Students' misbehavior
It is a skill:
Classroom management and management of student conduct are skills that teachers acquire over time. Personal experience and research indicate that many beginning teachers have difficulty effectively managing their classrooms. While there is no one best solution for every problem or classroom setting, the following principles, drawn from a number of sources, might help.
Issue and solution:
| Issue | Solution |
| 1. Undermining the instructor’s authority |
This is tricky as it speaks to "attitude." A student might belittle the instructor or engage in a battle of the wills. This student would need to be privately told that their attitude was confrontational and asked how this might be resolved mutually. "Be careful not to read most questions about content, interpretation, or assignments as a challenge of authority. Acting as it they are not, even when you suspect they are, can convey a sense of confidence and control. Sometimes merely assuring the student, while smiling, that you have indeed reflected on this issue at length and that they too will understand soon why the information or the assignment is valuable diffuses the situation. You may even want to encourage them to ask the question again at a later date if necessary." |
| 2. Leaving class too frequently | Camps are divided as to whether or not students should ask for permission to leave for bathroom breaks or wait for a break in the class. I don’t require my students to limit their bathroom breaks or ask permission, however, this is contentious for some faculty when breaks are taken too frequently. You might privately ask the student if everything is OK so that they know that you are concerned by their behavior. Don’t assume disrespect – it might be a bladder infection or some other physical problem. |
| 3. "Spacing Out" or Sitting With Back to Instructor | If this is a repeated problem, students need to know that their non-verbal behavior is perceived as disinterest. You might ask them after class if they need a more comfortable seat. Some students are extremely shy and it might take half of the semester before they open up enough to make sustained eye contact or face the instructor completely. Remember also that sustained eye contact is a culturally dictated practice that might not be feasible for some students. |
| 4. Poor hygiene (possible cultural considerations) | Poor hygiene, too much perfume, cigarette odor or other strong odors can be distracting or even nauseating to students. The cause for the odor might be culturally based in bathing preferences between cultures. This can be a real problem for some faculty while others will never encounter the dilemma. I suggest letting the offending student know that in close quarters, some students have issues with strong smell. It might be suggested that for the course (not their outside of class lives) that the odor be masked in some way. |
| 5. Verbal or physical threats |
Verbal or physical threats are serious matters. They are discussed in detail by experts in the field in "Handling Crisis." As a general rule consult professional experts for assistance immediately. |
| 6. Gum, Food, Pagers, and Cell Phone Disruption | If decided upon by class, consequences for breaking this policy might range from the loss of participation points to the offender having to present on a topic of interest to the class. Some instructors allow pagers and cells to be on the vibrate setting as long as they are attended to at the break rather than used when it interrupts the class. Instructors need to abide by this rule as well and allow for at least one mistake per student as accidents do happen from oversight. The idea here is to prevent habitual disruption from gum popping and phones ringing. |
| 7. Monopolizing Discussions | This is common but manageable. Many students are excited and talkative so it might be good to give them a few class periods to settle in. However, if it’s evident right away that this is a trend, it’s best to ask them to stay after class. You might approach them initially by saying that you are pleased with the amount of enthusiasm they have for discussion but were hoping that they have suggestions for getting the other class members equally involved. The student will most likely get your drift with minimal humiliation. |
| 8. Sleeping in class |
Sleeping in class is usually considered rude. Most faculty believe it should not be tolerated and is best curbed up front by waking a sleeping student and asking them to step outside with you. Once there faculty often tell students that it’s best for the rest of the class if they return when they are awake enough to be an active participant. This occurs from time to time and you obviously are the one to choose lenience or punitive action. If it’s one of your more regularly involved students, perhaps give them an option of an extra credit research assignment they can bring to your next class period covering the subject matter they missed while they were sleeping. An alternative approach is to assume that the student does not feel well, was up most of the night with a sick child, or has some other condition that results in sleepiness when still for long periods of time. You might simply choose to wake the student and ask them if they are feeling alright. To pull this off you need to approach it with true concern for the student's health and well being. Most of the time, student's are so embarrased and so appreciative of your genuine concern that they don't let it happen again. Encourage students to actively participate, take notes (explain that this is helpful to their learning as it stimulates memory in the brain) and in particularly long classes break up the session with activities or paired conversations about a topic to ensure that students stay engaged. Students don't learn much from listening, so remember that the more they "experience" the learning process the more you are really teaching. |
| 9. Repeated Tardiness: | There
should be clear parameters set around this issue up front – either in
your syllabus or in the class decided norms. Stick to your guns on the
policy. Some fair policies might include 3 tardies equals one absence.
