Dealing with Rude Disruptive Students: Being Proactive

January 18 and 19, 2005
Presenter: Ken Jones

Dealing with Rude, Disruptive Students: Being Proactive

I’d like to start with a little collective brainstorming.  What kind of student behaviors do we see as rude or disruptive or unacceptable?   Let’s generate a list.  How can we mitigate these problems?

Let’s start with what is easiest to control: our own behavior.  Or, to put it another way, what things do some faculty do that might encourage undesirable behavior in response? 

Let me point to two studies.  [HANDOUT]

The first is John Braxton and Alan Bayer’s Faculty Misconduct in College Teaching.  It is based on six-year study of 1003 faculty in which the faculty were asked to establish inviolable norms and then describe faculty peer behaviors they had seen that represented violations of these good conduct norms.  Here’s what they came up with.

Condescension/Negativism

• Makes condescending remarks in class
• Expresses impatience and/or publicly criticizes student’s performance
• Makes negative remarks about a colleague before students

Inattentive Planning

• Syllabus not prepared, not followed, or highly inaccurate
• Requires reading materials that are not available

Moral Turpitude

• Has a sexual relationship with a student
• Makes sexual comments to a student
• Attends class intoxicated

Particularistic Grading

• Takes into account social, personal or other non-academic characteristics
• Stated policies on late work/incompletes not universally applied
• Offering extra-credit opportunities to select students
• Responds negatively to student viewpoints that differ from the instructor’s 

Personal Disregard

• Poor personal hygiene
• Frequent use of profanity in the classroom
• Routinely dismisses class early or late
• Routinely late for class

Un-communicated Course Details

• Changes location and/or times with out informing students         
• Lack of information on policies, especially for missed exams

Cynicism

• Expresses a cynical attitude toward teaching
• Makes it clear that research is more important than teaching

My second source is a survey of Michigan State Undergraduates.  It is based on a sample of only 50 students, but I still think it is helpful in suggesting some things that we do that drive our student’s nuts.

Items mentioned by 20% or more of respondents –

• Shows up late for class
• Doesn’t show up for office hours
• Makes students feel stupid (“put down,” “lack of respect”)
• Writes on board and stands so students can’t see; talks to board
• Doesn’t get to know students
• Assigns work that is never graded
• Doesn’t follow the syllabus

Items mentioned by fewer than 20% of respondents –

• Unorganized
• Unprepared to teach that day
• Doesn’t control the class
• Assigns busy work
• Lectures too quickly
• Teaches directly from notes
• Starts classes early and ends late
• Doesn’t prepare students well for exams
• Doesn’t respond to e-mails
• Doesn’t understand you have work for other classes
• Falls behind on the syllabus and then speeds up at end of semester
• Assumes students know more than they do

The third cluster of faculty behaviors that cause problems come from my own experience and observations over the years.  These are much more anecdotal, but here they are.

• Unclear grading standards
• Unclear questions and unwillingness to explain
• Not being available outside of class [not talking about being there at 10 pm, but need to create awareness of your willingness to find a time
• Being slow returning work; especially having new work due before old is returned
• Caustic comments on work or focus on picky details
• Lack of substantive comments/suggestions for improvement

OK, let me shift focus slightly and look at what we can do – rather than just talking about things we should avoid.

