Classroom Management
by Lisa Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Elements of classroom management vary. In researching
this topic, it is clear that a common understanding for the
term management might be useful. For this purpose,
management refers to issues of supervision, refereeing,
facilitating, and even academic discipline. Not all student
behaviors require intervention or confrontation while some
are serious enough in nature to warrant formal disciplinary
action. Rest assured that while there are current studies in higher education
literature that suggest a growing trend of rudeness and even overt animosity
towards faculty by students, the vast majority of classroom experiences are not
dramatic.
Since many professors teach for years without encountering some of the
management instances we discuss here, our intent is to move beyond
identification of classroom problems to suggest preventative strategies and
practical solutions. For some faculty, teaching comes quite naturally and the
notion of management in the classroom is irrelevant. But situations within the
classroom do occasionally occur that lead us to seek out advice in order to
maintain the learning environment for students not to mention our personal sanity.
Typical classroom management topics are listed in faculty handbooks to reflect
pragmatic concerns such as policies on classroom breaks, adds and drops,
disruptive and dangerous students, emergency procedures including weapons
and drugs in the classroom, location of phones, etc. Keeping essential records is
a component of this topic and is addressed in the previous Read section.
A rule of thumb for faculty is to keep current on policies regarding student and
faculty interactions as well as the role of your teaching assistants, if you have one.
Know your college and state policy on student conduct.
As a new faculty member, I was terrified that I would not know how to handle
students who were older than I. I wanted very much to hear "for instances" from
other faculty. Serendipitously, our campus Staff Learning Department instituted an
online discussion forum where faculty could seek collective advice on
issues of classroom management. Your campus may use the services of the
4faculty discussion forums. If your campus doesn’t utilize the 4faculty system,
you might encourage them to do so or ask if you might work with your
Professional Development Office or Information Technology to establish this
valuable communication forum on your campus.
Some common conduct issues identified by Gerald Amada in his research for
Coping With Misconduct in the College Classroom (1999) are listed in the table
below. In discussing what constitutes problematic classroom behaviors with
colleagues, I have decided to add to Dr. Amada’s list. While his approach does
not necessarily align with learner-centered teaching, his work does cover many
sticky issues of navigating the uncomfortable situations that occur from time to
time and suggests several strategies for working with student services and other
administrators to remedy situations.
Issues / Solution Suggestions Table
Issue Solution
1. Undermining the instructor’s This is tricky as it speaks to "attitude." A student
authority might belittle the instructor or engage in a battle of
the wills. This student would need to be privately
told that their attitude was confrontational and
asked how this might be resolved mutually.
"Be careful not to read most questions about
content, interpretation, or assignments as a
challenge of authority. Acting as it they are not,
even when you suspect they are, can convey a
sense of confidence and control. Sometimes
merely assuring the student, while smiling, that
you have indeed reflected on this issue at length
and that they too will understand soon why the
information or the assignment is valuable diffuses
the situation. You may even want to encourage
them to ask the question again at a later date if
necessary."
2. Leaving class too frequently Camps are divided as to whether or not students
should ask for permission to leave for bathroom
breaks or wait for a break in the class. I don’t
require my students to limit their bathroom breaks
or ask permission, however, this is contentious for
some faculty when breaks are taken too
frequently. You might privately ask the student if
everything is OK so that they know that you are
concerned by their behavior. Don’t assume
disrespect – it might be a bladder infection or
some other physical problem.
3. "Spacing Out" or Sitting If this is a repeated problem, students need to
With Back to Instructor know that their non-verbal behavior is perceived
as disinterest. You might ask them after class if
they need a more comfortable seat. Some
students are extremely shy and it might take half
of the semester before they open up enough to
make sustained eye contact or face the instructor
completely. Remember also that sustained eye
contact is a culturally dictated practice that might
not be feasible for some students.
4. Poor hygiene (possible Poor hygiene, too much perfume, cigarette odor or
cultural considerations) other strong odors can be distracting or even
nauseating to students. The cause for the odor
might be culturally based in bathing preferences
between cultures. This can be a real problem for
some faculty while others will never encounter the
dilemma. I suggest letting the offending student
know that in close quarters, some students have
issues with strong smell. It might be suggested
that for the course (not their outside of class lives)
that the odor be masked in some way.
5. Verbal or physical threats Verbal or physical threats are serious matters.
They are discussed in detail by experts in the field
in "Handling Crisis."
As a general rule consult professional experts for
assistance immediately.
6. Gum, Food, Pagers, and Cell If decided upon by class, consequences for
Phone Disruption breaking this policy might range from the loss of
participation points to the offender having to
present on a topic of interest to the class. Some
instructors allow pagers and cells to be on the
vibrate setting as long as they are attended to at
the break rather than used when it interrupts the
class. Instructors need to abide by this rule as well
and allow for at least one mistake per student as
accidents do happen from oversight. The idea
here is to prevent habitual disruption from gum
popping and phones ringing.
