When Things Go Wrong in the Classroom: A Faculty Discussion

Dear Nancy,

You have raised an important question.

A lot of the things you mentioned that can go wrong can be prevented if close attention is paid at the very beginning of the course, starting from about 10 minutes before the start of the first class and extending to about 10 minutes after he first class ends. I think that this is the time that establishes the classroom culture, expectations, tone, and atmosphere. A good start can result in all these problems being avoided while a bad start can result in problems steadily rising through the semester. (See, e.g., Robert Boice's "Advice for the New Faculty Member", chapter 8, on Moderating Classroom Incivilities)

All too often, unfortunately, this first class meeting time is spent by the instructor is TELLING students what the rules are (often by just going through the syllabus) and in talking to them all the time. I am getting more and more convinced that this is not a good strategy. It is in the give-and-take among students and instructor that they gauge whether you like being there, whether you like interacting with them, and whether you will treat them with respect. The syllabus-plus-opening lecture format does not give them much of a clue on these important questions.

For example, I used to start my physics classes (about 150-200 students) with the BIG OVERVIEW lecture laying out the framework of the course. Not anymore. Now I immediately start with a small, concrete, and interesting problem and get them to discuss it with each other and then to share their discussions with me and the full class. It is in that dialogue that I try to model to students the kind of respectful, light-hearted, yet serious discussions that I would like to see for the semester. I do that also with my small seminar classes.

So the first tip I suggest to the faculty is to ask them to imagine what the class would look like (i.e. what the students and instructor would be doing) three weeks into the semester if it were functioning perfectly, and then try and create that situation in the first ten minutes.

But despite this, suppose something does go wrong, then I tell faculty not to try and improvise a response on the spot or to make a quick decision, especially if one is angry. (My own worst decisions have been made when I responded too quickly without thinking things through. At those moments we are defensive and tend to try and enforce our authority through power rather than consent, and this is a mistake.) The best thing to do is to try and defuse the immediate situation until every one has had a chance to calm down.

Say, for example, a touchy subject comes up and someone says something insensitive or hurtful. The best thing to do might be to immediately recognize that it is a touchy situation and announce to the class "This raises a topic that is very sensitive and may cause offense to some. How should we deal with this topic? How should we respond if someone says something that we strongly disagree with or find offensive?" (See also the BokCenter essay on Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom at )

Having this kind of meta-discussion first may help to make people aware of the fact that they should not just shoot from the lip and that their words have impact and should be chosen with care.

If there is a student who says or does something in class that is disrespectful to you personally, I recommend against an immediate put-down, tempting as that might be. A quick laugh at the expense of the offender might also cause unease among the other students who can envisage themselves being at the receiving end of your barbs on another occasion, and also might fuel further attempts at subversion by the original offender.

McCroskey and Richmond in "Power in the Classroom" point out that students have more power than we realize to create non-learning conditions.) I would deflect the situation using self-deprecatory humor ("If you think my lecture on this topic is boring, you should hear me get started on campaign finance reform.") and then afterwards have a private conversation with the student as to what caused the comment. You would be surprised at how students sometimes don't even realize they are being rude, since a certain type of jocular insult often passes for humor among their peers.

If it is an obvious insult to the instructor and is made publicly, I would not ignore it. I would stop the class and ask what caused the outburst, listen carefully, and suggest that the discussion be continued privately after class, or if the issue concerns the whole class, ask everyone to think about it and be ready to discuss it next time. Do not worry that you will be demeaned in the eyes of the other students by not reacting quickly and harshly to the offender. If you have created the right conditions at the start, the other students will be embarrassed by their peer's behavior and be completely on your side. It is good for them to see you deal with the insult in a mature and calm manner.

On the issue of non-engagement by students, if it is just a few students, I deal with it outside of class privately. If it is a widespread problem, I would discuss it in class. Do they find the readings dull? Pointless? Obscure? Too much? What is causing the non-engagement? Be prepared to take criticism of yourself and don't become defensive. Also be prepared that students will be surprised by being asked for their opinions at all and may not open up for awhile.

I must repeat, though, what I said at the beginning, that the best way is to prevent these situations is by creating a good atmosphere right at the start. I now think the best use of my time is preparing carefully for the first class so that students feel comfortable, wanted, collegial, respected, and involved in running the class. You would be amazed at how all these other issues almost never come up if the right atmosphere is created early. It is much easier than trying to fix problems later.

There is a lot more that can be said on this topic but I think you get the general idea.

Best wishes,

Mano

Can anyone suggest good resources or tips to include in a participants' handout for a roundtable discussion we are coordinating for our campus, called /Murphy's Law 101: When Things Go Wrong in the Classroom/? Topics may include: classroom incivility, touchy subjects, technology failures, non-engagement by students despite our best efforts, loss of composure by instructor or students, "creative" plagiarism, and anything else brought to the table. Please send good faculty tips or printed materials that can help faculty handle such situations in a way that causes minimal impact and disruption to the class and student learning. Thanks for your suggestions!

Nancy Givens

FaCET Instructional Coordinator

WesternKentuckyUniversity

270/745-6508

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