Adult Learners, Problem Children, and Your Role as an Educator
by Valerie DeFrance, EMS Educator
Problem Child, Part Four of Five Dealing with Disruptive Behaviors
This series has examined some general information about
adult learners, potential causes of their disruptive
behavior, and some solutions and techniques for dealing
with them. In this part, I describe more "problem
children" (as they are lovingly known), to add to
those already mentioned in previous columns. Each
specific example of disruptive behavior comes with real
life examples gathered from my own experiences and those
of my educator colleagues.
The focus on disruptive behavior exhibited in the
classroom in this series has been limited to a
behavioral sense. Problems caused by learning
disabilities, disorganized study habits, and like issues
are not addressed here.
There are many labels and details about students with
disruptive or negative behavior. Regardless of which
label is used to describe these students, some
commonalities exist. I have condensed information here
on behaviors that are similar, reveal themselves in much
the same manner, and have the same basic options for
handling.
Remember, in all cases of dealing with a problem
student, plan what you are going to say, and remain calm
as you say it.
More Specific Examples of Disruptive Behaviors
Emotional students
We have all probably witnessed the tears over a quiz
score, the self-anger at not passing a trauma assessment
station, and the frustrated or woeful, "I can’t
do this!" of emotionally charged students. These
people often respond well when you calmly root out
solutions to the learning barriers that are frustrating
them and impeding their progress. Do not become
emotional yourself. Maintain a tactful, businesslike
tone. Do not raise your voice or be afraid to send the
student out of the room until he or she can speak with
you in a more controlled fashion.
Blackmailers and manipulators
Usually viewed as challenging and more difficult to
manage, these students attempt to use emotional
blackmail and/or manipulative behavior. Let me emphasize
that these are not the students who deserve your
empathy. Note: Students who truly have personal problems
may need to be advised to drop the course and
participate when they have a more stable personal life.
Manipulative students may be trying to deflect their own
lack of educational responsibility or seeking special
treatment. They sometimes pit one instructor against
another; so ask other instructors if there is any truth
in what a student has relayed to you. Frequent meetings
with other staff, with frank discussions about such
students, can help keep the staff united in efforts to
deal with manipulative behavior. When a student is
caught relaying untruths, get the instructors to meet
with and confront the student.
Real life exampleEmotional blackmailers are students who use their supposed personal problems with others (such as spouse/significant others, child(ren), bosses, etc.) as an excuse for not performing. They appeal to you with tears, anger, sadness, or other emotional states that are supposedly visited upon them by no fault of their own.
In one course, "Amy" told my co-instructor that I had said she had permission to leave 30 minutes early each class. Further, I would help her make up the lost time. My co-instructor called me at home on the first break and asked about this. We decided to approach the student together, so that there could be no misunderstanding or further manipulation about this. A united and immediate front also served as a subtle notice that she could not be manipulative and expect to get away with it. Amy tried to claim a misunderstanding. "I was just asking about it, not really trying to get permission," she said, so she was also informed in writing that should she be caught telling any lie she would be immediately dismissed.
Do not buy into it. You are not a confessional, personal advisor, or close friend. Do not allow them to continually provide blow-by-blow accounts of personal problems. Express empathy, but immediately move on to discuss solutions to the performance problems.
Clearly establish ground rules. Reiterate verbally and in writing what they must do to pass. Watch them closely. Do not give any leeway whatsoever, since people like this tend to take advantage of any display of weakness or failing on your part to hold them to the standard. Document all problems, comments, and actions. (This is always a good idea with any problem child.) I am even considering taping these types of conversations. If available, use a form that tracks affective domain and includes criteria and scoring for attitude; this can be extremely helpful. I find these students are apt to threaten bringing a lawsuit against you, but rarely carry through.