7. Monopolizing Discussions This is common but manageable. Many students
are excited and talkative so it might be good to
give them a few class periods to settle in.
However, if it’s evident right away that this is a
trend, it’s best to ask them to stay after class. You
might approach them initially by saying that you
are pleased with the amount of enthusiasm they
have for discussion but were hoping that they
have suggestions for getting the other class
members equally involved. The student will most
likely get your drift with minimal humiliation.
8. Sleeping in class Sleeping in class is usually considered rude. Most
faculties believe it should not be tolerated and is
best curbed up front by waking a sleeping student
and asking them to step outside with you. Once
there faculty often tell students that it’s best for the
rest of the class if they return when they are
awake enough to be an active participant. This
occurs from time to time and you obviously are the
one to choose lenience or punitive action. If it’s
one of your more regularly involved students,
perhaps give them an option of an extra credit
research assignment they can bring to your next
class period covering the subject matter they
missed while they were sleeping.
An alternative approach is to assume that the
student does not feel well, was up most of the
night with a sick child, or has some other condition
that results in sleepiness when still for long
periods of time. You might simply choose to wake
the student and ask them if they are feeling alright.
To pull this off you need to approach it with true
concern for the student's health and well being.
Most of the time, student's are so embarrased and
so appreciative of your genuine concern that they
don't let it happen again.
Encourage students to actively participate, take
notes (explain that this is helpful to their learning
as it stimulates memory in the brain) and in
particularly long classes break up the session with
activities or paired conversations about a topic to
ensure that students stay engaged. Students don't
learn much from listening, so remember that the
more they "experience" the learning process the
more you are really teaching.
9. Repeated Tardiness: There should be clear parameters set around this
issue up front – either in your syllabus or in the
class decided norms. Stick to your guns on the
policy. Some fair policies might include 3 tardies
equals one absence.
It might be best to discuss this with students
individually; some are habitually late because they
are dependant on bus routes or other drivers for
transportation to school.
10. Refusal to Participate or We cannot force students to speak in class nor
Speak participate in group projects. This can be
addressed and become a win-win situation by
either giving the student alternative options to
verbal participation (unless it’s a speech class) or
simply carefully coaxing some response out of
them and praising whatever minimal effort you
receive from them. Remember, some students are
terrified to be in a class setting –especially if there
are round tables rather than desks – allowing for
little anonymity.
11. Sexual Innuendo, Flirting, This behavior should be curbed as soon as it
or Other Inappropriate occurs. It’s never comfortable to tell a student that
Suggestion they aren’t being appropriate and if you are
uncomfortable, a short, positive e-mail or phone
call might suffice. Your response should be not
judgmental and you might discuss it with your
department chair or faculty mentor before
broaching it with your student.
12. Sharing/Copying Work In some cultures, students work together to
produce homework. It may come as a shock to
these students that they cannot submit identical
work. This may also come as a surprise to
couples, parent-child, siblings, or close friends. Be
careful to give thought to how you will handle this
before you encounter it and react as if it were
intentional cheating. This can also occur when the
class does a great deal of group work. Make sure
you are clear about what is individual vs. group
work in your assignments.
13. Plagiarism or Lying Depending upon the class and the student’s prior
knowledge of what plagiarism entails, some
faculty issue an automatic F for the first instance,
then expulsion from the class with a report to the
department chair and division dean on a second
instance. Most colleges have specific policies. Be
sure to know you college policy before taking
action.
Plagiarism should be outlined in your syllabus
with a reference for students to the college
catalog for more information.
14. Too Much Chit Chat Give 2-minute chat times for groups or before
class begins let them know that you have material
to be covered and that their talking isn’t helping
you achieve your goals for the class. Know too
that some students occasionally translate a word
or phrase to a tablemate who might not have as
strong an understanding of English, be patient and
observant when curbing this behavior.
15. Disrespectful Behavior The reality is that sometimes students just plain
won’t like you. You will find yourself in a
conversation with yourself about why they don’t
like you and treat you with disrespect. Animosity
will perpetuate itself so remember your role and
look for a way to positively invite the student to
engage more deeply in the class. Perhaps offer
them a special task based on a self-disclosed
talent; for instance, a student whose hobby is
Origami (Japanese paper folding) might lead a
lesson on the art of following instructions.
Printable version of this table ( solutionstable.pdf )
A few notes on confronting the behaviors listed above:
Avoid calling a student to the carpet publicly. This can be humiliating and break
down respect and the sense of a safe environment that students need in the
classroom.
