Dealing with Disruptive Classroom Behavior

Contributed by Talia Koronkiewicz, Manager of Student Conduct & Campus Life

The Professional Development and Student Conduct Offices are excited to host the webinar, Managing Disruptive Classroom Behavior: Strategies for Creating a Safe & Dynamic Learning Environment on both Wednesday, January 22 at 2 p.m. and Thursday, February 27 at 12:00 p.m.

Cartoon by David Sipress

Whether you are a seasoned faculty member or just starting out, classroom management is not easy. This 1.5 hour webinar will provide you with great resources to start the semester off on the right foot!

Webinar Participants Will:

• Develop an overall philosophy of classroom management that promotes learning and creates a safe environment
• Implement effective strategies for creating and sustaining an engaging and respectful learning environment
• Learn strategies for setting the right tone on the first day of class
• Generate a list of practical strategies for redirecting disruptive behaviors
• Learn how to handle side conversations, digital distractions, and inappropriate comments
• Review how to use positive language in a syllabus that sets expectations, policies, and procedures
• Examine the instructor's role in disruptive student behavior
• Identify when and how to make referrals for student conduct violations

Register via the Professional Development auto-registration site today!

Beyond Campus: Teaching at Sherman Hospital

Last semester I was lucky enough to observe one of our nursing faculty members, Mary CaDavid, on the clinical portion of her Nursing 230 course.

The clinical took place at Sherman Hospital in Elgin, a sparkling new ship-like facility just off the highway at Randall Road. Mary had six students working on the Saturday morning that I visited, although I was only there for a few hours and only got to meet and observe three students.

Each of Mary's students was assigned three patients. At the beginning of the morning, I sat down with Mary and one of her students, Toni, to touch base about one of Toni's patients. The two went through each element of the patient's chart with care, checking and double-checking symptoms, medical history, medication, and diagnosis.

They also did preventative problem solving, with Mary asking Toni questions like, "What is the worst possible thing that could happen to your patient today?" Toni answered that this particular patient could suffer a seizure, so Mary walked Toni through making sure that the room inventory included things like pads on the bed rails, a tongue blade, and oxygen.

I asked Mary about this question, which I found so simple but so obviously important, as well as another prompt for her students about their nursing diagnosis. This is what she had to say:

They need to relate this question to the reason for hospitalization. Often the reason the patients were hospitalized is no longer the thing keeping them in the hospital. For instance, a patient came in with a hip issue, but now has pneumonia. From this stance, the students must think of "worst case scenario."  I then want to know their nursing diagnosis and nursing priorities. I don't want to hear things like "give them the antibiotic for the pneumonia"--that is a physician order. I want to know how they will intervene, such as increasing fluids, mobilizing the patient, or by incentive spirometry.

Sherman Hospital in Elgin--one of the MCC Nursing clinical sites

During this one-on-one meeting, I was impressed by both women: with Toni, for her methodical questioning, her ability to listen to everything Mary was explaining, and her careful follow up questions; and with Mary, for her patience and calm presence, her on-the-spot scenarios and questions leading her student to think critically and answer comprehensively, and her obvious mastery of the subject matter.

At the end of the day I was honored to observe one of our talented faculty members in action, and I vowed to be even more aware of the practical applications of my content area (English composition). I want my students to consider how they can act and how they can be responsible. Hopefully this will give them a more valuable, relevant, and personal learning experience.

If you're interested in being observed in your non-traditional classroom or your traditional classroom, let me know!

Getting to Know our Returning Adult Students

On February 20, a few of us were able to participate in a webinar, hosted by the Chicago Area Faculty Development Network (CAFDN), entitled "The Returning Adult Student."

The CAFDN moderators (Tony Labriola from Governor State and Mike Sukowski from Chicago State) were joined by four adult students: Lisa, a student at Chicago State; Robin, an NIU doctoral candidate who is also currently working at Gov. State; and Matthew, a U.S. veteran student at Harper College, studying nursing and working in the Harper tutoring center.

The focus of the webinar panel discussion was What Our Students Want, and we'd like to give you a run-down of some of the excellent questions and answers from the session.

Question: What makes a model instructor?
Answers:

• A model instructor is personal, cares about learning, is motivated and inspired (Robin). 
• A model instructor pushes students to learn and helps them to understand, works one-on-one, and breaks down complex material (Lisa).
• A model instructor writes her own PowerPoints (not the textbook's), answers personal questions, and tailors material--either the whole class or as individual students (Matthew).

