Classroom Problems
It is very important when faced with a student that is verbaly negative to ask that person to step out of the classroom. I also feel that even though you ask the student to step out of the classroom in hopes of a peaceful resolution you should be very carful of the outcome you could possiable get! It may be helpful for you to contact your direct boss just in case you dont get the outcome you expected from the student when you speak to him or her in the hall.
When there is a student that is not serious about work it is very difficult to keep him focus. This cause a problem.
Patricia, what has lead you to believe the student is not serious about their work? Have you pursued all other avenues and been able to determine beyond a shadow of doubt that you have properly assessed the student and the situation? I have seen first hand where the outside shell of a situation did not properly describe the root issue or what was taking place behind the scenes. If you have continual dialog with the student and each conversation consistently results in the student demonstrating they are in class for reasons not of their own benefit then you may need to take actions that terminate that failed learning opportunity but you want to be 100% certain that there are no other root causes or behind the scene issues that are just manifesting themselves into the outward persona of not caring or not seeing value in their education.
James Jackson
I believe that the biggest problem faced by all instructors in all classrooms is the ongoing competition with technology, specifically phones. My students have admitted that they find it very difficult to stay off the phone for the duration of a class period, even if they are enjoying the class.Would it be bad policy to allow students five minutes in the middle of class to check their phones ?
Recently I have had difficulties with students in class who effectively demand that I teach them in a particular way. While one student was not directly confrontational in class, she did pointedly and repeatedly ask for demonstrations and examples I was not prepared to offer in class. She also requested that in-class exercises be given as homework so I could lecture more and offer more examples in class. I spoke with her privately, and she now less frequently asks questions beyond the scope of class and accepts, although not with good grace, that in-class exercises are to be done in class. Now she attends sporadicallly and simply leaves class, in a relatively non-disruptive manner, when she perceives that everything she wants out of a particular class is over.
However, she has held several discussions with another student, who has rather erratic attendance, and her comments have encouraged him to challenge me in class repeatedly. After admitting that he still had no idea how to approach an assigned project despite having covered the topic several times in my and other classes, he requested that I outline a detailed technique for accomplishing the assignment. Because other students also seemed interested in that information, I scheduled an overview for the next class. While I was covering my recommended step-by-step approach to the project, he suddenly demanded that I "do it". I explained that I was reviewing the information he requested, which was not in the book, about a technique he could follow to finish the project. He demanded again "Do it. I want to see you do it." I explained that he had already actually done for himself what he was asking to see when he performed the in-class exercises that were in the book. I suggested that he could review them there, but that idea seemed to carry no weight with him whatsoever, and he continued to demand that I work on the project myself in class.
I should also mention that this is a very difficult class with students of widely differing levels of experience and capabilities, several of whom have had a less-than-satisfactory previous experience in a similar class. I have no problems with most of the students in class, and I have no difficulties at all with a second section of the same class in a different setting. When I have discussed the problems I have with these students with administration, they have admitted that they also have problems with these students. Other instructors tell me that they have had similar difficulties handling my repeatedly challenging student with the erratic attendance.
How would you recommend that I have handled these students?
