disruptive students

[kaysixteen]

Following up on the frightening student thread, I have been considering the general topic of 'disruptive students', by which I do not mean students who are engaging in overtly threatening or actively violent behaviors, for which immediate summoning of campus security or law enforcement is obviously needed.   Instead, I mean, what constitutes a 'disruptive' college student, esp if the class in question is not a lecture one where the students are really supposed to merely sit quietly and listen, but rather is a class where discussion and interaction amongst the professor and the students is expected.  In the latter sort of class, many students, esp, like it or not, young men, many of whom remain demonstrably less mature than their female agemates, will do things that bother some professors, and may well annoy the heck out of many student colleagues (esp female ones), and this does not also take into consideration the increasing number of college kids who are likely actually on the spectrum.  And some may well make sophomoric comments that may well be trolling (although, unlike on anonymous email fora, this is probably much harder to demonstrate), or may say things that offend the political or religious sensibilities of the majority of campus members.   But all these sorts of things are likely different that a kid doing things that are overtly disruptive, serve no legit academic purpose, and should be shot down... and, in any case, even when it is determined that behavior is disruptive and thus in need of being suppressed by the professor, there also remains the question of just how this should be accomplished?   Thoughts?

[Hegemony]

I just call them out. "Jason, give us your thoughts on Miss Havisham. Should we feel sorry for her?" Jason mumbles something, maybe something like "...didn't read it yet." "No? Then we'll rely on you next time. Okay? Be ready next time." I write his name down conspicuously in my notebook. And next time I make sure to call on him first thing.

Or if they're supposed to be discussing in groups (which I hate, so they wouldn't be, but okay, say they are), I go up to the group. "You guys are having quite a time over here! Great insights about the book? Jason, you look like you have a lot of thoughts. No? Keep it quiet so the other groups can think, then. Take out your book and start catching up." And so on.

If he keeps making a ruckus, I'd keep him after class and tell him to rein it in. "We have to be quiet enough to let other people do their thinking — some of them need extra help thinking! Got it? Right? Quiet next time? Right, it's a deal."

An air of authority and taking no prisoners usually does it for me. In fact always does it.

[Sun_Worshiper]

If faculty don't set the right tone for the classroom then students will walk all over them. I am currently teaching a class in which most of the students are engaged and one or two students clearly think I'm ruining their morning by forcing them to be there. I teach the class for the former and marginalize the latter. So far so good.

[kaysixteen]

All that is true, although it works better if one is not an adjunct professor who quite reasonably might fear that his continued employment may well be connected to his being able to avoid student complaints.

How many of you have thrown a kid out of class for doing stuff like this, and what happens when you do so?

[Hegemony]

It's never reached a point where I've had to throw a kid out of class.

One thing to know is that if you do not quell the ones making a ruckus, the other students will be very unhappy and they will be the ones to complain.

[sinenomine]

When I was teaching as a grad student, I took two disruptive students (buddies) out into the hall and read them the riot act; they settled down after that. I also had another student I spoke to in a different class who came to my office hour and threatened me, to the point that neighbors started popping in to ask if I was okay. I held my ground and the student left, with everyone in earshot applauding.

[Sun_Worshiper]

All that is true, although it works better if one is not an adjunct professor who quite reasonably might fear that his continued employment may well be connected to his being able to avoid student complaints.

How many of you have thrown a kid out of class for doing stuff like this, and what happens when you do so?

Over the years, I have learned that most students don't like or appreciate disruptions from their colleagues. When you publicly tell the handful of difficult students to stop being disruptive or embarrass them by putting them on the spot, other students appreciate it and you earn the respect of the class.

And yes, it is easier to do this kind of thing with tenure, but I've done it as an adjunct and as an assistant prof as well. The main thing is having the confidence to pull it off without looking flustered.

[kaysixteen]

I admit that more of the complaints I gained as an adjunct were overtly due to the academic rigor of my classes, but I also admit that the history of said complaints aided greatly to the difficulty I had the last time I did adjunct, 2019, at a small religious college where I was teaching a remedial reading class, and discovered that, unlike prior adjunct classes at other schools I had taught before, I really just could not keep the kiddoes off of the damn phones.  I have resolved to take a zero tolerance for phone use if I ever adjunct again, but am still wondering how that action will play out.

I did have a number of students at an earier school complain on student eval forms about the reams of endemic cheating that took place in the class, one even acknowledging that some of the students were 'extremely difficult'.   I knew the cheating was occurring but was never able to catch anyone.   But I confess I did allow the 'extremely difficult' students to remain that way, more or less, largely because I was afraid to do anything about it (there had already been complaints about the academic rigor, which was much harder than the temporary sub-qualified professor from the prior semester, who had taken over midstream when the regular guy got sick, had shown)-- the atmosphere of this school was, well, let's just say I saw a faculty form that professors were supposed to use to send to student advisors, regarding subpar or failing students, with places to check off various flaws, one of which was 'disruptive'.   It floored me that a college would have to list a junior high-esque thing like this on such a form....

[ciao_yall]

I really just could not keep the kiddoes off of the damn phones.  I have resolved to take a zero tolerance for phone use if I ever adjunct again, but am still wondering how that action will play out.

Wrtten in my syllabus was that, if anyone's phone went off during class, the whole class had to sing YMCA until the offending gadget was turned off.

Only took one or two times for students to choose to avoid humiliation.

[kaysixteen]

Yuk yuk yuk.   Sure this sounds funny, and if one is a tenured full prof, well... some phone miscreants who are turned into involuntary crooners might well just laugh it off and all is well... but others will high-tail it to the dean, chair, etc, immediately after class (if not earlier).  It is just not reasonable to expect an adjunct professor to risk such a consequence.

[Caracal]

Yuk yuk yuk.   Sure this sounds funny, and if one is a tenured full prof, well... some phone miscreants who are turned into involuntary crooners might well just laugh it off and all is well... but others will high-tail it to the dean, chair, etc, immediately after class (if not earlier).  It is just not reasonable to expect an adjunct professor to risk such a consequence.

Like a lot of stuff with teaching, it's mostly about personality. I know someone who when they see a distracted student will just walk over to them, stand there and stop talking as the student stares at their phone. Everyone else starts chuckling and the student eventually looks up and realizes what is happening and sheepishly puts away their phone. He can pull this off because he's very comfortable creating an awkward situation to make a point and because of that comfort level it comes off as good natured. I couldn't pull this off because I'm not comfortable with awkward situations and students would read my discomfort as anger or spite. I just have to tell students to please put away their phone in a tone that makes it very clear that I really hate having to do this kind of monitoring and make it vaguely awkward for everyone.