Day Four

 Quickly identify and correctly address each type of behavior before learning is disrupted  Let’s look again at the types of problem conduct-based behaviors and suggested courses of action for you as a teacher…

 Rambling  Wandering around and off the subject, uses far-fetched examples or analogies Ways to Mitigate Ask direct questions to individual students Ask the student how their input relates to the subject Create a “Parking Lot” for off subject discussions

 Shyness or Silence  Lack of participation Ways to Mitigate Give strong positive reinforcement to any contribution Use direct questions to the student Make strong eye contact Get to know the student’s interests and experience

 Talkativeness / The “Monopolizer”  Knows everything, answers all questions, constantly asks questions Ways to Mitigate Minimize use of overhead questions Acknowledge the student’s input and make the statement, “Let’s get some else’s view on this” Use the student to help weaker students Create a “Parking Lot”

 Sharpshooting  Trying to shoot you down or trip you up Ways to Mitigate Back track to the student’s question or comment Ask the student to explain the intent or the relevancy of their question / statement If appropriate, acknowledge the student’s concern

 Heckling/Arguing  Disagreeing with everything you say; making personal attacks Ways to Mitigate Hold your ground, call the student by name Ask the student to specifically support their reason for disagreement Acknowledge the points they do get right or that there may be many perspectives on the matter If personal attacks are made, take it out of class

 Grandstanding  Getting caught up in one's own agenda or thoughts to the detriment of other learners Ways to Mitigate Use questions to lead the student to explain how their input is related to the topic or not Encourage all students to keep their inputs on topic Use a “Parking Lot”

 Overt Hostility/Resistance  Angry, belligerent, combative behavior Ways to Mitigate Remain calm Move closer to the person and maintain eye contact Allow him/her a way to gracefully retreat from the situation Recognize their feelings and move on Acknowledge positive points Seek peer student input

 Covert Hostility/Resistance  Able to ride the line of acceptable behavior without crossing it; subtle, negative, sarcastic comments or non-verbals (eye-rolling, etc.) Ways to Mitigate Talk to student outside of class

 Griping  May be legitimate complaining Ways to Mitigate Interrupt the student if need be and force them to get specific Shift the student’s focus towards solutions Acknowledge grievance if one genuinely exists Explain the “why” if need be

 Side Conversations  May be related to subject or personal, distracts group members and/or you Ways to Mitigate Reinforce group expectations about sidebar discussions Ask the students if they would like to share their ideas with the class

 Inappropriate behavior  Use of profanity, sleeping or loafing, being unprepared (without reason) Ways to Mitigate Communicate expectations clearly Correct profanity on the spot Use direct questions for sleepers / loafers to get them engaged Discuss outside of the classroom

 Unauthorized use of smart phones, laptops and tablets during class Ways to Mitigate Communicate expectations clearly Clearly articulate policies Observe/quietly address violations as they occur

 Punctuality/Attendance  Shows up late to class, returns late from lunch / breaks, doesn’t show up at all Ways to Mitigate Reinforce expectations Talk to student outside of class as to why they were late Hold student accountable for missed material Focus on patterns of behavior, not isolated incidents

 Set clear standards and expectations  Be consistent, and be aware of individual differences  Model the behavior you expect  Teach responsibility instead of enforcing obedience  Talk with other instructors  Treat students with respect and dignity

What if things start to go wrong?  Intervene early, before things get out of hand  Get the students who are initiating the disturbance to help you  Proximity control can work to manage some behavior  Avoid losing your temper  If things really get out of hand, ask for help

 The more you understand the types of behaviors you encounter, the better you’ll be able to effectively deal with them  Most situations call for immediate action in class; others required “outside class” interventions  This isn’t an all-inclusive list of solutions. Talk to others about their strategies for dealing with problem students

 The next five slides present case studies for you to practice your skills at identifying and dealing with problem student behaviors.

 You are teaching a mandatory diversity class to senior school administrators and staff. During the class, you notice one of the students continuously working on his/her smart phone and not paying attention nor participating in the class.  Which type of behavior is this?  How would you deal with it?

 You are teaching a management class to department managers. In teaching the students about organizational leadership, one student continually argues against the ideas you are teaching. You try to politely acknowledge the student’s input and help him understand the materials, but in the end, he simply states to the class that what you are teaching “will never work.”  Which type of behavior is this?  How would you deal with it?

 You are in the middle of a one week course when a small group of students returned 40 minutes late without informing you. When the students returned to the classroom, they found the class already back in session.  Which type of behavior is this?  How would you deal with it?

 A student demonstrates unprofessional behavior by exhibiting an argumentative and condescending manner with fellow classmates. Classmates are fearful that the behavior of the student in question will impact teacher expectations of the group as a whole. The student in question has sound academic skills.  Which type of behavior is this?  How would you deal with it?

 During the orientation of your class, two students indicate that they are in the class because they were “Told to be there.” During the class, you notice the students’ attentiveness varying. When you ask questions of them to keep them engaged, they always answer correctly. You then notice one of the two student’s making subtle gestures (i.e. rolling their eyes, point at their watch, etc.) toward each other. Soon the nonverbal gestures turn into subtle snide comments to each other about the content in the course. While this is going on all of the other students in the class are very quiet.  Which type of behavior is this?  How would you deal with it?