Students need to know that the instructor is there for them to help and guide them. If a student steps out of line you can either ask that individual to step out of the classroom or ask them to remain during his/her break to speak to them. Students do appreciate the respect that you show to them by not shedding a bright light on the situation, but handling it intelligently thereby attaining a peaceful resolution.
Thanks for sharing Brian. I think learning through doing and learning from our own mistakes are among the best lessons learned. Definitely the skills gained tend to be the ones that become our strengths. One trick of the trade is to design lesson plans that keep students engaged and active. Active learning can actually be a great tool to effectively manage classroom discipline. If the students are busy actively learning, there is not much room for mischief. Not all learning objectives lend themselves to this type of teaching methodology but I recommend its use whenever possible.
Regards,
James Jackson
Judi you make a great point. Classroom discipline issues seldom reach a level of resolution or just dissolve on their own. It takes a dedicated instructor and someone who leads by example to effectively manage a classroom especially when dealing with "needy" or disruptive students. The range of issues are too long to cover in this post but the bottom line from my perspective is those students that are following the rules and are progressing as per the curriculum and designed lesson plans deserve to learn in a secure and non-threatening environment. Those that choose to not follow this critical standard simply need to be removed or at the very least, dealt with in a fair but firm method.
Of course this is easy to say and more difficult to do but I always try to think about the entire group of students and then deal with the disruption in the best possible manner.
Thanks again for sharing your experiences.
Regards,
James Jackson
I once had an entire class of young adult learners, who spent most of the time in class talking to one another or surfing the internet while I was presenting material. This even occurred when the class was being observed by administration. Naturally, I was called on the carpet for their behavior. My response was multifaceted.
First, I addressed the entire room before the next class, sharing the discussion I had with the administrator and his disappointment with both myself and the students. I then said plainly that the behavior had to change. I was somewhat surprised to see that the students were apologetic and concerned that their behavior had consequences for others and that they readily accepted new, more restrictive classroom policies.
Second, I was compelled to reevaluate my own teaching stratagies, resulting in a more varied instructional approach, with more multimedia and small group work. As the rest of the term progressed, with the inclusion of varied teaching methods, the class began to take on an atmosphere more conducive to learning.
I too had a student who was disruptive in class. She continually needed praise and was threatened by one particular bright student who she considered the "teachers pet." Finally, she continually made it a point to be the center of attention in class. I was a new instructor at the time and was unsure how to handle this situation. I acknowledged her contributions and gave her positive feedback hoping that this would resolve the issue. However, it seemed to have the opposite effect. She seemed to feed off of the praise (i.e. "needy" of the praise). The student had a variety of personal issues going on and eventually left school due to these issues. I can see more clearly that her personal issues were more than likely contributing her lack of confidence and self-esteem in the classroom. If I were to experience this situation again I would definately approach it much differently by speaking to the student privately about the disruptions using "I" statments and focusing on the behavior not the student. At the time I felt intimidated by the student and have since realized that if one approach is not working, there are others that can be explored and implemented. The problem will not go away on it's own.
Kathy, that is what the best instructors do all the time, they learn and move forward. It takes great courage and professionalism to be able to share important information that can motivate and a benefit others within our industry. I am glad the class provided some insight and some resources you feel will be of value in your teaching moving forward.
Please consider keeping in touch within the MaxKnowledge Lounge, you obviously have a great deal to share and a lot of value you can pass forward to other instructors.
Kind regards,
James Jackson
Unfortunately I had a student last mod who was very needy, always needing praise to feel worthwhile. I made an offhand comment to her one class period which set her off and she exploded in front of the class, making everyone feel uncomfortable, including myself, and eventually leaving in tears. If I could do it over again, obviously I would not have made the comment which at the time I had no idea she would react so intensely. Having reviewed this chapter really is helpful in proper ways to respond to students, i.e., using I instead of you.
Jane, thanks for your feedback. Part of classroom discipline is being fair but also firm and consistent. It is critical that classroom rules, policies and regulations are clearly provided to the students on the first day of class. Some form of affirmation can also go a long way to ensuring students understand the requirements to be successful. One thing I have seen done very successfully is students are told in advance how many hours each week they are expected to spend to earn a specific grade. To earn a minimal passing grade students are expected to spend 7 hours each week outside of classroom time on the materials and various assignments. To earn a higher grade such as something above 80% students would be expected to spend as much as 10 hours per week and to earn a grade above 90% students may be expected to spend as many as 12 hours per week. Setting these expectations really removes any objections the students might have since they were told in advance what it takes to earn the various grade levels. It is also important to explain that for those that focus on the minimal expectations, they have very little variance for mistakes. For those students that focus on achieving the above 90%, if they fall short they still can expect to achieve a passing grade. It is also good practice to monitor and track these metrics so you can share them over time with new groups of students. Over time, you will have a very accurate set of metrics to share with your students let them know the detailed efforts they will need to reach the level of success they set for themselves.
There are many such techniques and I only provide this one as an example.
Regards,
James Jackson
I gave out the homework assignment and I had a student say to me he was not going to complete the assignment. He said I gave too much homework. He proceeded to say that the other teachers understand that he works and has home responsibilities. I always complete the homework assignments myself and reference the text time before assigning. I told him how long it should take him and said he neded to complete the assignment. I explained that he made a committment and even though it is a lot of work to go back to school and work and have a family life, it would not be forever, however his education will last forever. He will be competing for jobs against students that do do their homework and put the required time in plus to be successful in class.
