Get Your Students Hired
I was once attended a training class the required a talking stick. It got passed around the classroom. I really liked how that worked. I would probably try that.
I appreciate the information on trying to include the quiet students while letting the center-stage students shine.
Their is a variety type of students. despite having multiple types of individuals there are many ways to get every student involved motivated and guided to the right direction in the material being taught.
I appreciated the Harvard Business School professor's example of his interaction with a student and how impactful it can be. Teacher's need to be mindful of how their words and brief interactions with students can impact them. Teachers should be more intentional with their words and actions and work to build their rapport and relationship with their students.
Never dismiss the importance of interacting with a student in class or outside of class. If a student wants to talk with you, make time.
include "centered-staged" students in the class and be mindful that their behavior cannot be changed but controlled.
There were good ideas and strategies in the presentation for the inattentive and “center stage” students.
ive learned that making every student feel or believe they have your undivided attention when you are interacting with them making them feel heard or important will kill off most center stage syndrome show each student respect as well keeps everything order... for example i have 30+ students so order is MANDATORY i cant skip my order of helping others il gladly help anytime its needed but also there is a order so if john doe asked for help before jane doe does i wont skip over the order for no reason and i do this with every student so theres a understanding that no one person is bigger than the program and order
Many times students will withdraw from participating if they can't see a reason for learning the information being presented.
Comment on Shelley Freshman's post: I totally agree with Shelley. Use it wisely seems to be the strategy that that will work best with the challenging students. I have already tried moving around in class and it works momentarily. Assigning seats for students and then rotating them also works to a certain extend.
Overall, this course has taught me many interesting and useful strategies to deal with challenging students.
it was interesting to me about giving the "center-stage" student the role of the observer. I do worry this would be perceived by some that they are being silenced.
Learning their names is important. On the first day of class, use colored paper to have them create a trifold "tent" to put their name on with a sharpie. This helps me to know who they are. Students that are less likely to answer questions may fear they will answer wrong. We use individual white boards for them to write the answer to the questions on. Positive reinforcement will boost their confidence level.
I found that my most challenging students were those I taught in the high school setting last year. While there is always a student or group of students that can be challenging in higher education, I have not found it to be overwhelmingly problematic. Engage all students and build those relationships and issues often resolve on their own.
If you walk around the room while students are on their phones or talking, your presence is enough to clue them in that they are distracted and they will be redirected.
The most important information I have learned is that I am not the only one out there who is experiencing these kind of challenging students. I used to believe that it was just me, or I managed to attract the difficult students, or it was my junior status amongst the faculty that led me into different situations with students who just didnt understand the relevance of what I was trying to teach them.