Start with a positive statement if possible: for example, if a student is
monopolizing class discussion, you might start by saying, "I’m really pleased that
you take such an interest in discussions and have a lot to share. But I was
wondering if you might have suggestions to help others get equally involved?"
Document incidents that you feel might continue or are egregious enough to
warrant a paper trail. Keep in mind that your dean will likely suggest you take a
graduated approach: verbal warning, written warning, meeting with the dean, etc.
Remember that you were once a student. Think before you act. Take a deep
breath if necessary before saying or doing anything you might later regret.
Setting the Classroom Atmosphere
You may wish to revisit and reflect upon the importance of the first day of class.
A successful first day and week often contributes to a semester free of classroom
management problems. Setting ground rules, as discussed in Module 4, can be
particularly helpful.
Managing Tempo and Time
If you have an early morning, after lunch, or after dinner class time, you might
notice some problems with rhythm and attentiveness. You might start these
classes with brainteasers or wake up exercises that get students ready to focus.
Being aware of circadian rhythm might save you some frustration in getting used
to timing issues with your class.
New instructors often become surprised by how even the best-laid lesson plans
go awry. It is often the case that students will lead the discussion off topic and
the instructor, pleased to have such lively interaction, will not be able to bring the
class back on track. As mentioned in Making a Good First Impression, a handy
practice is to have key phrases pre-planned to bring class back to topic such as
"time to come together now, please wrap it up in 2 minutes."
Some classrooms don’t have clocks where faculty can see them, so as is
practiced in Toastmasters (the professional speaking organization) it might be
useful to select a timekeeper whose function it is to notify you when discussion
time is up and transition is needed. I often write a reminder to the class not to let
me get off track or talk past a certain time amount when we have a good amount
of material to be covered or group activities planned. With this reminder written
on the board under the daily agenda, students aren’t as hesitant to let me know
that while they are fascinated by my words, I have exceeded a self-imposed limit.
Taking this a bit further, the act of student input into the pacing of the class adds
to a sense of empowerment and lessens the sense that they are powerless to
mood or whims of the instructor. Finally, if you have taken the advice to audio or
video tape your instruction but still find that you are prone to tangents, you might
bring a kitchen timer with a soft bell to keep track of time limits on lecturing or
group projects. This is especially helpful with question and answer times following
student presentations. With limited time allotted to groups or individuals to
present, a timer can serve to maintain the sense of fairness.
Making a Connection Between Faculty and Students:
Students can feel disconnected and disoriented in a new class. Returning
students might feel self-conscious about their age and out of place returning to
school while younger students might bring emotional remnants of negative high
school experiences with them to their first college classroom.
Breaking the ice is essential in establishing this connection. In Planning for the
First Day of Class, you found solid advice for the first day of class. Some ideas
for lessening the tensions that might exist from lack of familiarity include:
Know your philosophy regarding education and tell your students what it is.
This can be an enlightening experience for them to realize that you consider your
career to be deeper in meaning beyond merely collecting a paycheck.
Take digital photos (with permission) of the class to let them know that you value
them and want to know their names and faces as soon as possible. Other options
are name tents in on their desk, or practice as a group with name memory tricks.
Harry Lorraine is a memory expert whose video "Memory Power" teaches name
and face recognition tricks. There is also ample information available on the
Internet for getting students names learned quickly.
Present a visual depiction of your life such as a Power Point that contains
family photos, pictures of a pet, a mission statement, examples of artwork,
hobbies, short biographical sketch, etc. Allow students to ask questions within
your comfort zone. I have found this to be a useful introduction to technology in
presentations as well as breaking down student-perceived barriers. See Sample
Share an instance when you struggled as a student and how you dealt with it.
Share your memories of your best and your worst instructors when you were a
student. Let them know that you are evolving as an instructor and hope to develop
into one that learns to meet student’s expectations.
Distribute a questionnaire. I usually distribute a single-page (confidentially and
with a clear statement that the decision to not answer the questions does not
constitute lack of participation) for students’ e-mail address, phone number, age,
number of children, hobbies, favorite books, expectations about the class, favorite
movies, music, number of hours worked, special information that would help them
succeed in the class, favorite subject in high school, plan of study, and more.
Answers to the questionnaire are later discussed with the class in terms of
averages and areas of interest. Often students make connections with each other
when they hear commonalties.
Let the students know what you want them to call you. "Miss," "Mr.," "Mrs.,"
"Ms.," "First Name," "Professor," or "Dr." are the choices most commonly agreed
upon. Remember, some students will not feel comfortable being required to call
you by your first name based on cultural background or prior educational
experience, so it’s recommended that they are not forced to do so. Conversely, be
aware that some students interpret the informality of being on a first name basis or
the discovery of commonalties as permission to try to bend boundaries or
challenge standards. There is much to be gained from balancing friendliness with
expectations.
