Hi Franz,
Yes, angry students must be dealt with quickly and swiftly. I have found that listening works really well whenever a student is angry. Most of the time, the angry student simply wants to vent and be heard. As educators, we must be effective listeners.
Patricia
I will usually ask the student to step outside of the class so that we can talk. When outside, i will at first just listen carefully and allow the student to vent, explain his/her concerns and realize that I am there to help and not compound the problem. I will stand calm and in a calm voice ask a few detailed questions while also emphasizing that being angry is only going to hurt them and it will not help the situation. I explain that being angry or triggered will not allow the mind to think clearly or make rational decisions.Once the student calms down a bit, I will then get him/her over to a counseler or appropriate manager to help diffuse the situation.
Hi Vicki,
Yes, it does seem to work really well whenever the angry student is in isolation. You can reason and rationalize better with the student when it is done one on one. Students will BARK back in front of their peers. I've learned over the years, handle the angry student behind closed doors.
Patricia
Call them aside and let him state his problems as to why he is in this shape. Try to find solutions, if still angry remind him of the consequences. May want to involve administration. But deal with it swiftly and decisivly.
I am currently going through this issue. A student did not complete a past assignment in full and therefore was missing information for the next computer session. She was angery at me because I had her go back to see where the information could have been missed or not saved. She stormed out and through an attitude while doing it. I did nothing that day and let her leave. Then next class time was in one week so she had time to cool down. We spoke then about the situation and I let her go first to explain her side and then I demonstrated to her how she acted out. She agreed it was not acceptable and we went on with our day. So, I firmly believe that a time to cool down and think is a great option for students. Coming back with a fresh attitude will make for a much for positive outcome.
Very true... if you react, it is kind of like a toddler; they will accept any form of attention, even if it is not positive. Also, reacting to the anger will usually make the flame burn even brighter causing more harm to the situation.
I agree that it is important to remove the student from the rest of the class. In one instance the student's anger was in reaction to embarrassment they felt for doing poorly on a practical exam in front of the rest of the class. Once I removed the student from class, they admitted they were just embarrassed by their poor performance and this was the only way they felt they could "save face" in front of classmates.
I had an angry student that was frustrated because she thought an assignment was unclear. Not a large problem from my perspective as it would take a simple explanation from me inorder to make the student feel at ease. Nonetheless she proceeded to throw a tantrum and say bad things about the class overall. We had to have a discussion after class where I was able to listen to her complaints and help her to understand that her frustration was okay but her communication of it could have been better.
First, listen to the student. Ask the student what is the issue. The angry student may not have a specific issue. Furthermore, the anger may not be a result of the class, etc. It may be an outside force and the class / instructor is the release for the anger. Try to tie the issue to performance. If I find this does not work and the anger increases which can effect me, I ask for a meeting with the Dean of Faculty. The third party allows the students to talk while the third party allows me to maintain focus on the issues or maintain professionalism. Finally, I suggest the student file a written complaint about the issue.
I try to actively listen to the student voice what may be causing this anger. If it is in front of the class and cannot be controlled, I will ask the student to step outside of the lab in order to collect his/her thoughts. Whenever meeting with any angry student, I ask one of my colleagues
or administrators to join me. The third party works well in calming the student down. By having another administrator present, this also helps
to ensure we are concerned about the student's well being.
Rarely do I have this problem in relation to the anger being directed at me. Thank goodness. Many of our students work nights and come to class after and they are tired so it does not take much to get them fired up. I would bring them aside and send them home or to the DON. Isolating them from the rest of the class so no fuel is thrown on the fire would seem to be the best thing at that time.
Hi William,
Sometimes dismissing the student from the class until the next day is not a bad idea. The student gets an opportunity to think about things and to regain control after hopefully calming down. The next day, the student appears to be a lot more rational.
Patricia
First try to diffuse the tension by removing the student and listening to what is being said. If that doesn't seem to work, then I would dismiss the student from the class until he or she calms down.
One of the things that I did not agree with in this presentation was that the angry student is referred to as "him" because typically angry students are male. In my 6 years of teaching in a career school, the majority of the angry students that I have encountered have been females.
When i confronted with the angry students i will listen to the complaints they are making. moreover, i will take a note. The other strategy i will use is to let them write the compaints, this will assist to clarify the complaints for them selves.
Hi Pamela,
I've learned that angry students must be handled very carefully. I have had great success with angry students simply by listening fully. Most of the time just by listening, the angry student regains control and calm down tremendously. Once the angry students becomes calm, the two of us converse intelligently.
Patricia
In today's environment, an angry student can be a scary student. However, an angry student should be treate like ALL students should be treated; with respect.
This especially true of the angry student because often anger has stemmed from their percieved poor treatment the student has experienced from others, maybe an establishment, other teachers, or even friends and family.
By letting them know that you are willing to talk through their issues, it diffuses some of the anger. It also allows you to spend more time with them to see if the student could be a potential security risk or if the anger is manageable.
When confronted with an angry student, I often try to take them away from the situation if I am in front of a class. I bring them away from the rest of the group, such as an empty classroom our my cubicle so that we can talk in private. Many times some students just need the opportunity to vent and feel that they are being understood.
Bobbi Bricker
It makes is worse by ignoring the angry student. Then they tend to get others involved, thus feeding the fire. It is best to pull them aside and ask and listen.
I agree with an earlier post that said that most often, the anger has nothing to do with the instructor or the course. I'd have to say that the overwhelming percentage of angry students fit that. In fact, in my experience, that anger is something that follows them *everywhere* - it's not something related to any particular issue or event on campus; it's more of a general personality-type than a passing mood. We all know the type - the ones with a permanent black cloud following them around, the ones who just KNOW that the whole world is against them, the ones who just KNOW that they're getting the short of the stick somehow somewhere.
What to do with it? I try to turn it into humor. I try to turn that sneer into an eyeroll, and then, into a source of the occasional mutual joke. Redirecting a congenital source of anger into a recurring source of shared humor eventually lets that student see that whatever baggage they're carrying around with them doesn't have to keep troubling them, and that even the issues they thought were permanent usually aren't.
Pretty soon, we're laughing together at the petty annoyances that they had earlier been frowning or grunting contemptuously about.
As always in my experience, humor can be your best friend.
