Complaining
It really stresses me out and makes me tense when my students complain a lot about a difficult lecture. How do I deal with this?
Complaining can be therapeutic(if not done excessively) for the person who does it. It certainly can be stressful for those who have to endure it (if it is excessive).
Sometimes, allowing the complainer to propose solutions to the complaint can be helpful.
Complaining is usually a signal that the individual is uncomfortable or unable to do the task(s).If we can assist or empower the complainer with the complaint our chances of having that person complain less in the future is better.
Earnest J. Kendall, MSN,RN-BC
That is a good idea. I have allowed the students to make suggestions and I try to meet them half way with a resonable solution. However, sometimes I feel like the more I try to assist the class the more they complain unfortunately.
You are not alone in lecture classes student tend to complain because of the amount of lecture. Typically I will break lecture up giving assignments in between to rate understanding. Gives them a breather!
Tara, Interesting that you should say that and I've heard other instructors mention this before. We want to provide students support. However, we don't want them to become dependent on us, or to have expectations that are unreasonable about how much we should be assisting them.
Dr. Melissa Read
Complaining does become stressful for instructors especially if it is about course material, for example, it is too much of information etc. Then there are always few students who are able to absorb the information and keep the pace in contrast to others who complian and try to depend for all tasks. What is the best strategy to keep up with the pace while having all complaints?
Some groups of students seem to complain more than others, like they may feed off each other. I try not to "give in" to the complaints because it seems like it encourages others to complain. If they have a concern, they are more than welcome to come to me after class time or shoot me an email.
Debra, That's interesting to hear. It sounds a bit like pack behavior. When a few pack members start to get aggressive, the rest also jump in. I think you have the right approach in asking students to express feedback to you in one on one settings.
Dr. Melissa Read
