Difficult Students from Cell Phones to Tired Students

Difficult Students: from Cell Phones to Tired Students A presentation led by Dr. John Marvelle CART Teaching Fellow Professor of Elementary & Early Childhood Education November 17, 2004 Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA

What student behaviors irritate you? Irritating behaviors To begin the workshop Dr Marvelle asked participants to list on a note card 3 student behaviors that irritated them.

Top 10 Student Behaviors that Irritate Professors*… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Carrying on personal conversations with others during a lecture (75%) Cheat on exams (47%) Miss class and ask, “Did I miss anything important? ” (37%) Place their head on the desk and fall asleep during class (36%) Are excessively tardy (35%) *T. Doyle, New Faculty Orientation Webpage -- Ferris State College

Top 10 Student Behaviors that Irritate Professors… Fail to read assigned textbook or collateral materials (35%) 7. Are absent on exam days (32%) 8. Fail to bring required materials to class (32%) 9. Are excessively absent (28%) 10. Miss a lecture and then expect the professor to provide them a personal encore (28%) 6.

Some that have bothered some of my colleagues…

Attendance & Participation Dear Dr. Greenberg: I missed your class yesterday and I was wondering if you did anything important? Phil Dear Dr. Thornell: How many unexcused absences do we get in this class? Jill

Grade Expectations “I tried so I deserve an A. ”

Hiding Accommodation Plans “I didn’t give you my accommodation plan because I wanted to see if I could do it on my own. Now I wish I had given it to you. Can I retake the test? ” Invited Workshop Guest, Learning Disabilities Specialist Pam Spillane, stated that if a student didn’t share their special education accommodation documents with the professor in advance, their office would not support the student’s request to retake an exam.

Requests to Change a Grade Dear Dr. Fishbeck: I don’t like my grade. I think it is unfair for you to give me it. I was the youngest person in class. Mary Anne Dear Dr. Moir: What can I do to get a better grade? Tom

Cell Phones Ringing phones Text messaging Laptops and “Instant Messaging” are on their way!

Excessively Tardy “It’s Bridgewater Parking… that is why I am always late for class. ”

Other irritations

Tired Students Dr. Smith, You cannot hold me responsible for knowing the material on this test, as I was sleeping during all of your lectures. As you did not wake me up, I assumed that you sympathized with my tiredness and were excusing me from the information being covered. I assumed that I would not have to take a test on it. Phil Jones

Amount of Work Expectations “There is too much reading in this class. You are being unfair. I have to work and I don’t have time to do all of this reading. ”

Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism… “I didn’t know we had to put it into our own words. ”

Cheating: the Old Way… The New Way May 12, 2004 School Officials Ban Cell Phones for Cheating Attempt Officials at a Salinas high school have banned cell phones after a student used a camera phone to photograph an exam and tried to send it to a friend, reports the AP. ---------------------------------------------- USA Today. com 1/31/2003 University students admit to using cell phones to cheat ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — Six University of Maryland students have admitted to using their cell phones to access answer keys during a December accounting exam, a case of students using technology to cheat that surprised university officials.

Pushy, Disrespectful Students “You are my advisor and I need to register for classes tomorrow. I am free at 11 and I would like to see you then. ”

Some Solutions in the literature

Ways to Avoid Problems 1 st Axiom: Preventing problems uses less energy than correcting them.

Create a Constructive Classroom Environment 1. Define expectations clearly at the outset 2. Decrease student anonymity 3. Seek feedback from students 4. Encourage active learning M. D. Sorcinelli (1994) Handbook of College Teaching, Greenwood Press

Proactive Strategies Use your syllabus and your first day of class introduction to help your students know your expectations Classroom Expectations Academic Policies • Attendance / Tardiness • Participation / civility & respect • During lectures • side conversations • note-taking • use of laptops • Eating/drinking in class • Grading/standards • Quality of work • Late assignments • Make-up work • Plagiarism / cheating

Idea #1 -- An Example Help your students know what your attendance policy by clearly stating it. Attendance: Attendance in my sections of MMAE 202 is rigidly enforced. I will hand out a sheet with each student's name on it. You are required to put your initials in the box corresponding to your name, otherwise you will be marked as absent. The part of my evaluation of your grade will be based upon your attendance record. Therefore, it is imperative that you come to class. If for some reason (and it better be good) you cannot attend class, you must e-mail me the day before and explain why. M. Vural, Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Illinois Institute of Technology

Idea #2 -- An Example Missed Class Assignment One of my goals as a professor is to help pre-service teachers develop a deep understanding of the issues related to creating a standards-based, inclusive classroom. As a student, you are responsible for learning about the course topics that are discussed in class. If you miss any class time, you are required to demonstrate your understanding of the topic(s) that were presented/discussed during your absence. To do this, you are expected to submit a tangible product (see criteria below) on each topic. J. Marvelle , Bridgewater State College J. Marvelle, Bridgewater State College

Idea #3 Help your students know what you mean by participation. For an example from the Learning Assistance Center, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio click on the weblink beyond. Note: You must be connected to the web to see this example. www. xu. edu/lac/Class_Participation. htm To see a “participation rubric, ” click on this button.