Create Positive Classroom Environment

• Be engaged with your students as individuals; learn names and refer directly to comments they have made (As Mary pointed out earlier…”)  
• Demonstrate through your actions that you are willing to listen to their views respectfully and that you are committed to their learning.
• Use structures that encourage students to get to know each other.  Worth giving up some content time because creates community and reins in outliers.
• Let them see who you are.  Tell them about your background and let them see your passion for the subject.  Perhaps share enough information so they realize you have a life outside the classroom.  It’s harder to be uncivil to someone you see as a real person.
• Provide a syllabus that accurately and fully communicates class requirements and schedule.  The Ombudsman at Michigan State reports that most of the complaints his office receives from students arise from syllabi that create misunderstandings about course expectations.  
• Include clear statement on plagiarism, preferably with some reference to school policy.  If you use any collaborative work, make sure you clarify the boundaries between individual and collaborative work
• Communicate your expectations for appropriate behavior.  I focus on what makes a good learning environment and what makes a good discussion, but also can be focused more specifically on student behavior.  Can be done in a student driven conversation, on the syllabus, or through a separate “contract.”  Handout -- contract.  Strikes me as overkill, but see what you think.  Recommend that you draw on existing policies on student conduct; reference them.
• Use active learning techniques to fend off inattentiveness.  Gerald Amada, leader in area and author of Coping with Misconduct in the College Classroom says “Perhaps the best antidote for all forms of disruptive behavior is for instructors to teach interestingly.”  (51)  
• Seek feedback from students at mid-semester or earlier to see how things are going.  Can be informal mid-term evaluation, or something more thorough.   Make sure you respond – and do so in a non-defensive way.  Be honest if something not working; change it or explain why persisting.
• Help students see the see the value of course; help them get over resentment about taking it for CORE or as departmental requirement.  Need to do our best to sell the value.  Be excited, help them see value of knowledge/skills they are developing even if completely outside major.  Take time – repeatedly – to explain why you are asking them to do whatever it is that you are requiring.   (For example, short papers in my classes)
• Avoid grade surprises.  Make sure that students understand grading system and that they have sufficient feedback so final grade is not a shock.   If you count participation, make sure you let them know how they are doing in this area as the semester goes along.
• Monitor your use of language.  (From Joan Middendorf and Stephen Yandell, Replacing Weak Language with Strong:  Transforming Your Teaching Persona) “I hope you appreciate not having to read the entire book” versus “You should pay attention to the pages I have assigned”
• If you didn’t do well on this quiz, don’t worry.  There was a lot of material to study and it only counts for a small portion of your grade.”  Versus If you didn’t do well on this quiz, you will want to review the material more closely.  Please come see me if you have questions about the material.”      

More broadly –

• Don’t sound doubtful
• Avoid apologizing for things where students are responsible
• Don’t put yourself down

Weak language undermines even best organized and most pedagogically sound teachers.  Sounds ambiguous and self-doubting.  Very hard to self-diagnose cause part of our speech patterns.

Now, let’s say you have done everything you can do, but you still have a student who causes problems.  How do you respond? 

Repeatedly late to class

• Talk privately with student.  May be something as simple as not being able to get to the campus bus on time.
• Explain why late entry is disruptive.  Ask for suggestions on how to mitigate disruptiveness if being on time isn’t possible.

Separate Conversations

• Don’t separate them – treats them as though in elementary school
• Stop lecture, ask them if they have a question or have something they want to contribute to the larger discussion
• If that doesn’t work, ask to talk privately. Tell them that such conversations distract others and hamper learning.
• If that doesn’t work, inform them that if they persist, you will ask them to leave.

Disconnected, Reading

• Move near them, make eye contact
• Call on them
• Tell them privately that such behaviors are rude and point out that they aren’t helping themselves in terms of their discussion grade

Attention Seekers/Discussion Dominators

• Interrupt them, ask rest of class for their views  (“Thanks Bob, let’s see what others think”)
• If you can’t shut them off, offer to discuss outside class.  (That’s a really interesting idea, but it isn’t central for what we need to do today, so could we talk about it after class?”)
• Mute till I release you – for a group of talkers
• Discuss privately -- through written feedback on class participation or orally.  Frame in terms of how student is perceived by others and need to let others converse and grow.

Challenging/badgering behavior

• Stay calm.  Don’t become defensive. 
• Don’t assume this is a personal attack. Such attacks are most likely made against you in your role as teacher or authority figure. 
• Remembering to separate self from role can enable you to see what a student is saying more clearly and to actually discuss the issue.  It’s not about you. 
• If challenge is on something you have asked them to do, explain instructional objectives and how your assignments pertain.
• If challenge is to something you have said, try to keep conversation as an academic issue.  Push them to support their views with course materials (“Could you point out for us the section in the readings that led you to that conclusion.” or, “Could you help us understand why you believe that.”)
• Pose other positions/interpretations in the third rather than the first person.  (“From a feminist perspective, from a conservative perspective”)
• If necessary, suggest discussing after class.
• If behavior is persistent, talk with student outside of class.  Name specific behaviors and how they get in the way of the primary function of the class, which is everyone learning.

