Be up front and truthful about what you expect from your students in class and what they can expect from you and the school. Treat your students fairly in your assessments. Tell them what you are going to do and then, as needed, do it.
Hi Kimberly,
Rubrics are awesome! They leave little to no room for students to complain or challenge a grade.
Patricia
I definitely think having a grading rubric for any subjective grading is something that will help a lot!
Listening to the students and understanding their concerns is very important. However, students also be informed that rules and policies of the School cannot be changed
Hi Amy,
Rubrics are excellent! Student can pretty much figure out their own grade by being given a rubrics. There is no gray when it comes to a rubric. Things are very clear.
Patricia
Hi Amy,
Rubrics are excellent! Student can pretty much figure out their own grade by being given a rubrics. There is no gray when it comes to a rubric. Things are very clear.
Patricia
Absolutely! Students tend to feel empowered once they know the criteria by which they are going to be graded. I hand out blank grading rubrics for papers on the first day of class.
Make sure that anything you enforce has been in the guidelines from the start.
Hi Julie,
I like how you deal with this. It seems like you are very open to constructive feedback. This is effective for students to know because this is the way it should be handled in the workplace; you go to the person you are having the problem with first.
Patricia
I always tell students that if they have a complaint or problem with the class to please let me know ASAP- that we are a learning"team" and that we work together to make the learning environment effective. I don't get complaints when I do this. I also repeat that I appreciate constructive feedback and if you complain, give a solution right away.
I REALLY like the strategy "Written Complaint." It never fails, when you have an angry student they are VERY talkative and the say the same thing over and over. The discussion could have been handled in 5-7 minutes but they continue to repeat themselves. So I am definitely going to implement this technique. LLS
At the begining of each class, I will provide the students a checklist of what I expect students to follow throughout the course. These include not only the grading systems, assignments, and test schedules but also conduct and behavior that is appropriate for the class and work environment.
I agree that often times you can listen or go over a syllabus, but other times the complaints and challenges are more difficult to resolve. Sometimes a student just has a chip on his shoulder. Other times, one student will complain that the class is too easy while another student is complaining that the class is too hard. Sometimes a student just has a chip on his shoulder and there is nothing you can do to pacify him. In so many of these cases, I do not think there is one universal quick fix. I think you just have to get creative (and lucky).
Hi Billy,
You may want to post this on facebook and hopefully professionals in this area can help.
Patricia
Adult students do have a lot on their plates. Listening is the best solution. It seems that is what is most needed.
I would see the value of putting the complaint in writing and asking for time to consider it.
I agree with this comment. The office of the DOE may be a more confidential place. I would refer the student to that person or a school counselor.
Letting the student simply air their complaints sound very commendable, but it has limited value for the student. A challenge or a complaint may mean that the student needs to make some decisions to make those changes.
Have you ever encountered the kind of class that avoids homework, a test, something class related by going into a complaint session in class? I have. Usually, I find that I must redefine my role in the school and focus on the task of teaching the subject matter at hand. In addition, I often do claim that I am not a school counselor, but I am a teacher of a certain subject matter.
Now, you introduce an important concern for me. Is there anywhere that I can find on the web for lesson plan templates for adults? I teach English. I have looked for them, but I have only found lesson plans for children and youth.
