Effective Classroom Management Dr Linda Brown Academic Developer Welcome and many thanks for the contributions all of you have made to the policy, guidance, and referral grid. This presentation seeks to provide a concise overview of that work. Anglia Learning and Teaching Inspiring Academic Excellence

Some basic goals: Explore what research defines as disruptive and uncivil student behaviour Examine personal perspectives on behaviour and etiquette View recent strategies, policy and referral grid for serious disruptions Review ongoing support and resources for teaching and support staff Collect a sampling of your tried and tested strategies

Poll 1—Changes, challenges, problems ??? Please go to menti.com and use the code provided at the top.

Disruptive Student Behaviour, according to Wright State University, is “an action or combination of actions by an individual [or group] that unreasonably interferes with, hinders, obstructs, or prevents the right of others to freely participate in [an] activity, program, or service, including behavior (sic) that may prevent faculty and staff members from carrying out their professional responsibilities.” You have likely seen this definition before. It is, I think, a good one that indicates the negative effects produced by disruptions.

Frequently cited examples of disruptive behaviour Chatting to other students / talking on phone Arriving late/leaving early Wasting time (asking irrelevant, repetitive, baiting questions/not coming to class prepared) Dominating class discussions and/or constantly challenging the lecturer Irregularly attending or not attending at all Misusing technology in the classroom (watching videos, playing games, etc)

Activity 1—Acceptable vs Unacceptable To establish expectations, we must be clear about what sort of behaviour we actually want in our classrooms.

Discussion 1 Priorities, vulnerabilities, vexations Where are they for you? Have you encountered them in class? Can you understand your choices (i.e. do they originate from any particular experiences)?

Activity 2—Mitigating factors? Choose a total of 5 behaviours from Sets C and D. Can you conceive of any mitigating factors that could be taken into account? If yes, what sort of actions could be taken outside of class to prevent this behaviour in future?

Discussion 2—Why do students disrupt? Were you able to identify any mitigating factors? What about environmental ones that affect students, you, and class dynamics?

Influences on Classroom Environment Anglia Learning and Teaching Inspiring Academic Excellence Influences on Classroom Environment Lecturer Student Behaviour Environmental Too little or too much space between students Seats in rows Large groups Lecture Theatres Poor acoustics Lack or/unclear policies Timetabling Too hot/cold Boredom Cultural expectations Personal Lack of: confidence experience knowledge of support available Fear of being humiliated student refusing being thought to be lacking control Tiredness Illness Disinterest Lack of respect Different expectations Stress Here are some that the Working Group identified. Classroom Management Dr Jaki Lilly and Dr Linda Brown, 2017

Don’t lose sight of the +s Most students are well-behaved and want a positive experience in your classroom Students have little patience for other students who disrupt So, as one UK university guide (Dordoy, et al., 2008) recommends, “Get the students on your side. This is not difficult to achieve as most students want to learn, want to see you in control, will support you and agree that having a set of rules in place is a positive thing.”

A wise place may be in simply setting out expectations Where to begin A wise place may be in simply setting out expectations

Strategies from our recent guidance to avoid/prevent disruptive behaviour Pre-teach and agree the expectations Use university guidance as a basis for these discussions Once agreed, reinforce in a variety of ways (tailored questions in a quiz, emphasis upon communal nature of learning, reminders throughout semester, etc). Relate the ‘rules’ to the Graduate Attributes, and where relevant, other professional certifications Underscore the role and long-term implications of responsible conduct

Strategies (cont) Before full-scale disruptions occur, caution students who are nearing the line: Remind them of the expectations set out in the Code of Conduct and Student Charter Document details of the behaviour and the students’ reactions for yourself. Early on and repeatedly, reinforce the message. Use examples from research or experience, highlighting the frustration experienced by students as a result of disruptions. Regularly poll students about the atmosphere and conduct of the class. Employ a variety of strategies to foster more engaged and active learners.

Activity 3—Setting the Scene Create a ‘rule’ for your classes that establishes the expectations that you want in place from the beginning. Consider punctuality, preparedness, civil behaviour, and/or general ‘rules’ (e.g. food, phones, etiquette, etc).