Anger about Grades

Establish delay policy beforehand -- that you don’t discuss grades on day you hand papers/tests back.  Happy to make appointment to discuss, but want you to read my comments and think about them.

If you have grading rubric, ask them to work through that and compare to their paper. When meeting, make sure door is open during conference and colleagues are nearby. Save high quality example.  Use it -- Have complaining student read high quality example while you re-read theirs (could have student send you copy of theirs in advance so you have time to think calmly.)  Discuss differences between the two with emphasis on helping student improve next time.  Do not indicate that you may have made an error in grading.  Remind them that you can’t grade what isn’t on the paper, so what they knew or meant to say doesn’t count.

Confronting a Student about His/Her Behavior

Don’t expect disruptive student to self-correct if you ignore them.  Avoid the temptation to launch an immediate put-down.  A humorous response can work, but we must be very careful to avoid anything that sounds like sarcasm or a put down. First, listen carefully.  Hold your response until they are finished.  Second, decide whether you need (or are able) to address the problem at that moment.  If some variety of rude behavior, ask the student to meet outside class.  If it is an angry outburst and related to the class topic, listen, engage class in exploring issue.  If not connected to class topic, suggest discussing later and move on with the class task.  If student is violent or threatening, ask student to leave.  Call campus security. Document student behavior immediately.  Need for conversation with student, and more importantly, if any additional action by school administrators becomes necessary.  DO NOT rely on your memory.  Make sure you can point to specific actions that are unacceptable (rather than attitude or feelings) Arrange meeting (door open, colleagues nearby) Discuss with student.  Frame in terms of what is necessary for learning to take place and ask for discussion of how to resolve. Try to avoid becoming verbally aggressive.  Think through any disciplinary action in advance.  Make sure it is fair and proportional rather than vindictive and decided in heat. Make it clear that if conduct is repeated, student may be subject to university disciplinary proceedings.  Report any violent or threatening behavior to appropriate academic authorities immediately.                        

John Braxton and Alan Bayer, Faculty Misconduct in College Teaching

Condescension/Negativism

•  Makes condescending remarks in class
•  Expresses impatience and/or publicly criticizes student’s academic performance
•  Makes negative remarks about a colleague before students

Inattentive Planning

•   Syllabus not prepared, not followed, or highly inaccurate
•   Requires reading materials that are not available

Moral Turpitude

•   Has a sexual relationship with a student
•   Makes sexual comments to a student
•   Attends class intoxicated

Particularistic Grading

•  Takes into account social, personal or other non-academic characteristics
•  Stated policies on late work/incompletes not universally applied
•  Offers extra-credit opportunities to select students
•  Responds negatively to student viewpoints that differ from the instructor’s

Personal Disregard

•  Poor personal hygiene
•  Frequent use of profanity in the classroom
•  Routinely dismisses class early or late
•  Routinely late for class

Un-communicated Course Details

•  Changes location and/or times with out informing students         
•  Lack of information on policies, especially for missed exams

Cynicism

•  Expresses a cynical attitude toward teaching
•  Makes it clear that research is more important than teaching
  

Michigan State University TAP, “Thoughts On Teaching #10”

Items mentioned by 20% or more of respondents –

•  Shows up late for class
•  Doesn’t show up for office hours
•  Makes students feel stupid (“put down,” “lack of respect”)
•  Writes on board and stands so students can’t see; talks to board
•  Doesn’t get to know students
•  Assigns work that is never graded
•  Doesn’t follow the syllabus

Items mentioned by fewer than 20% of respondents --

• Unorganized
• Unprepared to teach that day
• Doesn’t control the class
• Assigns busy work
• Lectures too quickly
• Teaches directly from notes
• Starts classes early and ends late
• Doesn’t prepare students well for exams
• Doesn’t respond to e-mails
• Doesn’t understand you have work for other classes
• Falls behind on the syllabus and then speeds up at end of semester
• Assumes students know more than they do

