. Meet with the student after they have written their frustrations down because most likely they will have calmed down by then.
Listen with both ears, they may have a legitimate argument.
Hi Steven,
Awesome response! What great practices to use with angry students. When both parties (student and instructor) are angry, it really makes matters worse. There are some people that will not apologize. I concur, an apology can sometimes make it all better.
Patricia
When faced with an angry student, instructors/staff often make the mistake of becoming defensive or even confronting the student in a hostile manner. Over the years, I have found it best to resist the temptation to react negatively toward the students, even if I think that he or she deserves it. To put it another way, a harsh response usually escalates the conflict, undermines your position and make it less likely that you will resolve the issue in a positive manner. Instead, I use techniques to preserve your calm and deescalate the other person’s negative emotions. Once I have reduced the level of anger in the interaction, I am more likely to engage the other person in a real dialog about their concerns.
The techniques I use when encountering a hostile or angry person are reflective listening (allows them to blow off their steam), I speak slowly and calmly (helping to de-escalate the situation), I use affirming statements (this conveys an understanding and acceptance), and I offer an apology (a well-placed apology can have an almost magical impact, potentially turning a confrontation into a conversation).
