Faculty Strategies: Student Behavior in the Classroom
It’s apparent to most faculty members that students learn better in an environment that is respectful, non-disruptive, and civil. Although truly disruptive behavior by students is rare, uncivil behavior certainly has a negative affect on the rest of the students in a class.

A 2005 study that examined student learning in the college classroom found that disruptive student behavior is a major barrier to student learning. The article (Seidman, 2005) identifies various types of disruptive behavior that college faculty are likely to find, including covert behavior like sleeping, and overt behavior, like talking on a cell phone. Additionally, there is some indication that disruptive behavior in the classroom may result in lower retention for students in that class.

Boice (1996, 2000) examined disruption in the classroom and came to some interesting conclusions. In his qualitative study, he reported that conflict results from an escalating interplay between instructors’ and students’ misbehaviors. Faculty members and students tended to blame each other for disruption or hostility in the classroom. Boice wrote that students fueled classroom incivility by using sarcasm in their classroom interactions, talking loudly in class, taunting their classmates, and arriving late to class or leaving early—especially in a disruptive manner. Boice noted that faculty members also contributed to classroom conflict through behaviors including seeming cold and uncaring, surprising students in their testing or grading practices, disparaging students, presenting material too rapidly, and coming to class late.

Instead of continuing to discuss and enumerate disruptive behavior, however, let’s look at how positive classroom environments can increase student learning. Debate and disagreement are an integral part of higher education in America, and faculty members can serve their students well by creating an opportunity for teaching and learning—and not disrespect. Indeed, much of the literature on conflict in the classroom presents information and strategies on how to build a positive classroom environment.

Meyers, for example (2003), suggests that faculty members can create positive environments through a few distinct actions, including communicating warmth and sensitivity toward students by remaining enthusiastic and available. “Enthusiasm” is a difficult word to define, and is specific to each individual teacher, but definitely entails showing a sincere interest in your topic material and trying to make your teaching exciting. Meyers also writes that faculty members should try to determine course objectives, in part, by seeking students' input. The author also offers what might be the least surprising of his suggestions: help students develop relationships in class through interactive teaching.

Morrissette (2001) offers many practical strategies for creating a positive classroom climate that may deter disruptive behavior. He writes: “faculty can be instrumental in establishing boundaries, influencing student behaviors, and promoting civil learning environments” (n.p.). He suggests, as does Meyers, that faculty members should always communicate with respect, but Morrissette adds that this amounts to speaking with, rather than speaking at students. Students who feel included and respected in the classroom are more likely to have positive learning experiences.

Morrissette adds that both cooperative and active learning can contribute to improved student learning outcomes. To that pair he also adds collaborative learning: “faculty members can be creative in designing classroom experiences that focus on student success by fostering a collaborative versus competitive learning environment” (n.p.).

Interestingly, much of the literature on this topic mentions mid-semester course evaluations as contributing to a positive classroom environment, because participating in “shaping” a course structure, content, or delivery makes students more involved and more connected to the class. An excellent source for creating such assessments is Angelo and Cross’s seminal work Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (1993). Morrissette and others also suggest that faculty members consult their peers to observe their classes and comment on the inclusiveness of their teaching style.

Finally, faculty members responding to a recent qualitative study by Meyers, Bender, Hill, & Thomas (2006), identified the 15 tactics that faculty members report are most likely to use successfully to create a positive classroom environment and reduce conflict. The faculty members in this study tended to place little emphasis on administrative responses to student behavior, such as dropping a student from the class or reporting a student to the campus discipline system. Among the teaching-related techniques were:

• Addressed the student(s) outside of class
• Focused on feelings and empathized
• Considered how your behavior contributed to the problem
• Encouraged classroom community
• Involved students in solving the problem
• Changed your teaching style

In spite of a faculty member’s best efforts to communicate effectively and behave respectfully, there undoubtedly will be instances and circumstances when there is conflict in the classroom or student behavior is disruptive to the learning atmosphere. “Knowing this in advance, faculty can remain cognizant of their interactions with such students” (Morrissette, 2001, n.p.) and develop and practice teaching and interaction techniques to make the classroom the best learning environment possible.

—Thomas Wortman

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CTL Resources for Faculty

Teaching in the Disciplines

Studio Arts Mentorship Grant
Although students learn primarily from their instructors, they also learn a great deal from each other. Case in point: the photography open lab—wherein the instructor evaluates work while students busily develop film and print in the darkroom. Behind the revolving door, students are helping one-another; more advanced students are taking on the role of teacher as they guide their classmates through series of complicated steps.

While a faculty member in the Art Department at Inver Hills Community College, I observed my students helping one-another in the lab. Their willingness to help, and their attention to one another’s learning prompted me to write a proposal for a Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Center for Teaching and Learning Instructional Development grant. The proposed project was to strengthen existing curriculum through formal student peer mentorship and student teaching opportunities.

First, students learned some specialized photographic techniques from a series of visiting artists. After the artist workshops, they were excited about both extending what they had learned, as well as discovering new ways to include the processes into their work. Over the course of one semester, I helped them along in their pursuits by providing feedback and aiding in problem solving. Most of my advanced photography students worked the new processes into their final portfolios in some way, as well as introduced beginning photography students to the processes informally during open lab times.

During that same semester, I also provided some formal mentoring in the area of teaching to my advanced students. I met with most students twice to go over what would be a one-hour presentation. During the first meeting, we revisited the visiting artist’s original presentation and discussed ways in which the presentation could be better. During the second meeting, we addressed materials, handouts, and other teaching aids that may be incorporated into their presentation.

Finally, I scheduled these students to come back and present their newly-acquired techniques to photography students in the following semester. This proved to be the most difficult part of the project. Despite some initial difficulties, I was able to schedule their teaching opportunities in Beginning Photography , as well as schedule to meet with them one more time to discuss their teaching approach.

The student presentations went extremely well, as they proved to be good speakers and presented the core information clearly. Watching and recording their presentations, I could see much of my own instruction. Occasionally, I would recognize something that I know I always say, and it made me evaluate my own teaching style.

Although it got off to a strong start, this curriculum and type of instruction lasted within the photo area of the Art Department in a limited capacity. I was always willing to keep the program going, as long as I had interested students. Many students could not return to teach due to scheduling conflicts, financial problems and other barriers typical to community college students. Some of the students from the original group persisted, however. In fact, one of the advanced photography students from the original group came in the following year to teach book making to my beginning photo students. These students were some of the most dedicated students that I have seen in terms of attention to the craft of photography. They also had a bond with one-another and a closer relationship with me because of the necessary meetings outside of the classroom.

This group of advanced photography students was the most impressive I have seen insofar as their post-coursework dedication to the art, craft, and community of photography. In order to fully understand the impact that mentorship had on this group of students, one need look at their actions post-grant experience. Not wanting to stop helping each other with their work, they started a photography group that meets once a month. In this group, they discuss theoretical and technical problems within their photographic work. In doing so, they help one-another to improve their art and they maintain a small community of photographic artists.

Share your essay on Teaching in the Disciplines! Send submissions to: martin.springborg@so.mnscu.edu

-Martin Springborg