Ken’s Additions

• Unclear grading standards
• Unclear test/paper questions and unwillingness to explain
• Not being available outside class
• Being slow returning work; especially having new work due before old is returned
• Caustic comments on work or focus on picky details
• Lack of substantive comments/suggestions for improvement
  

Positive Things We Can Do

• Be engaged with your students as individuals; learn names   
• Demonstrate through actions that you listen to their views respectfully.
• Use structures that encourage students to get to know each other.  
• Let them see who you are.
• Provide a syllabus that accurately and fully communicates class requirements and schedule.  Include a statement on plagiarism/reference to school policy. 
• Communicate your expectations for appropriate behavior. 
• Use active learning techniques
• Seek feedback from students at mid-semester
• Help students see the see the value of course
• Avoid grade surprises. 
• Monitor your language

Best Practice Responses to Selected Problems

Repeatedly late to class

•   Talk privately with student
•   Ascertain reason
•   Explain why late entry is disruptive.
•   Discuss how to mitigate disruption

Separate Conversations

•   Stop lecture, ask them if they have a question
•   Talk privately - that such conversations distract others and hamper learning.
•   If they persist, you will ask them to leave.

Disconnected, Reading

•  Move near them, make eye contact
•  Call on them
•  Talk privately - why such behaviors are rude

Attention Seekers/Discussion Dominators

•   Interrupt them, ask rest of class for their views
•   If necessary, offer to discuss outside class. 
•   Talk privately
•   Frame in terms of how student is perceived by others and need to let others be involved.

Challenging/badgering behavior

• Stay calm.  Don’t become defensive. 
• Don’t assume this is a personal attack.  
• If challenge is on something you have asked them to do, explain instructional objectives and how your assignments pertain.
• If challenge is to something you have said, try to keep conversation on an academic plane
• If necessary, suggest discussing after class.
• If behavior is persistent, discuss privately with student
• Name specific behaviors and explain why they disrupt your primary task of helping everyone learn

Anger about Grades

• Establish delay policy
• Make sure door is open during conference and colleagues are nearby
• Use example of high quality peer work
• Keep emphasis on helping student improve next time.   

Confronting a Student about His/Her Behavior

• Don’t expect disruptive student to self-correct if you ignore them
• Avoid the temptation to launch an immediate put-down.
• Listen carefully.  Decide whether you need (or are able) to address the problem at that moment.   
• If some variety of rude behavior, ask the student to meet outside class
• If it is an angry outburst and related to the class topic, listen, engage class in exploring the issue.
• If not connected to class topic, suggest discussing later and move on with the class task
• If student is violent or threatening, ask student to leave.  Call campus security.

Document student behavior immediately

• Make sure you can point to specific actions that are unacceptable (rather than attitude or feelings)
• Arrange meeting (door open, colleagues nearby)
• Discuss with student.  Frame in terms of what is necessary for learning to take place and ask for discussion of how to resolve
• Try to avoid becoming verbally aggressive
• Think through any disciplinary action in advance.  Make sure it is fair and proportional rather than vindictive and decided in heat
• Make it clear that if conduct is repeated, student may be subject to university disciplinary proceedings.  
•  Report any violent or threatening behavior to appropriate academic authorities  immediately. 

Primary Sources Used:

            Gerald Amada, Coping With Misconduct in the College Classroom, (1999)
            John Braxton and Alan Bayer, Faculty Misconduct in College Teaching (1999)
            Barbara Davis, Tools for Teaching  (1993)
            Mary Deane Sorcinelli, “Dealing with Troublesome Behaviors in the Classroom,” in K.W. Prichard
            and R. M. Sawyer, Handbook of College Teaching, (1994)
            National Education Association Advocate, “Handling Conflict,”  vol. 18, no 1.  (October, 2000)
            Michigan State University TAP, Teaching Thoughts #7, 10, 21, and 22
            (http://www.tap.msu.edu/resources/thoughts.html) POD Listserv