Dillon you have hit the nail square on the head with your post. Senior instructors have learned over the years that a majority of student discipline issues are not directed at the instructor or even at the institution. There are a number of great resources that come into play for those looking for more insight into the motivations of our youth and those attending Higher Education today. One of the first issues is to have an understanding that maturity and adult behavior is not related to age. You can just as likely have an adolescent 45 year old student as you can have a very mature and self-directed 22 year old student. Once you understand that component of behavior then start to look at some of these resources to gain more insight into why students behave the way they do.
National School and Security Services.
http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/gangs.html
National Youth Violence and Prevention Resource Center.
http://www.safeyouth.gov/Pages/Home.aspx
eSchool News
http://www.eschoolnews.com/
These are but a small sampling of resources but all have great reading for those interested in learning more.
The biggest problem I have had with students has been with a belligerent student who refused to do anything, especially participate and become engaged. I excused the student from class that day and when it happened again for the following class, I asked him to wait for me and we would have a conference. I asked him questions and learned about his home life and slowly he started to tell me about the problems going on at home. I am not sure if he just needed someone to talk to, but his attitude did change after that and he became much better. I think that teachers also have to consider that the students may be acting out because of personal problems.
Erica thanks so much for sharing and what an experience. I have been incredibly fortunate in my career to have never been involved in such an altercation. I do know these things happen and this is why it is critical to think ahead and know what you would do if ever involved in such a situation. Having a scenario in your mind can be the difference between handling the situation safely or having the situation escalate out of control. The lesson learned from what you have provided is know your environment as best you can and always separate those involved before engaging in any kind of discussion. Confrontation is not the focus here; it is separating those involved so you can get assistance. Thanks again for sharing and you deserve some kind of courage badge. : )
During a small-group activity in class, two students got into altercation. It became very intense, and they began yelling at each other. This happened when there were only 10 minutes left in the class period, and since many students were becoming uncomfortable, I dismissed the class. I kept the two students and tried to determine the cause of the argument. It quickly escalated, and one student became belligerent and alleged that she had a gun in her book bag and threatened the lives of myself and the other student. I quickly left the room with the other student and told the threatening student that I hoped she could calm down. Later, I went to campus police and reported the situation, and the student was eventually expelled. If this type of situation were to arise again, I do not think I would try to confront the students. I think in this type of rare but serious situation, it is important to get help from administration or law enforcement officials before it escalates into a truly dangerous situation.
Outstanding example Shannon and thanks for sharing. Your statement affirms the reality that most of the time students are not even aware they are being disruptive. By engaging in a safe and unthreading conversation, you were able to bring awareness to the student and enhance the learning environment of your classroom. Definitely a skill we can all benefit from and practice to become better – effective and efficient communication.
Regards,
James
A couple of quarters ago I had a student who would continually talk and take over the classroom discussion. I had made a general statement to the class in order to have other student participate and he continued to disrupt the class. The next class session, I went to the classroom extra early since I noticed he was usually one of the first students in class. He was already in the room and I had told him how appreciative I was of his participation and excitement for the class but I really would like to have the opportunity to hear from other students. He said that he understood and from that point on, I did not have an issue with him disrupting the class.
Outstanding response Chavelle and I must say, bravo for standing your ground and not allowing the student to dictate the terms of your class or teaching style. Being student centric does not imply you have to give in to unrealistic demands. A good instructor will collaborate with their students and find common ground to move them forward in their learning, a great instructor will inspire their students to want to learn and follow the model the instructor has set. By standing your ground and discussing with the student your teaching style and the reasons you were not just going to give her the easy way out, you demonstrate great teaching style and leadership. The pressures that members of the faculty take on these days to “retain†students can be at times very misguided. We as instructional leaders to our students need to be very familiar with different learning styles and meet the students on their level to bring them to a new place of higher learning and critical thinking skills. We should be focusing on retaining students that want to learn and not cater to students just looking for the easy way to a degree. I know these thoughts are not universal but I for one commend you on your stance.
Thanks so much for sharing and I am confident you are going to accomplish some great things in the world of adult education.
Kindest regards,
James
Just the other day I had a student yell at me and say that all the other instructors/directors before me typed out step by step each procedure they were learning in class so they could just memorize it. I politely told my student that every instructor is different and explained my philosophy on why I would prefer they take the initiative to find the answers or write down the steps while we practice them one-on-one. Everything I had to say she didn't like. I personally don't mind explaining things, but I think in this situation she had a rebutle for everything I said that I should have just excused her from the class. Although, being a new instructor to the class, I think it helped the other students understand that the answers are never going to be handed to them, they need to read the material and study the procedures and utilize their own skills to learn, and when they go into an office the doctor more than likely will not type out a play by play on how to do something, the doctor will anticipate they should already know how to do it.
Wilfredo, very creative use of classroom management and looks like you did as good a job as possible to be discrete yet diffuse the situation to a positive resolve. I would be interested in hearing what you yourself may have learned from such an experience. Did you change anything about your delivery method or your classroom management style so sleepy students did not repeat such an experience in your future classes? Experience can be a very effective teacher and I am always interested in those lessons learned by instructors and other education specialists when they have such situations take place in their classrooms.
Thanks again for sharing your experiences and your methodology towards resolution. In this case you also shared a result of your actions which was most effective.
Regards,
James
One day, a student was sleeping in one of the back seats of the classroom while I was teaching and two other students were trying to distract the other students in the classroom by pointing and laughing at the guy who was sleeping in the middle of the class. The first thing I did was ask 1 of the two students that where trying to distract the other students a question related to what I was teaching, when the student answered with uncertainty, I told the other student that was distracted to help his peer answer the question and at the same time I walked around the classroom and stopped next to the student that was sleeping. I tapped the sleeping student shoulder and told him to go to the bathroom and watch his face and comeback in a discreet way. The student never falls asleep again during the semester in class.
