6.

2 With teenagers and adults

TEACHING TIP: Remember that a myriad of factors could be

the root of frustrating student behaviour. Be willing to
entertain these possibilities when working with students.

Teenagers share some of the characteristics of children and some of adults.

Bearing this in mind, you will find that a combination of the techniques you use for
dealing with kids and those you use for dealing with adults should work with your
teenage students. Above all, it is important to remember that teenagers are at a
stage where they are highly susceptible to criticism, especially in front of their
peers. Students who talk a lot, or misbehave in a mild manner, can often be
quieted just by your presence if you stand next to them. Even quite disruptive
teenagers can often be settled down with a simple gentle hand placed on their
shoulder. You don't always have to say anything as they usually get the message.

When working in a language institute with adults, you should try to get some idea
from your employer as to what rules they feel should be enforced and what they
recommend you do about discipline problems. Language schools are typically
private businesses and need you to deal with any problem gently, positively and in
a way that doesn’t chase their customers away. Try not to take things too seriously,
just enforce rules with a smile on your face, so as to not upset the rest of the class.

Dealing with specific issues1

Below are some tips for dealing with the kind of problems you might get from your
adult students:

Shyness or silence — lack of participation.

 Change your teaching strategies from group discussion to individual written

exercises.
 Give strong positive reinforcement for any contribution.
 Involve the shy student by directly asking him/her a question.
 Make eye contact with the student.
 Appoint the student to be small group leader.

Rambling — wandering around and off the subject, using far-fetched examples or
analogies.

1
This section draws extensively from Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and
Learning (CIRTL), available at http://cirtl.wceruw.org/DiversityResources/resources/resource-
book/commondisruptivestudentbehaviorsandpossibleremedies.htm.
  Refocus students’ attention by restating a relevant point.
 Direct questions to a group that is back on the subject.
 Say: “Would you summarize your main point please?” or “Are you asking...?”

Talkativeness — knowing everything, manipulation, chronic whining.

 Acknowledge the comments.

 Give the student limited time to express his or her viewpoint or feelings, and then
move on.
 Make eye contact with another participant, and move toward that person.
 Give the person individual attention during breaks.
 Say: “That’s an interesting point. Now let’s see what other people think.”

Sharp-shooting — trying to shoot you down or trip you up.

 Try not to feel threatened by this behaviour, as this will make you react defensively.
 Admit that you do not know the answer and redirect the question to the group or
the individual who asked it.
 Acknowledge that this is a joint learning experience.

Heckling/arguing — disagreeing with everything you say; making personal

attacks.

 Redirect the question to group or supportive individuals.

 Recognize the participant's feelings and move on.
 Acknowledge positive points.
 Say: “I appreciate your comments, but I’d like to hear from others” or “It looks like
we disagree.”

Overt hostility/resistance — angry, belligerent, combative behaviour.

 Hostility can be a mask for fear. Reframe the hostility as fear to depersonalize it.
Respond to the fear, not the hostility.
 Remain calm and polite. Keep your temper in check.
 Don’t disagree, but build on or around what has been said.
 Always allow him or her a way to gracefully retreat from the confrontation.
 Say: “You seem really angry. Does anyone else feel this way?” Solicit peer
pressure.
 Do not accept the premise or underlying assumption, if it is false or prejudiced; eg
“If by ‘queer’ you mean ‘gay’...”
 Allow the individual to solve the problem being addressed. He or she may not be
able to offer solutions, and will sometimes undermine his or her own position.
 Talk to the student privately during a break.

Griping — may be legitimate complaining.

 Point out that you can’t change the policy.

  Validate the student’s point.
 Indicate that you’ll discuss the problem with the participant privately.
 Indicate time pressure.

Side conversations — may be related to the topic or personal. Distracts

classmates and you.

 Don’t embarrass the talkers.

 Ask their opinion on the topic being discussed.
 Ask the talkers if they would like to share their ideas.
 Casually move toward those talking.
 Make eye contact with them.
 Comment on the group (but don’t look at them individually).
 Standing near the talkers, ask a nearby participant a question so that the new
discussion is near the talkers.
 As a last resort, stop and wait.

General advice for teaching adults

1. Make your classes interesting
Bear in mind that most of your adult students work and either come to class before
they start work or after a long day. Either way, they will probably be tired. It is up to
you to ensure that your classes are dynamic and interesting. Take the time to find
out about your students’ interests and adapt your course accordingly.

2. Negotiate levels of homework

Remember that your adult students will have very little time to do homework. At the
beginning of a course, try to find out how much time they can dedicate per week to
homework. Also, consider that the best motivation for them to do homework is for
you to give them feedback on their work.

3. Don’t be dogmatic about English-only in the classroom

The greatest cause of conflict in the EFL classroom stems from the teacher
insisting dogmatically that students only speak in English. Remind your students
gently that it is in their best interests to practise English as much as possible, but
do not take it personally if they don’t.

4. Allow for different energy levels

The same lesson you taught previously which went down a treat, for some reason,
just isn’t working with this group today - your class is apathetic, uninterested and
falling asleep. Remember that any number of problems could be affecting your
students – it may be that hour after lunch when everyone is in a daze and acts like
a zombie. It may be that your students were out on Friday night and are all
hungover in your Saturday morning class. Whatever the reason, you need to wake
them up! Try stopping the current activity and doing something different that will re-
energise the group, such as a board run, putting on energetic music etc. You can
even take them outside for a walk. Be prepared to adapt your plan.

5. Stop disruptions with a little humour

Sometimes all it takes is for everyone to have a good laugh to get things back on
track in a classroom. Many times, however, teachers confuse good humour with
sarcasm. While humour can quickly diffuse a situation, sarcasm may harm your
relationship with the students involved. Use your best judgement but remember
that what some people think is funny others find offensive.

6. Deal with disruptions with as little interruption as possible

When you have classroom disruptions, it is imperative that you deal with them
immediately and with as little interruption of your class momentum as possible. If
students are talking amongst themselves and you are having a classroom
discussion, ask one of them a question to try to get them back on track. If you have
to stop the flow of your lesson to deal with disruptions, then you are robbing
students who want to learn of their precious in-class time.

7. Avoid confrontations in front of other students

Whenever there is a confrontation in class there is a winner and a loser. Obviously
as the teacher, you need to keep order and discipline in your class. However, it is
much better to deal with discipline issues privately than cause a student to 'lose
face'. It is not a good idea to make an example out of a difficult student. Even
though other students might get the point, you might have lost any chance of
actually teaching that student anything in your class.

8. Be sensitive to cultural issues

If you are teaching in another country, it is your job to find out what is considered
“acceptable” behaviour in that culture. While it may differ greatly from your own, it
is not your place to criticise or judge. For example, what might be perceived as
"cheating" in the western world is sometimes considered "helping your friends" in
some other cultures. Here, prevention is the best action by spreading desks far
apart and even all the way up to the front and back walls if need be during
examinations. Don't allow cheating, but don't get too stressed by it as it is a cultural
issue more than anything else.