The Learning & Teaching Office
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 Welcome to the twentieth issue of The LTO Best Practices. Each month, the Learning & Teaching Office will be spotlighting a timely topic in education. This September, our topic is "Classroom Management." We hope these resources and best practices will help faculty create positive learning experiences for all students. | |
Download Classroom Civility: Creating a Culture of Respect [pdf]
An excerpt from "Classroom Civility": When disruption happens: Dealing with classroom incivility When dealing with inattentive or disruptive students, there are several techniques that can be used to address the problem. Move closer to the disruptive students. Your close proximity may discourage them from continuing their misbehavior. Make eye contact. Look directly at them while continuing your lecture. Let them know that you see what they are doing. Ask if they have a question. If students are talking amongst themselves, it might indicate they have missed something or are confused by the material. Increased attention from the professor will quiet down many students. Make a general statement about the disruption. Rather than singling students out, simply remind the class that they agreed to a set of rules on day one of the class, and that the disruption bothers other students as much as it bothers you. Call the offending student(s) up after class. Avoid arguing with students during class or embarrassing them in front of their peers. Indicate after class that the behavior was unacceptable. Ask them about the disruption—was there an underlying cause for their behavior? When dealing with challenges to your authority or hostile students, avoid becoming confrontational or angry in front of your students, instead "respond honestly to challenges, explaining — not defending — your instructional objectives and how assignments contribute to them" (CTE, University of Waterloo; CLL, McMaster University; Encouraging Civil Behavior in Large Classes by Mary Deane Sorcinelli; CTE, University of Maryland; LTO, Ryerson University)
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On Wednesday, October 12th, the LTO will be hosting a workshop on Effectively Managing Classroom Behavior. Facilitated by Dr. Mickey Cirak, Student Conduct Officer, Dr. Diana Brecher, Psychologist, University Counselling Centre, and Dr. Marilyn Hadad, Psychology Department, this interactive session is intended to offer guidance, support and resources should you encounter or receive reports of disruptive behaviors. In this session you'll learn: (1) How to recognize and refer students in distress. (2) How to manage disruptive, disturbing or threatening behavior (including disruptive classroom behavior). (3) What resources on campus can be of assistance to both you and your students. Register for Effectively Managing Classroom Behavior In addition to Effectively Managing Classroom Behavior, two other workshops are coming up in the end of 2011. On Friday, November 4th, Dr. John Paul Foxe, Educational Developer, LTO, and Dr. Gosha Zywno, LTO Faculty Associate, will be offering a workshop on Creating an Effective Teaching Dossier. Register for Creating an Effective Teaching Dossier On Monday, November 21st, Dr. John Turtle, Psychology Department, Faculty of Arts, and Dr. Gosha Zywno, LTO Faculty Associate, will be running a workshop on Understanding Learning Differences. Register for Understanding Learning Differences
Photo credit: State Library of Queensland |
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