Question: Do you think instructors should be role models of teachers for those students also interested in teaching?
Answers:

• Yes, they should exhibit behaviors and attitudes that students would want to cultivate. Unfortunately, sometimes it's the behavior that students see that they don't want to emulate (Matthew).
• Yes, I've used teachers as models and was aware of how they taught. I took techniques learned from modeling to take into my own class (Robin).
• A model instructor is one we learn from and we want to be like. Instructors should be versatile in instruction. I ask questions and watch teaching style and how instructors help others in the class; I watch how they're helping students learn (Lisa).

Question: How do you feel faculty incorporate technology into the learning plan (or do they)?
Answers:

• Technology is used across the board, but it's not always used well if it's forced on an instructor; it must be embraced by the instructor. If used well, it can be hugely beneficial, but forcing it could harm student outcomes. (Side note: My girlfriend teaches 3rd grade and all the teachers at her school have tablets--our instructors should have them, too [Matthew])!
• I'd like even more technology (but I have a background in tech.)--things like Google features or blogs to develop material. I always enjoy the activity workshops focused on technology (Robin).
• A lab connected to class where we can work hand-in-hand with the textbook is helpful. I don't have a tech. background, but anytime technology helped illustrate concepts from book was useful (Lisa).

Question: Are things changing in the classroom (i.e. changing from lecture)?
Answers:

• Lecture is important and it's not going away, but the interaction and discussion is important (Matthew).
• I prefer group activities, or small groups before large group discussion. Outside classroom projects are helpful so I can learn from my peers (Robin).

Question: What do you not like?
Answers:

• We don't like it when instructors lose patience. Don't let students identify that you've lost patience. Some students are at different levels, so work with all of them to the best of your ability. Don't show everyone a shortcut until they all understand the long way. Don't dump students on the tutoring center--you still need to have a professional relationship with those students for the rest of the semester (Lisa).
• You're responsible for your material. If you know there's a bad example, then get a better one. Don't be as confused as the students. Instructors can be heroes if they have a way to explain complex material in a way that makes people understand. Know your material and be responsible for it (Matthew).
• If you don't have the answer, admit it and get back to your students after you've checked. Be prepared with evaluation terms, such as rubrics, ahead of time, not the day before the assignment is due (Robin).

Question: How demanding should instructors be?
Answers:

• The most compelling pressures are those put on you by yourself, not someone else. I will invest more time and more creativity in assignments if I find the assignments themselves creative and challenging (Robin).
• Be demanding, especially in the lecture environment. Hold students accountable; they'll keep that knowledge available. You have the degrees we want, and that's why we're here, so be demanding of us (Matthew).

Stay tuned to the Professional Development calendar for information about all upcoming webinars and face-to-face workshops--we hope to see you down in A210!

It's On The Syllabus

As you're on Spring Break, you might use some of your time off (not much--it's your break, after all) to think about your Intersession, Summer, or Fall semester syllabus. To help out, we've come up with some ideas for that very reason.

Keep it Green
If you're trying to cut down on paper waste, don't ask the Duplication Center to print out copies of your syllabus for each student. Instead, create a separate one page document for only the course schedule and due dates. Post both documents--your full syllabus and your schedule only--on the LMS. That way, students can print out only the shorter document if they feel they really need a hard copy of the schedule for the semester. (Idea donated by Paul Stahmann--thanks, Paul!)

And yours might be even shorter than mine!

Keep it Consistent
Does your syllabus have any policies that your rarely (or never) enforce because they're hassles? (e.g. withdrawing students for lack of attendance; writing Student Conduct Reports for cell phone use; accepting late work but then getting thirty late student papers on the last day of class that you have to grade in one afternoon?) Well, consider making it easier on yourself and re-examine those policies.

If you're never really going to withdraw a student who misses four classes, then don't include it in your syllabus; if you're not really going to fill out extra paperwork for that student who occasionally texts in class, then take out that language; and if you really, really don't want to be stuck grading thirty late papers the day before grades are due, then have a deadline for late work or a zero tolerance policy for late work (I'm doing this in my creative writing course this semester--it's a cinch to enforce and amazingly effective in getting students to turn in work).

But as Ellen Zimmerman, Counselor and Coordinator of First Year Experience, says each time she teaches our "Boundaries with Students" workshop for new faculty members, be consistent with whatever your policy is, and make sure you're comfortable enforcing it.

Keep it Clear
Of course everything in your syllabus is clear--all of our syllabus are clear! But sometimes you do something in a classroom that you feel is unnecessary to explain or include in the syllabus, like using technology (specifically, our LMS to enhance your class, or a class blog or wiki).

Students registering for face-to-face courses might be caught off guard with that, as new faculty member Timothy Linnehan (Instructor of Philosophy) found out. One of his returning adult students was thrown off by the technology he used, both in class and as supplements outside of class. Although technology is a necessity and an excellent pedagogical tool, if you have specific technological expectations for your students--or other expectations--it's good to communicate those as soon as possible, and the syllabus is the perfect vehicle!