Real life exampleOvert hostility/resistance
It is amazing what lengths some people will take to place blame for non-performance on you, rather than simply taking responsibility. One student had used up all the standard emotional blackmail ploys, then reverted to using the "because I have made you privy to my personal problems, you are now discriminating against me" tactic. His premise was that, during medical and trauma assessments, I was making it exceptionally difficult to pass by providing outlandish scenarios. Initially, I sought a solution by letting him remain in the room as an observer while another student performed assessments using the same scenarios. When this did not work, I called in another instructor to evaluate his skills. After poorly performing for the other instructor, the student delivered the same sob stories. Then he claimed that it was an instructor conspiracy to fail him. In the end I offered to let him choose any qualified instructor in our state to do an independent review and assessment of skills. He never acted upon the offer. I also maintained written documentation and wrote a letter to my supervisor outlining the student’s difficulties, what I had done to try to find resolution, and the outcome, in case it went any further or ended up in court.
These students are angry and belligerent. They display combative or challenging behavior. It may be generated out of a simple instructor/student personality conflict. It may be because they are forced by employers to take the course, and may have the additional stress of fearing they will not pass and thus lose their jobs. In college courses, it may be that they wanted the "easy" credits and now resent the amount of time and effort it takes. Sometimes they just hate the world in general.
Students like this may challenge your authority to instruct or "judge" how well they perform. They have some of the same qualities as the Sharpshooter (see below). Many times, hostile behavior is a defense to cover up fears of inability to perform. For some, fear stems not from the inability to learn, but from not taking time to study. Thus, this behavior can become a smokescreen for irresponsible study habits.
If possible, help the fearful by working with them slowly. Assure them that they can do this if they so desire and are willing to work for it. Remain calm and polite, keeping your temper in check. Avoid disagreeing. Build on what has been said. Give praise when they progress.
Outright hostility is difficult when it is personality based, because no one is going to change his or her personality. Hostility directed toward you for what an employer has demanded is likewise difficult. Remind students what the goals are and how they can accomplish the objectives regardless of how they feel about you or their employer. Physically moving closer to the hostile person and maintaining eye contact will usually make them back off. Restate what you think they have said, and try to allow them a way to back out of the nasty confrontation or situation they have created.
Some hostility can be defused by making it impersonal. Ask other students whether they feel that same anger or frustration. Ask hostile students what solutions they see. Many times, they weaken their own position — or peers point out the weakness of the argument. Other ideas include ignoring hostile behavior or talking with hostile students privately during a break. As a last resort, privately ask the individual to leave class for the good of the group, taking care to guard your personal safety.
Violent behavior can never be tolerated. It is cause for immediate dismissal. Again, guard your personal safety. Never be afraid to call in law enforcement or seek restraining orders.
Real life exampleSharpshooter students
From the outset, one student was nonchalant about his performance. Like many other university students, he took the course for the six credits with no intention of ever performing in the field. He squeaked by with a B grade on the written sections. He continually challenged quiz questions he got incorrect and my ability to gauge how well he was doing on skills. Most complaints and arguments were regarding medical and trauma assessments with injury/illness variables. His final grade was adjusted downward, since he was barely able to adequately perform all skills. (All students are told on the first day that grades are adjusted in this manner.) His final grade was a C. He knew what grade would be submitted to the university on the last day of class. He did not take the opportunity offered to all students to discuss the grade with me.
A week later I received a copy of a letter he had written to the dean protesting the grade. He claimed I should not have the authority to lower his grade based on skill performance. His premise was that no one could objectively assess this component and assign a grade to it. There was also a reference to the "instructor not liking him since the first day of class." In reply, I described my right to make this grade adjustment, using the skill sheets, state and national requirements, and policies reflecting the importance of the skill performance for certification as justification for the skill grading component. I also stated my extensive background in teaching this course, years of EMS responding, and my confidence in my ability to fairly gauge and grade this component. I also offered the student the opportunity to have his skills assessed by another instructor, which he flatly declined. The grade stood. I later discovered that this student needed a "B" grade to keep his grade point average and scholarship funds.
