Dealing With the Challenging Student

Dealing with Challenging Students

In Universities and College Classrooms

A Primer

For Traditional and Online

Instructors

John Papazafiropoulos PhD

With contributions from

Kathryn Cochran-Hendricks, MA

And

Robert Armbrust, PhD

Edited By: Tammie Long

Table of Contents

Table of Contents   3

Introduction   4

Acknowledgments   6

Disclaimer   7

Chapter 1

Background                                      8

Problem Definition  10

The Historical Approach  11

Chapter 2

The Classroom Environment                           13

The On-Line Classroom Environment                   15

Technical College VS University                     15

Chapter 3

The Adult Student                                 17

Problems Come In Many Forms                         18

Are there Good Problems?                          19

Chapter 4

The Tardy Student                                   20

The Absentminded Student                            20

The I Can’t Stay the Whole Period Student         22

Chapter 5

The Inattentive Student                             25

The Angry Student                                   25

The Disruptive Student                              29

Chapter 6

The Unmotivated Student                             31

The Know-It-All Student                             33

The Seductive Student                               35

Chapter 7

The Doubting Thomas Student                         37

The Teacher’s Pet Student                           39

The Minimalist Student

Chapter 8

The Superior Student                              41

The Plagiarizing Student                            41

The Unprepared Student                              43

Chapter 9

School Dynamics                                     46

Classroom & Group Dynamics                          47

Chapter 10

The Composite Student                               49

Putting It All Together                             49

Closing Thoughts                                    50

Introduction

I have been fortunate to spend a good part of the last ten years helping students achieve their academic goals. In my tenure so far I have delivered instruction to thousands of students in over 500 classes. From classrooms designed to give basic skills, to advanced quantitative courses, from students fresh out of high school, to business people, and from small Technical College classrooms, to large University classrooms in both on ground as well as online classrooms, I have met students from all walks of life and with varied capabilities.

The vast majority of the students are well-intentioned, motivated, respectful individuals that are in class for the right reason: to improve themselves and enhance their knowledge. These are the students that make the effort worthwhile and that earn my respect and admiration. Unfortunately, there is also a small group of students that for various reasons become disruptive and generate problems for both their classmates and their instructor.

I have always felt that teaching is a privilege, a trust bestowed upon the instructor to transfer what he or she knows to the students. There is a relationship forged between the learner and the professor that is as valuable as any worthwhile endeavor. We all fondly remember our favorite teachers; people that made a difference in our lives and helped us become who we are. Some through their brilliance, others through eccentricity, became instrumental in helping us become who we are. Without them the educational journey would not be as memorable and the destination not as endearing.

I have taught adults from 19 years of age to 70(!) years of age, and I find it amazing how similar their quest is. Their thirst to learn and their motivation have earned my respect through the years. This book is designed for those who teach adult learners and more specifically challenging learners. From Technical Colleges to Universities the challenging student is the focus of this book. While my experience and focus has been the adult student what we discuss can also be applied to younger students. While not identical in learning and behavior, both categories of students can exhibit very similar behaviors in the classroom.

The book is divided in several sections and it groups specific challenges together. While reading the whole book from beginning to end is certainly an approach one can take, this design allows jumping to a specific issue either for review or because a problem arose before the reader reached the desired chapter.

I (and my co-authors) have tried to strike a balance between inclusion and brevity. Our feeling is that a more in-depth approach will diminish the usefulness of the book as a primer. We do plan to publish more detailed accounts and a more in-depth study of the issues and situations discussed in this book. Therefore this book is designed so that it can be read in just a few hours and without sacrificing a great deal of time in order to gain the greatest benefit. As a professor and also as a student I have always been annoyed with unnecessary wordiness and the confusion of lengthy rambling without substance. Too frequently in academia length has been equated to value and has been praised. Brevity without sacrificing comprehension should be the goal, for extra words do not represent extra value but simply a lengthier time to reach the same value. This book is intended as a quick resource for instructors at any level of the academic spectrum; it is designed to provide a quick and easy way to identify classroom issues and suggested resolutions.

Dr. John Papazafiropoulos

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my lovely and Superbly intelligent wife Kim, and my three sons: Thano, Niko, and Marco. They have all endured the demands of my work as an online and traditional instructor often at the expense of family dinners, events, vacations and holidays. Without them nothing in my life would be enjoyable or meaningful.

John Papazafiropoulos, PhD

Acknowledgments

I would like to offer my thanks and acknowledge the contributions of Ms. Kathryn Cochran-Hendricks, for reading the raw manuscript and offering valuable input and advice throughout the whole project; Dr. Robert Armbrust for being the main author for chapters nine and ten; and last but not least Ms. Tammie Long for providing the final proofreading and editing of the final manuscript. Without their efforts this project could not have been completed.

Disclaimer:

All images included in this publication are public domain images to the best knowledge of the authors. If you have a copyright to any of these images, please email the principal author immediately at: [email protected] and identify your image which will be removed.

Chapter 1

BACKGROUND:

I fondly recall my first day in front of a class: my palms were sweating, my heart was racing! Was I prepared? What if the students found me to be lacking in expertise? I still, after all the years of teaching and the many courses taught, have a mild anxiety when I am ready to step in a classroom for the first time – a healthy respect for the important task to be performed. This anxiety is born out of a respect for my students and the understanding of the importance of what a critical role my involvement in my student’s educational trek plays.

The effective teacher must be a motivator, a cheerleader, a positive influence, and a person that the students trust and respect. He or she must inspire and challenge the students. It is not just about presenting information; in fact most of the information students learn is received outside the classroom via the readings and activities required in order to complete the course. The role of the instructor is to make the information relevant, useful, and understandable. Students can read – there is no value in simply presenting the information that the text already includes. The value comes in making the student aware of not only the value of the knowledge but also how to use it. Frequently students can recite a definition – but when probed further, they fail to describe what the concept they just defined means and how to use it. The most important influence a teacher has is in the ability to increase the critical skill of the students. Good professors do so in a transparent manner – poor ones claim that there is no value in it and that their job is simply to facilitate learning.

Teaching is to a large degree a performing act, and good