Poll 2—Your Expectations In a sentence or two, please type out one or two expectations you have created for your classes. (Mentimeter.com) (Also use menti.com for this poll.)

Policy to embed a culture of respect http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/student_services/public/CodeofConductAGuideforStudents.pdf Our recent work, ‘Code of Conduct: A Guide for Students’, spells out types of disruptive behaviour and associated consequences.

Activity 4— When preventative measures don’t work. Choose ONE example of students mis-using technology (openly or secretively) for us to examine more closely: Watching videos Playing games Listening to music (e.g. the one ear-bud trick) Two students looking at phone photos—loudly laughing Having a text conversation (Other students are annoyed and distracted by the behaviour.)

Reflection—What strategies might you use if this behaviour continues despite your pre-emptive and sustained efforts to stop it?

The guidance: Policing technology is difficult if not impossible; if you suspect its misuse, remind everyone of the agreed expectations on technology and the negative impact disruptions have on learning. Don’t ignore—their actions will distract other students. Speak specifically at the students in question, asking them to put away their devices. Allow them the opportunity to comply (e.g. temporarily resume lecturing).

Guidance (cont) If they protest or refuse, ask them to leave. If they refuse to leave, ring Security 6444. Document the circumstances in detail and notify the relevant person in your department/faculty. (Security will also document the incident.) During this entire episode, remain calm, don’t humiliate, and keep the rest of the class informed and with you. Ultimately, use your discretion to decide if/when other actions need to be taken. Your best strategy may be to ENLIST technology to suit your own needs.

Some additional tips: Classroom Management Dr Jaki Lilly and Dr Linda Brown, 2017

Resources and Support Calls to deal more effectively with disruptive behaviour have come directly from student groups. The following have been set up to support you now: Policies, staff guidance and a referral system A new VLE site, ‘Managing Classroom Disruptions’ Current CPD: ‘Developing Classroom Management and Presence’ (run by two of our drama lecturers) on 23rd January at Cambridge, Covent Garden Studio 10.00-16.00.

ARU Case Studies We welcome input by ARU staff regarding how they have tackled disruptive behaviour effectively. Please see ‘From the Classroom Floor’ in the VLE site, ‘Managing Classroom Disruptions’.

POLL 3—Your strategies for tackling classroom disruptions Please provide your responses at PollEv.com/lindabrown788

£Money Lecturers and support staff often hear students relate tuition fees to their rights to many things, including their right to disruptive behaviour. Reflect on the following video from a culture that has long had tuition fees, ‘Classroom Civility’ (2:23) made by Utah State University.

Finally, the quiz Please log in to kahoot.it and use the code on the screen.

Further Reading BJORKLUND, W. and REHLING, D., 2009. Student Perceptions of Classroom Incivility. College Teaching, 58(1), pp. 15-18. CONNELLY, R.J., 2009. Introducing a Culture of Civility in First-Year College Classes. Journal of General Education, 58(1), pp. 47-64. COTTRELL, C.A., NEUBERG, S.L. and LI, N.P., 2007. What Do People Desire in Others? A Sociofunctional Perspective on the Importance of Different Valued Characteristics. Journal of personality and social psychology, 92(2), pp. 208-231. HENDERSON, K., 2016. The Effect of Higher Education Classroom Behavior Management Strategies on Learning. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. LEVINE, P., 2010. Teaching and learning civility. New Directions for Higher Education, 2010 (152), pp. 11-17. MORRISSETTE, P.J., 2001. Reducing incivility in the university/ college classroom. International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning, 5.

Anglia Learning and Teaching Inspiring Academic Excellence Contact Anglia Learning and Teaching Call: 0845 271 2639 Email: lta@anglia.ac.uk Web: www.anglia.ac.uk/lta Author(s): Dr Jaki Lilly and Dr Linda Brown Version: 0117 Anglia Ruskin University, 2017   Any part of this presentation may be reproduced without permission but with attribution to Anglia Learning and Teaching and the author(s) CC-BY-SA (share alike with attribution) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 Classroom Management Dr Jaki Lilly and Dr Linda Brown, 2017