Dealing with Challenging Student Behaviour Accessible Learning Services, Counselling, Student Rights and Responsibilities Toby

agenda Introduction and scope of presentation Why are we seeing more challenging behaviour? Types of inappropriate behaviour What is acceptable behaviour? Rights and Responsibilities Strategies Next steps Toby

Why Are we Seeing an Increase in Challenging behaviour? Many students lack resiliency skills Anger is the “go to” emotion when attempting to solve a problem “Underdeveloped” emotional intelligence Increase in the number of students with a disability diagnosis where challenging behaviour may be a manifestation of the diagnosis (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mental Health Disabilities, ADHD) External pressure to succeed in post-secondary (e.g., family, society, peer group) Greater focus on self-management of learning (Blended learning/Elearn) Difficulty with transition from High School to College When transitioning to College, many external regulators of behaviour are removed (e.g., parents, teachers, paraprofessionals such as EAs) May experience failure for the first time Find themselves in a more crowded environment with larger classes, labs, social environment Your thoughts? Toby and all

Types of inappropriate behaviour Verbal aggression Disruptive behavior Non-verbal aggression-hitting desk, etc Passive aggressive behavior (all or nothing thinking) Self injurious behavior-disability related Destruction of property Smart phone use in class Threatening emails/social media/bullying behavior Writing assignments that note harm to self or others Racialized and aggressive comments What are you seeing in your classrooms? Janice

What is acceptable behaviour? Student Behaviour Policy as a guide http://www.mohawkcollege.ca/Assets/Policies/Student+Behaviour+Policy .pdf What is acceptable in your classroom or work area? Depends on tolerance level/own norms /values Diane

Rights and Responsibilities Student/professor rights and responsibilities Professor has the right to manage her/his classroom Students have the responsibility to adhere to the Student Behaviour Policy No accommodation for inappropriate behaviour Diane

strategies Professor expertise with classroom management The empowered professor Establishing classroom norms Picking your battles/deflect power struggles Name, Explain, Teach (NET Strategy) Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI) strategies Restorative Justice model Strategies for professors-how to observe behaviour. Feeling comfortable with reporting Taking objective data on student behaviour Time of event Date Behavioural triggers Heather

NET in ACtion NAMING EXPLAINING TEACHING Yelling at your professor when you don’t agree with a topic being discussed. The impact on me as your professor is that this causes a disruption in my class, and shifts the focus from the content being discussed to your outburst. It disrupts my thought process as well. For your peers, it disrupts their learning and makes for a difficult learning environment. If you are angry or upset at content being taught, it would be helpful to leave the classroom temporarily while you manage your emotions, and/or speak with me after class about the issue. You can also email me about your issue. Heather

De-Escalation Strategies https://youtu.be/pBe4A32fpyI FROM CPI training manual DO Stay Calm Validate Listen Be respectful Provide options Be consistent Isolate situation Enforce limits Don’t Say calm down Overreact or underreact Get defensive/need to manage your own reaction Make compromises Interrupt Make false promises Fake attention Engage in a power struggle Make judgements Donna

Restorative Justice Model https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWtFtWY3Hh8 Giving the “offender” a chance to learn A second chance Rebuilds trust Diane

Intensive supports May involve contacting Manager of Student Rights and Responsibilities Behaviour policy Restorative Justice For students with disabilities, may involve additional accommodation support (e.g., peer supports, ALS) May involve counselling support Toby

Next Steps Continue the discussion Questions What do you see as our next steps? Toby

Resources Braden, S. W., & Smith, D. N. (2006). Managing the College Classroom: Perspectives from an Introvert and an Extrovert. College Quarterly, 9(1) ,n1. Harrell, I. L., & Hollins Jr, T. N. (2009). Working with Disruptive Students. Inquiry, 14(1), 69-75. Noonan‐Day, H. L., & Jennings, M. M. (2007). Disruptive students: A liability, policy, and ethical overview. Journal of Legal Studies Education, 24(2), 291-324.