Disruption
I had a student in a Cultural Diversity class -in other words - accuse me of being a racist -- not because of anything I said about race but because of that student's objections to my ponting out to her that she was almost always late, unprepared and disruptive...after an exchange in which she complained about having to "take another d***ed" quiz, she left the class, seeking the Administration to end my "racism." It was resolved in may favor but that's not as important as what else I could have done -- I had talked to her numerous times about her behavior -- but to no avail. Any ideas?
This strategy works for me too. I also would ask those same students to stay after class and I talk to them away from the scrutiny of their classmates. I inform them on how their behavior affects their studies and their classmates studies. I do this in the hopes that it will make them realize that their instructor cares so therefore they should do better.
jacky, direct eye contact and brief moments of silence can be incredible tools and have significant impact on the dynamics of a classroom. Over time instructors can improve upon these skills.
James Jackson
Patricai, cultural diversity is a very important area for instructors today to be familiar. There are actually courses that cover this topic and if you find yourself in an area with a wide range of cultures or if you have cultures that do not blend well with each other, knowing the specifics of what to avoid and how to handle such situations could be incredibly valuable.
James Jackson
Herjit, yes you bring forward a significant issue. Students will go in and out of various phases and there is a strong relationship between their performance in the classroom and their mood. Getting names correct is a very important factor and can be difficult at times since so many of the names may be unique spellings or will be pronounced differently depending on who says the name. I had a situation once where I had two students with similiar first names, in fact they were spelled the same but with different pronunciations. I learned the hard way to not question why a student pronounces a name a certain way, simply be honest and just say you were not familiar with that pronunciation and would like to her them say it so you can speak it correctly.
James Jackson
Francis, you bring forward a rare but existing issue I have seen at other locations. Some students are just gifted at being bullies and using any angle they can to get their way. Some institutions bend over backwards to appease these students while others simply do not tolerate such practices. Any student that uses racism as a method of getting out of achieving the necessary learning outcomes may just not be a good fit for your institution. Of course there is also the other side of the coin, if there are several students that make similar complaints then other actions need to be taken. Treat everyone the same and assist all students equally and you will rarely have any problems in this area.
James Jackson
I have no problem as far as race is concerned. However, there is disruption from time to time in my class.For instance,I see 2 students talking while I explain a subject.In this case I stop talking and wait until these students realize that they are the only ones to talk in that room.They feel somewhat uncomfortable,then I ask them if I may continue the lesson so that the rest of the class may learn something. That strategy works for me.
I've learn a lot from this lesson I could do better. I have noticed that often I don't notice the race of a student but an eager mind wanting to learn or a smart mind who has pressured people into getting what they want because they feel its their right. But once all the student learn the expectations and they are reinforced, students in my class tend to settle down.
I have set to mind some of the excellent phrases the this lesson has to offer to use to address student behavior in class.
I had a similar situation where a student remarked that I was being racist after I could not get her name right. She mentioned "we don't all look alike." It caught me of guard because I thought I had good rapport with her, but I feel it had more to do with her grade as of late. I did clarify with her why I was having difficulty getting her name confused with another students, and that was because there names both started with S and were next to each other on the roster.