Announce your boundaries for communication. Be it e-mail or talking after
class, let them know what you will and will not accept. Tell students that you want
to have outside of class communications but you need a certain amount of time
for replies and need courtesy in communication. For example, I give a separate e-
mail address to my students than my home address and let them know that they
may not Spam me, add me to chain e-mail lists, send me unsolicited or
unidentified attachments, nor add me to their instant message buddy lists without
prior permission. Additionally, let them know that you want to be equitable in
sharing your office hours with others students, so they might be asked to come to
office hours with concrete questions or concerns.
Walk your talk: give students a list of things and behaviors they can expect from
you. If you agree to give assignments back graded within one week, do so. Avoid
contradicting yourself or appearing indecisive. Model the behaviors you expect of
your students.
Allow students to form a list of expectations they have for you, the
instructor. This can serve to empower students as well as provide a forum to
discuss what their fears, concerns, expectations, and needs as students really
are. This activity will most likely aid in the classroom sense of fairness and serve
to prevent later challenges to fairness and or documentation issues by students.
Making Connections: Student-to-Student
Research into student retention suggests that students drop out of college
most frequently citing lack of connection as the key factor. With this in mind, it
is good practice to pepper the first few classes of the term with connection
building activities. Having established a connection amongst peers, students will
be more likely to contact each other outside of class for support, ask each other
for missed notes, feel safer to offer answers aloud during discussions, and ask for
advice regarding other academic and personal concerns. One of the most
gratifying feelings as a new faculty was to witness my students staying after class
to chat informally.
Some suggestions for fostering student connectedness are:
Pair off or small groups of three in which students find answers to questions
written on the board such as "where were you born?," "why are you taking this
class?," "what kind of car do you drive?," etc.
Scavenger hunts such as finding one person with 2 kids, one person who has a
famous relative, one person who is born in January, 2 people who have unusual
pets, etc.
For more suggestions, you might consult with your staff development office for
books on team building exercises or search the Internet for "ice breaker" activities.
Helping Students Learn to Be College Students
Distributing this list of desirable and undesirable behaviors can serve to avert
management issues in that some students simply do not realize that their behavior
is negative or disruptive to the instructor or to their classmates. The following table
identifies some common positive and negative behaviors that provide students
with a guide for managing themselves as students. You might wish to distribute
this list to your class at the time you discuss your syllabus or set class norms as a
group. Feel free to modify this list as needed for your students.
Negative Impression Givers
Positive Impression Givers
Book on desk, pencil or pens ready Picking face, nose, grooming,
knuckle cracking, nail filing or
cleaning teeth
Note taking or recording the Heavy sighs, eye rolling
lecture/class with permission from
the instructor
Ask questions that are appropriate Laughing AT the instructor rather
than WITH the class
Make an effort to maintain eye Leaving early without letting the
contact instructor know ahead of time
Sit where you can see and be Frequent tardiness or absences
attentive
Submit assignments on time, ask if Distracting noises: foot tapping,
there is supplemental material you nail biting, pen twirling/tapping,
can explore to better complete yawning w/o covering your mouth,
your assignments such as video mumbling, zipping up bags to
titles or other materials indicate you want the class to end,
paper tearing, paper toy making,
etc.
Help your classmates whenever Head on desk to indicate boredom
possible
Make certain you understand Staring at the clock or your watch
assignments when assigned
Save announcements about Skipping assignments and/or
necessary absences for before or breaking assignment policy,
after class handing in shoddy, unstapled,
ripped out pages that show no care
for the assignment
Refrain from doing other course Refer to sexual situations
work or paying bills in class inappropriately in assignments
(unless it’s asked for in the
assignment such as a human
sexuality class)
When using the Internet in class, Frequently forget text and
stay on task rather than surfing for notebook
fun
Give the instructor the respect you Attempt to be class clown
wish to be treated with inappropriately; a joke here and
there is fine, but repetitious
clowning is distracting
Don’t interrupt, belittle, or put down Squinting or face making to show
fellow students disapproval
Keeping an open mind when Note passing or hand signals to
issues arise you disagree with. others
Disagreeing with dignity.
Make certain you pay your fees for Interrupting the instructor to ask
enrollment and get your text on the what you missed when you were
first day of class absent or if you missed anything
"important"
Be positive with expectations of Acting as if the class or topic of
success in the course discussion is irrelevant or stupid –
if you really feel so, drop the class
Know the instructor’s name and Leaving your belongings where
call them only what they prefer to they inconvenience others
be called – ask if necessary
Spell the class, instructor, and Tipping in your chair
assignment name correctly on all
submitted work
