When to draw the line.
When your students fall asleep during lecture, despite all of your attempts to keep the conversation interesting and active, then you know that it is time to draw the line. How would you approach that student to let them know that what they have done is wrong, without letting your frustration get the best of you?
Hi Raven,
There are several approaches you can take. A simple one is to walk to where the students is setting asleep. Your movement and voice change is often enough to wake them up.
I will complete the lecture point I am making and put the students into learning groups. The movement into groups and discussion of the topic wakes the students up.
If the problem persists then I talk with the student privately and ask what is it I can do to keep their interest up in the class and the lecture. This approach works well because you have made the student part of the solution and he/she knows you are aware of the situation and want to help them.
Give these suggestions a try and let me know how they work out for you.
Gary
Hi Raven,
Whenever I have a student who is sleeping in class, or for that matter, students who are exhibiting any behaviors detrimental to the class, I usually walk near those students while continuing my lecture. Usually that stops any problem from getting out of control.
As far as your "sleeping beauty" is concerned, it would not be out of line for you to talk to this individual after class. I would inquire about this individual's schedule and suggest that it might need to be altered to allow for more sleep.
I think it is very important to set the rules on day one and after that makes sure you are consitant with what will happen if a student breaks a rule. Most of time other student will figure it out that you will not put up with nonsense if you do what you say you are going to do. Hope this helps
All great points. If a student is sleepy in your class it may not be due to your lack of lecturing skill. Having a conversation with the student in private may uncover a number of personal reasons but addressing the problem in front of the class also has its place with regard to expectations. Remedies may have to include planned physical movement during class presentation. It's difficult to sleep while you're moving around.
Hi Raymond,
Thanks for sharing good advice. As we all know you have to be consistent with everything that you do as an instructor. If you aren't it won't be long before you will find yourself with a host of class management issues, complaints and student unrest.
Follow through with all that you do.
Gary
Hi Danny,
Thank you for your strategies and advice on keeping students awake. You are right about it not just being your class and lecture. I teach evenings so all of my students have worked all day before coming to my class and setting down for the first time. After they have eaten, it just makes sense for them to be ready for a nap. This forces me to do many different activities to keep the moving and engaged with learning.
Gary
I remeber a saying an elder educator told when I first starting teaching, this was in a high school. NEVER SMILE BEFORE CHIRTSMAS. A little harsh but sometimes effective.
Raymond
Hi Raymond,
I have heard that saying as well. The only question I have is if you never smile before Christmas, will Santa Claus think you have be naughty and not leave presents?
Gary
I agree, if you move closer and get louder and the student still sleeps, have a talk with him after class
Step back take a deep breath and talk to the student after class.
Hi Scott,
Good strategy. You might also want to have an activity if you see students start to drift off. This way you can get them moving around and wake them up a bit. Mini-lectures help also. 10-15 minutes of lecture and then an activity will help keep them focused on the class.
Gary
Sometimes simply working a question, directed at the sleeping student, into your lecture will get the student involved enough to stay awake.
Hi Richard,
Good suggestion. Should draw him/her out of a deep sleep when they hear their name called. Also, lets the other students know it could be them that will be called on.
Gary
The school I work at attendance is part of the students grade and to me it is not fair that a sleeping student will get credit for being there when really he or she isn't. I would talk to the student after class to find out if there is something going on to cause this. Offer assistance if possible and then explain to the them that you will not allow them to continue to sleep as it is not fair to the other students in class. I had an instructor that once told me that if you need to sleep go home, your quality of sleep would be much better.
Hi TJ,
Well said about sleeping at home, at least there the student can lay down and stretch out.
There are a number of strategies you can use with sleeping students, one of which you already mentioned. Talking with the student. Others can include activities every few minutes (mini-lecture of 10-15 minutes) then an application activity. This keeps both the mind and the body engaged. Group work is another way to go. Anything that will keep the student focused. If they are sleeping they are cheating themselves since they are not going to taking in the content needed for career success. Sometimes students forget that there is a day of accounting and that it occurs when they are out in the work place. There they have to have the skill sets required for success and sleeping is not one of them.
Gary
This is always a challenge, I agree with the idea of moving toward the student to wake them up. I try to move around the room when lecturing for this reason. I also have an outlined policy on sleeping in my syllabus . . .
Hi Edward,
Students that sleep in class always amaze me since they are receiving training that will enable them to enhance their lives and they can't stay focused long enough to learn. That being said you have a good idea of outlining student behavior expectations in you syllabus. That way there are no surprises for anyone.
Gary
I teach a morning class from 6:30 to 12:45 AM,and it's hard to keep everybody awake sometimes. I often change stats by taking them to lab, or just on a short walk. If I have to warn a student twicethey need to go home.
Hi Douglas,
Tough time to teach a class. Mine are all at night-4 until 10. Both ends of the time scale requires that we be creative in our teaching. You are on the right track with your movement strategy. You have to do something to get the blood flowing and the muscles twitching a bit so they will stay awake.
Gary
