UPHOLD A CONSTRUCTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
I have observed a steady increase in specific behaviors that create conflict in our classrooms. These disruptive behaviors do not arise every day and certainly are not exhibited by all students, but collectively, my colleagues and I could fill a sizeable bucket every year with examples of student behaviors that are rude, hostile, or confrontational. A belief that students have the right to do whatever they want because they are paying for their educational experience, and that faculty have no right to impose limitations on this freedom, is rooted in students’ assumption that every individual needs and desires This sense of entitlement is not the lone factor influencing student classroom behavior.
Myers et al. (2016) observe that students know and willingly practice many classroom citizenship behaviors (active collaboration with other students, respectful interaction with the professor, and use of common courtesies and social etiquette, for example) when they believe the classroom environment is hospitable, their peers are friendly and view one another as equals, and their instructors possess a genuine concern for them .
It is tempting to comfort our own frustrations by decline in maturity and work ethic exhibited by the current generation. Simply lamenting our students’ deficiencies really doesn’t solve the problem of incivility. Adopting this kind of pessimism is dangerous because it blinds us to the great potential that our students bring to the classroom. My daily challenge is to extend hospitality, to engage students with discussion and assignments that are rigorous and stimulating, and to foster an environment that disarms rather than intensifies students’ skepticism and resistance. These are a few of the things I’m doing to bring out the best, and perhaps diffuse the worst. Regularly invite them to adopt a posture of humility and gratitude at the beginning of the class session, Include a commitment to classroom citizenship behavior in the mission statements that we share with one another at the beginning of the class, Invite students to participate regularly , Confront disruptive behavior directly and compassionately.