It might be best to discuss this with students individually; some are habitually late because they are dependant on bus routes or other drivers for transportation to school. |
| 10. Refusal to Participate or Speak | We cannot force students to speak in class nor participate in group projects. This can be addressed and become a win-win situation by either giving the student alternative options to verbal participation (unless it’s a speech class) or simply carefully coaxing some response out of them and praising whatever minimal effort you receive from them. Remember, some students are terrified to be in a class setting –especially if there are round tables rather than desks – allowing for little anonymity. |
|
11. Sexual Innuendo, Flirting, or Other Inappropriate Suggestion |
This behavior should be curbed as soon as it occurs. It’s never comfortable to tell a student that they aren’t being appropriate and if you are uncomfortable, a short, positive e-mail or phone call might suffice. Your response should be not judgmental and you might discuss it with your department chair or faculty mentor before broaching it with your student. |
| 12. Sharing/Copying Work | In some cultures, students work together to produce homework. It may come as a shock to these students that they cannot submit identical work. This may also come as a surprise to couples, parent-child, siblings, or close friends. Be careful to give thought to how you will handle this before you encounter it and react as if it were intentional cheating. This can also occur when the class does a great deal of group work. Make sure you are clear about what is individual vs. group work in your assignments. |
| 13. Plagiarism or Lying |
Depending
upon the class and the student’s prior knowledge of what plagiarism
entails, some faculty issue an automatic F for the first instance, then
expulsion from the class with a report to the department chair and
division dean on a second instance. Most colleges have specific
policies. Be sure to know you college policy before taking action. Plagiarism should be outlined in your syllabus with a reference for students to the college catalog for more information. |
| 14. Too Much Chit Chat | Give 2-minute chat times for groups or before class begins let them know that you have material to be covered and that their talking isn’t helping you achieve your goals for the class. Know too that some students occasionally translate a word or phrase to a table-mate who might not have as strong an understanding of English, be patient and observant when curbing this behavior. |
| 15. Disrespectful Behavior | The reality is that sometimes students just plain won’t like you. You will find yourself in a conversation with yourself about why they don’t like you and treat you with disrespect. Animosity will perpetuate itself so remember your role and look for a way to positively invite the student to engage more deeply in the class. Perhaps offer them a special task based on a self-disclosed talent; for instance, a student whose hobby is Origami (Japanese paper folding) might lead a lesson on the art of following instructions. Back |
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How to deal with students' Misbehavior
Classroom management is how the teacher delivers the curriculum, as well as the environment in which students learn.
The goal is to eliminate distractions, disruptions, and poor behavior.
The strategy is keeping every student engaged in the curriculum. How?
The answer is student-centered curriculum. Students want to have fun, understand the purpose of what they are learning, and discover their world.
1-Learners decide their relevant, meaningful and simple behavior rules to know what is allowed and not allowed to do inside the class.
2-I teach through fun, games and music. Good behavior is rewarded.
3-I create a fatherly atmosphere with my learners.I invest my emotion and never hurt learners' dignity.
4-I use smiles, quietness, patience, physical activity and eye-contact.
5-I use democratic dialogues, encouragement and praise to learners' achievement and I avoid phrases of threat or anger.
6-I stop the misbehavior(Gum popping, Pagers, Cell Phone disruption, sleeping in class.......)through using non-verbal signals like nodding, using my finger or my hand to show disagreement.
7-To stop much Chit Chat,I use verbal signals like:
(No, stop that, Sh.. Sh.., Could pay your attention to the lesson, please?)
8-I can circulate the class till I reach the learner who leaves his seat and urge him gently to stop misbehavior.
9-I involve learner's attention to the overhead projector.
10-I engage the noisy learner in a work group. He can be chosen as a leader, a presenter, a writer or an organizer of a group work.
11-I use learner's misbehavior itself as a negative skill and change it into a positive skill humorously through engaging that same skill in a peer work situation I create soon for that learner with his peer to serve the lesson presentation.
12-I can say to him," I appreciate your trial to make fun and you seem funny, but I will appreciate you more, if you share your friends in doing a pair work that relates to the lesson.
13-I use the conduct evaluation form I have or I ask the learners to use their self-evaluation conduct and self-punishment forms they have.
14-I can use a parent- teacher conduct form.
15-I can hold a conference with the naughty learner to discuss that misbehavior after the period so that the lesson presentation can't be interrupted.
16-To stop sexual Innuendo or flirting I can hold a conference with the learner and sociologist, psychologist or the mentor after the period.
17-I contact parents to solve the problem of repeated violence.
18-I
report school administration to interfere with addiction problems.
Take a Personal Interest in Students
- Talk informally with students before, during, and after class about their interests.
- Greet students outside of school—for instance, at extracurricular events or at the store.
- Single out a few students each day in the lunchroom and talk with them.
- Be aware of and comment on important events in students' lives, such as participation in sports, drama, or other extracurricular activities.
- Compliment students on important achievements in and outside of school.
- Meet students at the door as they come into class; greet each one by name.
Classroom management challenges:
1-Different cultures for different nationalities.
I will use my patience and interest. I will ask my colleagues and mentor to help me know all about them and include them.
2-Students with special needs.
I will use methods to include them fatherly.I saw that practical in England schools.
3-Students are talkers, noisy and competitive.
I will engage these skills positively in my lesson presentation through group work.
4-Classes start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 2:50 p.m.
I like my work and my school.
5-Educational system and practices may be very different.
I will respectful that.I will adjust my style to theirs.
6-Extra-curricular activities such as planning, preparation, and marking my be required after the day work time.
I like to prepare myself well all the time.
7-Teaching is to a standardized test, due to the(No Child Left Behind).
I will make all my efforts to achieve that.
8-A learner may say that he doesn't like learning Arabic.
I will show him the importance of learning languages. It is the different culture he is interested in.