Keep Them Accountable
Are you sick of students asking questions this late in the semester that they should already know the answers to? (because those answers are on the syllabus?!)

It's that time of year when you wish you owned this t-shirt

Well there are a few methods used by MCC faculty that could at least save you peace of mind, if nothing else. You could pull up the syllabus at the start and end of each class so students get used to using it as a guide to the course.

Or you could give your students a syllabus quiz, either in class the first week or through the LMS as homework. But if you're not crazy about a quiz, you could give your students an interactive Poll Everywhere survey--it's a fun way to check their knowledge (and a way to get them to use their cell phones for good rather than for evil).

Some faculty members also include a "sign here" page of the syllabus that students must sign to confirm that they've read and understood the syllabus. And some faculty members (me) just get used to repeating the phrase "It's on the syllabus." (so that they're even saying it in response to "How are you today, Mrs. Power?")

For more ideas about using the new MCC syllabus template, sign up for one of our "The New MCC Syllabus" workshops in April--log into the Professional Development auto-registration for information.

What part of crafting a syllabus have you honed over the years?

Add your ideas in the "Comments" section below!

Out of the Box…In the Box: Small Plays in the Classroom

Contributed by S.V., Instructor of Sociology

Scene 1: A concerned Chris converses with Erica on phone wondering why his friend Dennis is avoiding him.

Scene 2: Erica confronts Dennis who has taken on cheerleading.

Scene 3: Dennis reveals to Chris his new role as a cheerleader emphasizing its hypermasculine characteristics such as cheerleading being a tough sport and his ability to hang out with the best-looking girls in school.

"Men Who Cheer"

This is a play on "Men Who Cheer" from the Sociology of Deviance class this fall. October 31^st was the opening night. Students drew on five readings from the textbook. They documented three to five key actions/dialogues for each scene that explains the process of development/management of deviant identity.  They demonstrated what puts people in the trajectory of deviance and how they rationalize and manage their deviant status, which they must live with. The students were responsible for the script, role assignment, direction, props, and anything else they decided to include.

Students Act Out: the stigma of homeless youth

S.V., introducing the skits

During the discussion after the plays, the class said that they had thoroughly enjoyed this assignment. They were able to understand and retain the material in the reading for their plays compared to other assignments including presentations and class discussions. They were able to put themselves in the shoes of the deviants. The only concern expressed was offending their peers in class who may be living with a particular deviance. Other plays included topics of bisexualilty and anorexia, stigma management strategies of homeless kids, and techniques of neutralization used by car thieves.

Overall this “out of the box” assignment was a very fruitful exercise. Students were also satisfied with the time for preparation which included one entire class period (80 minutes) over a few days. On a personal level, it was a very exciting experience to watch the work of some of the sociologists come to life in my classroom.

How could you use skits to demonstrate key concepts and ideas in your own classroom?

The Sociology of Deviance class, Fall 2012

Visit us again next week for another story about MCC instructors using skits/performance in the classroom!

Students "Grading" Teachers

On Tuesday, December 4, WBEZ, Chicago's public radio channel, aired a report called "Students Grading Teachers" on its news magazine, The Morning Shift. 

Tony Sarabia, host of The Morning Shift, interviewed Ronald Ferguson and Thomas Kane, two Harvard professors who have worked on the Measures of Effective Teaching project for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The 2009 project organized approximately 3,000 teacher volunteers to participate in a variety of activities meant to assess teacher effectiveness in the classroom. Although the project focused on elementary and secondary educators, the conversation on The Morning Shift also incorporated college level student evaluations, and Bruno Teboul, Associate Dean of the College of Communication at DePaul University, was one of Sarabia's guests.

Ronald Ferguson developed the "Tripod Survey" instrument for the MET project. This survey, which evolved from a decade's worth of Ferguson's work, was one of five measures developed to gauge and assess teacher effectiveness. Ferguson's survey included questions such as My teacher knows when the class understands, and when we do not; My teacher has several good ways to explain each topic that we cover in this class; and When I turn in my work, my teacher gives me useful feedback that helps me improve.

During the twenty minute segment on The Morning Shift, Sarabia (who referred to this survey as "grading" teachers and was corrected immediately by Ferguson, who said that the surveys are not grades, nor are they popularity contests, but rather they are assessment tools meant to "document students' experiences in the classroom so that we could identify issues and set priorities for professional development...") interviewed Ferguson and his colleague Thomas Kane about their work on the survey and on the MET project, and he also interviewed Bruno Teboul about student evaluation surveys at the college level.