Again, keep good documentation on how well students perform in all aspects of the course: grade books and notations on skill sheets on performance, attempts at passing skills, and student attitude by using a form for affective domain.
In another case, a group of six students was forced by an employer to take the course. Rampant hostility was evident from the first moment of class. Students loudly expressed their disgust, whined and griped, and then used passive-aggressive behavior to refuse to participate in skills. After many interruptions, I called the class to a halt. They were all firmly but politely told that while I could empathize with their plight, the disruptions had to stop immediately. I reminded them that we all had a job to do, unpleasant or not, and I intended to do mine. The negative comments and behavior were significantly reduced. Only one student persisted in hostile and non-participating behavior and failed the course. The failed student made personal threats, causing me to seek law enforcement assistance. The employer allowed the student to take another course. One can only hope he was more cooperative (and never touches a real patient).
Sharpshooters are also known as "know it alls" or "negatively motivated challenger" students. They are easy to detest. Sharpshooters try to shoot you down, show you up, or trip you up. When held accountable, they may revert to heckling or making personal attacks. Many times, they are current or former EMTs (or even EMT instructors) in continuing education classes. They feel smarter than you. A few may very well be, so do not underestimate them. They usually have over-inflated egos, an unrealistic sense of self-importance, and a need to publicly demonstrate their presumed superiority. Some sharpshooters work bluntly out in the open. Others lurk behind the scenes and attempt to hold their own mini-classes in the corner, away from your eyes and ears. Sharpshooters are very good at picking out a vulnerable student who then becomes a devoted follower, hanging on to the sharpshooter’s every word.
Both students and instructors have an extremely low tolerance for sharpshooter behavior. They can "get to us" when nothing else can. Other students sometimes catch on quickly to the sharpshooter and ask them to stop — sometimes even bluntly telling them to "shut up!" The majority refuses to be part of the mini-classes. There is little you can do about followers, except to clarify that you are the instructor who is teaching what will appear on tests. Never waste time trying to get followers back on "your side." They will either wise up on their own — or not.
The best preparation for dealing with sharpshooters is to be sure that you know the material well and have confidence in your knowledge. When a sharpshooter openly attempts to trip you up or make you look stupid, admit it if 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. In cases where sharpshooters persist or refuse to acknowledge that they are incorrect, suggest that they research and document the particulars to back up their claims or disprove you outside of classroom hours and turn in the information for you to look over. Do not employ this tactic more than a few times, since it may encourage them because it gains them the focus of attention. (It also takes time for you to slog through the submitted documentation.)
If questions or comments continue to be inappropriate, simply refuse to answer or allow discussion, stating it is beyond the scope of the class. Then move on. (This is not the same as one or two questions from a student who inadvertently has gone beyond the scope or is truly curious above and beyond. These students usually deserve an answer, although it may be at break or after class.) If all else fails, educators recommend you try to flat out ignore the behavior.
Real life exampleNext month, the conclusion of Valerie’s five-part series will bring two more problem behaviors, what to do about them, and some concluding remarks.
A student going through the paramedic course for the second time already had a limited knowledge base in some areas. (It was obviously not good enough, or he would have passed the first time.) He brought up obscure facts in the form of a question, to see if the instructor knew the answer. It was like being quizzed every day. He'd ask things like, "How much percentage of body water is found in bone?" when the class discussed fluid compartments in the body and water percentages. When he asked, "What is the number of basophils vs. neutrophils in the body when you are talking about WBCs?" he was told that the instructor couldn't answer that question. He got a gleam in his eye like he had finally caught her. Then she said, "It all depends on whether the patient has had a recent or recurrent infection, body temperature, and metabolic rate at the time. How old is the patient? Any other disease processes?" He stopped that line of questioning in a hurry!
The instructor relayed that most of the time this student would back down if she answered his question with another question, or asked him to clarify or get more information. It worked well even when she didn't know the answer, because when it was turned back on him to provide answers he didn't know, it made him look stupid. She added that he didn't last long and eventually flunked out.