Redemption in the Classroom
I have a co-worker who had a tough semester with a group of students. From that point on, whenever they had a class with her, they all sat in the back of the room with their arms folded across their chests. She was really frustrated and tried all kinds of seating arrangements to discourage this type of behavior. Do you have any other suggestions for things she might have done?
Hi Amy,
Did they set with their arms folded in their other seating arrangements? We they separated from each other with the seating arrangements? In their defiance of setting with their arms crossed did they do any work, complete any assignments or take any tests. The general question is did they disrupt the class for other students?
Depending on the responses to the above questions then an instructor could develop a plan of action. A first step would be to talk with the students individually and listen to their positions and what they see as the next steps being. Be firm and consistent with the students and their behavior and establish that instruction will occur with or without them. A last resort would be to remove them from the class if they won't adhere the standards of the class.
Gary
The bottom line is that we're not in the classroom to be the students' friends, so if they had "their arms crossed in defiance" it sounds like the instructor was just taking their behavior a little to personally. It's great when everyone gets along in class and everything is rosy, but let's face it, that's not reality. Not everyone gets along in the world, and all students need to learn that lesson as well as the predetermined course objectives. Just as those students might not like that faculty member, I'm certain that there are other faculty members that that instructor isn't fond of either. Maybe his/her response isn't to fold his/her arms in defiance, but it's usually fairly obvious when people don't get along. As I tell my students all the time, you don't need to go have beers together after class, but you need to find a way to work together within our classroom so that we all accomplish the goals we've set for ourselves.
Hi Kathleen,
Good point about students needing to learn how to get along with and work with other students. You are right much of our success in our working lives will depend on how well we can get along with others. They may not be our cup of sunshine but they are fellow workers so we need to find common points from which we can work.
Gary
Hi Amy,
Long time no see! I've mostly noticed defensive behavior when there is a glitch in grading/expectations. for example, if a teacher says "I will only grade even problems" and then grades odd ones. I might look at trust building.
The other place where students dig in their heels is when some sense of identity is threatened, ie "I'm a good student" or "Everyone likes me". The teacher might look at what might have set the thing off and see if the underlying fairness/identity issue can be named and addressed.
Amy,
I think a major part of the solution is to find out why the students were upset. Was it because they perceived the professor to be incompetent? Was the professor perceived as being unfair? Did the professor say something or give assignments that insulted or hurt one or more students?
Hostility usually has some cause behind it. I believe the professor needs to find out what the problem is and then work with the students to find a solution.
I agree; sometimes students will have this attitude, but you can't take it personally. We're there to teach them whether they like us or not.