I was not surprised to learn that DePaul uses surveys the way that we use them here at MCC: to give instructors valuable feedback at the end of each semester about what works, what doesn't, and how we, as educators, can make changes to our classroom instruction to better meet our students' needs. I was surprised to hear from Sarabia, who used to teach Urban Studies at Loyola University, that he never received the feedback from his own course evaluations. I was also surprised to hear Ferguson say that many of the participating teachers were hesitant to get their individual results back--hesitant, that is, until they got a hint of the students' responses and understood how valuable those responses could be.

Here are some other bits from the segment that you might find interesting:

Ferguson says that academic press--pressing students to continue working, to push themselves even when work gets difficult--is the "strongest predictor of achievement gain."

He also says that one of the strongest predictors of learning is classroom management. It's "whether [the] class stays busy and doesn't waste time, and whether people treat one another respectfully." Ferguson says that "a close second is whether the teacher challenges students to think hard and to work hard."

Sarabia and some callers felt that using the feedback might be controversial; however Teboul felt that the surveys themselves are not controversial, but "the controversy can come from how they're used." Essentially, the feedback is best used for self-reflection: to adjust lesson plans and assess a teacher's own effectiveness in the classroom before applying changes themselves.

Ferguson states that the teachers just want the surveys "used fairly." There should be "no one measure" and there certainly should not be only one application of any kind of assessment.

The full segment is available below for your listening pleasure (or you can access it on The Morning Shift website), and you can read the MET project white paper here.

For more information on Ferguson's survey work, read this Atlantic article from October.

And for more information on deciphering student evaluations, read this recent blog post from Faculty Focus.

Press the orange play button below to hear the twenty-two minute Morning Shift segment!

Reaching the Modern Student

In preparation for my workshop this Friday, Reaching Modern Students, I did a quick and very informal survey of my two English Composition 152 classes. I asked my students to define a "modern" student and identify what made them "modern" students.

I got a variety of answers, and some were more useful than others (one student claimed to be a "laid back learner," which is a learning style I'm not too familiar with...). But I did get some insightful feedback.


The "laid-back" learning style at play


Many of my students like to be "hands on" when learning concepts. They prefer to get an overview and explanation of a concept, an example of that concept in action, and then they like to take action themselves by using that concept on their own. For my writing classes, this means getting the overview and examples of a particular concept (e.g. using appeals [logos, ethos, pathos] in argumentative and persuasive writing) before applying it themselves during an in-class activity or homework essay. In other disciplines this might mean lab work, discussion, or some other way of the students beginning to take ownership over the course concepts.

My students also seem to consider themselves to be visual learners, and this is a learning style that may be cultivated more and more by the on-screen way young people are receiving information. They want PowerPoint or Prezi presentations (though one student warned that "no matter what, if you don't have good 'stage presence', slides won't make up for it." yikes.) and video clips, and pictures and stories or narratives that reinforce concepts. And although they all noted their heavy use of technology and social media, not one student mentioned an interest in using an e-textbook.

For more about what makes a modern student and how we can reach our students more effectively, register for the workshop, which will take place from 1 - 2 p.m. on Friday, November 16 (use the Professional Development auto-registration system).

Hope to see you then!

New Gadgets Just For You

Check out the new RSS feeds we've added to the blog (look to the right):

1. Faculty Focus: the Teaching Professor blog
2. Educator Advice and Support from the NEA
3. Classroom Management tips from the NEA
4. Teaching Strategies from the NEA
5. News from the U.S. Department of Education

And as always, we'd love to hear from you; so if there's anything specific you'd like us to add, please post a comment below!

Texting in the Classroom

By contributor Laurie Riggin, Instructor of Art at MCC

Is frequent text messaging in class harmful to students’ educations? In this digital age of technology, constant information, and multi-tasking, students can engage in constant communication with others but this practice may actually encourage scattered concentration, distraction, and disengagement with course material. Many students have a difficult time withdrawing from technology--the phone becomes more interesting than the real world. Recent studies have shown that constant texting leads to anxiety, distraction in school, falling grades, and sleep deprivation.  As an educator, I worry that students are not developing the social skills they need to succeed in school and beyond the classroom.

I make it clear to students at the beginning of each semester that I have zero tolerance for texting in my classroom. If they are caught using their phone, they will be asked to leave and will receive a “0” for that day’s activities. Students also sign a “promise statement” that they will turn off and refrain from using their phone during scheduled class time. Throughout the semester, I also provide reflective periods as a way to create a level of relaxation, awareness, and concentration. In the spring and fall, I have my students spend quiet time near the pond or in MCC's zen garden. For several minutes, they close their eyes and concentrate on hearing the “smallest” sound: frogs croaking, a distant bird chirping, the wind. This exercise encourages contemplation on the immediate world. It also inspires the imagination, as well as creative and compelling thinking. As a result, students are more focused on course material and they engage with their classmates in a more direct way.