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I am constantly learning about class room management by teaching my own classes and attending other college level courses. What an experience.
One frustration and challenge during the lecture part of the class is trying to determine if the students are engaged and paying attention. I can look for non verbal cues and of course test them but I want to be able to adjust my lecture based on continuing feedback from the students. Sometime no matter how hard I try to be interesting and informative I feel I am not connecting with a significant number of students. So I will look out into the class and pick out a student who appears distracted or bored and say, "tell the class what I just said" Usually they cant tell us and get red faced and angry and some students feel that I am being unfair.
I tell the students in the class that if they are not going to attend all class sessions or participate in class and pay attention, please drop the class immediately. What do you think?
Obviously, you need to make it exciting.
1. Students must turn on their cell phones in the last half of the class. That's right, turn them on.
2. Call a random student on their cell phone in the second half of the class and tell them you are going to ask them a question about something you said that day in your lecture. You can make the random part exciting, too, although some will see it exciting like Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."
3. They can either take the question (without hearing it first) themselves or pass it on to the person on their left.
4. If they take the question themselves and get it right, they get an opportunity to discard their lowest test or paper grade at the end of the semester.
5. However, if they pass it on to the person on their left and that person gets the answer right, the original person loses 10 points off their final exam and the person that got it right gets those 10 points.
6. If they pass the question on and the second person gets it wrong, both lose 5 points off their final exam and you might call on them again in the future.
7. At the end of the year, the class texts their vote for the person that gave the worst wrong answer during the semester. That person loses an additional 5 points off their final exam.
I am constantly learning about class room management by teaching my own classes and attending other college level courses. What an experience.
One frustration and challenge during the lecture part of the class is trying to determine if the students are engaged and paying attention. I can look for non verbal cues and of course test them but I want to be able to adjust my lecture based on continuing feedback from the students. Sometime no matter how hard I try to be interesting and informative I feel I am not connecting with a significant number of students. So I will look out into the class and pick out a student who appears distracted or bored and say, "tell the class what I just said" Usually they cant tell us and get red faced and angry and some students feel that I am being unfair.
I tell the students in the class that if they are not going to attend all class sessions or participate in class and pay attention, please drop the class immediately. What do you think?
My old college professor would pretty much say the same thing to his students who were not doing the work. In my opinion he was right. When a student is in college they are there to help build their future. Many students think that by just showing up they will get a 4.0. Some times a student needs a kick in the pants. Being soft on education is not going to help students when they find work in the real world. When my professor began his class, he would shut and lock the door, leaving the fools who came to class late outside. None of these late clowns would complain because the moment they went over to the administration building they would meet a pretty tough catholic nun who would gladly give them an ear or two about being on time to class.
I think you either: are very insecure with your ability to teach, have a sadistic streak, or both. There is no positive effect this could realistically have. Think of the teachers that actually inspired you and your peers -- did any of them pull petty crap like this? I doubt it.
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I think you either: are very insecure with your ability to teach, have a sadistic streak, or both. There is no positive effect this could realistically have. Think of the teachers that actually inspired you and your peers -- did any of them pull petty crap like this? I doubt it.
I already said my actions were likely wrong but were based on the frustration of lazy students who should not even be in the program. If they are not interested in what is being spoken about then why bother to be in the class?
I suspect that you are in the camp of people who want to give lazy inattentive students a break because they grew up disadvantaged. Maybe our country is in its current situation because teachers wanted to be nice and not put to much pressure on the nice but lazy students.
I already said my actions were likely wrong but were based on the frustration of lazy students who should not even be in the program. If they are not interested in what is being spoken about then why bother to be in the class?
I suspect that you are in the camp of people who want to give lazy inattentive students a break because they grew up disadvantaged. Maybe our country is in its current situation because teachers wanted to be nice and not put to much pressure on the nice but lazy students.
I'm in the camp of people who want teachers to use their brains in the classroom, rather than bully kids out of frustration. I'm also in the camp of people who want teachers who are able to converse like adults, rather than putting words in others' mouths.
Suggesting that they talk to you after class about dropping if they don't have regular attendance is alright. Just discuss it after class in a nice way and not in front of everyone. Or make a class announcement in a respectful way as possible!
A few teachers thought I never showed up in class because I was always sitting in the back row in the corner ha ha....well some of them were rude to me but didn't bother checking my grades......yep straight A's.........so who is the moron now? The rude teacher of course.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tribecavsbrowns
I think you either: are very insecure with your ability to teach, have a sadistic streak, or both. There is no positive effect this could realistically have. Think of the teachers that actually inspired you and your peers -- did any of them pull petty crap like this? I doubt it.
there are some classes that everyone has to take that have little to do with the major they are getting.
people aren't going to be really interested in everything they take in university. in physics I remember the teacher wasting too much time on irreleveant details about the relationship between the moon and the tides. embarassing students is the wrong way to get them interested.
attendance and involvement in class discussion usually is not a part of grading because too many teachers overvalue test scores.
there are some classes that everyone has to take that have little to do with the major they are getting.
people aren't going to be really interested in everything they take in university.
So if the course is not connected with your major in college and it does not seem interesting to you then you should bascially ignrore the actual class? (and not participate?)
I don't know if embarrassing students, let alone adults since you teach adult learning (IIRC based on previous posts), is going to do much besides you getting a poor rating at the end of the semester from the students.
What you could try is to have interactive lessons and assigned groups during class time. For example, assuming you have at least 15 students, you can break them up into 3 groups. Lecture for 15-20 minutes, followed by a series of problem questions in need of resolutions, have the groups discuss for 5-10 minutes, and then the reps of each group would go to the chalk/dry erase board with responses. This would force the students to be accountable to eachother, not just you.
Or, you can inform your students at the beginning of class that a short paper will be due in the next class that covers today's lecture.
There are several things you can try. And there are learning sites for instructors that don't have a lot of experience in a class-room setting that might benefit you.
No no no! Assigned groups are a terrible idea! I had a profeesor who had us do 'group' work-we had to get together and answer questions to the story we'd read (it was a Lit class). There was always some schlepp who would just sit there and not participate at all ("I didn't read the play") or two giggling girls who were too busy talking about last weekends big frat party to do any work. So what would happen is one or two people would do ALL of the work yet everybody would put all of their names on the paper and get full credit. We did these little group assignments every damn week and at the end of the semester I gave the professor very poor markings for her lazy style of teaching because this is ALL WE DID.
If your'e going to give assigned readings/questions have the students do it on their own.
I don't think what the OP is doing is necessarily bad as long as no particular students are being singled out.
I have had professors make it mandatory for students to turn off cell phones and computers. I am all for this.
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