Idea #4 -- An Example Manage expectations by helping students understand what a grade means by using checklists and rubrics. Grading Checklist Task Content Presentation Total: Grading Rubric Points /4 /1 /5

Idea #5 -- An Example Grade Change Request: If you find that your grades have been added incorrectly, or you would like a grade on your homework or examination reconsidered, you should • Prepare a written statement explaining why you think your grade is incorrect; • Leave your written request, together with the homework/exam in question in my office at E 1 -253 D or mailbox at E 1 -247. Grade change requests received later than one week after the graded assignment was returned to you will not be considered. M. Vural, Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Illinois Institute of Technology

Idea #6 -- A Reminder Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to ignorance or inexperience - most of the time students are not trying to be malicious and often are not aware that they are being disruptive. Ask the student to see you after class. View the situation as an opportunity to educate. Use “I-statements” to address the concern: “Tom, I am concerned that you have been late for class every day since the beginning of the semester. ” Don’t forget to use “reflective listening” skills.

Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism to Cheating Invited Workshop Guest, Associate Dean Rita Miller, stated that faculty should review the various procedures associated with severe misconduct (click on the button to the right to view one section of BSC’s academic misconduct policy). Dr. Miller also emphasized the importance of keep an anecdotal record of the misconduct (“Document, document!).

Idea Exchange…. “round robin” Participants were asked to review their note card list of student irritating behaviors and to put an * beside one of the student behaviors that irritated them the most. Then each participant passed their card to their left. The card recipient was asked to offer a suggestion to the issue and pass the card again to their left. After about 10 minutes, the cards were returned to the original owner for their review.

Top 10 Professor Behaviors that Irritate Students*… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Assign work as though their class is the only one students have, or at least the most important one (45%) Lecture too fast and fail to slow down when asked (40%) Make students feel inferior when they ask a question (35% Are not specific on what exams will cover (34%) Create “trick” questions (34%) *T. Doyle, New Faculty Orientation Webpage -- Ferris State College

Top 10 Student Behaviors that Irritate Professors… Deliver their lectures in a monotone manner (32%) 7. Give exams that don’t correspond to lectures (28%) 8. Get behind and then cram their lectures into the remaining time (28%) 9. Assume students already have base knowledge for the course (26%) 10. Require a textbook and then fail to use it (25%) 6.

Thank you for sharing! Suggestions/Questions: Dr. John Marvelle Department of Elementary & Early Childhood Education jmarvelle@bridgew. edu (508) 531 -1367

To return to the presentation, click on this button.

Student Participation Positive Attributes (1) Enters into class discussions ALMOST ALWAYS FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY SELDOM ALMOST NEVER (2) Offers questions or comments during class ALMOST ALWAYS FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY SELDOM ALMOST NEVER (3) Visits at podium after class ALMOST ALWAYS FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY SELDOM ALMOST NEVER (4) Visits during office hours to clarify ideas ALMOST ALWAYS FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY SELDOM ALMOST NEVER (5) Engages in the electronic learning forum ALMOST ALWAYS FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY SELDOM ALMOST NEVER (6) Offers questions or comments via e-mail ALMOST ALWAYS FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY SELDOM ALMOST NEVER Negative Attributes (7) Skips class ALMOST ALWAYS FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY SELDOM ALMOST NEVER (8) Shows up late ALMOST ALWAYS FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY SELDOM ALMOST NEVER (9) Sleeps in class ALMOST ALWAYS FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY SELDOM ALMOST NEVER (10) Exhibits disruptive behavior ALMOST ALWAYS FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY SELDOM ALMOST NEVER Student's Name: _________________ To return to the presentation, click on this button. Thanks to Prof. Kathleen Tunney, Social. Work, SIUE

Additional Thoughts…. Disruptive, disrespectful, and annoying classroom behavior is distinct from dangerous threatening behavior. Non-threatening, annoying classroom behavior: n Chronically late n Talking with friends during class n Eating or sleeping in class n Engaging in arguments with the instructor or other students (Amada, 1994) ---------------Other behavior issues: Stalking and inappropriate erotic or romantic attachments n Disruptive behaviors can be characterized as rebellious or emotional in nature. n Amada (1994), suggests that faculty not make assumptions. He encourages all instructors to set the behavioral standards for their classroom behavior. n Useful web site: www. ou. edu/idp/tips/ideas/quick 18. html

Workshop Handout