How to Deal with "Problem Students": Part II

From: http://www.tefllogue.com/in-the-classroom/tips-and-tricks-for-problem-students-the-sequel.html

The student who won’t talk

This is a problem because most native speaker teachers are – at least to some extent – there to get students to use the language and specifically to speak. Many tasks and activities require students to speak and in fact depend on their willingness to do so.

Is this student quiet because that’s their personality? Because they are not up to the level or don’t feel confident? Is something in the class making them feel uncomfortable?

The solution depends on the reason: pairwork should probably be part of the class anyway, and may be especially useful for those who are nervous about speaking in front of the group. If the problem is something in the class, see what you can do to alleviate it. I had one very aware student actually write on a feedback form “Please don’t ever make me work with Adam again”, along with a smiley. Problem solved – if only all students were this politely vocal about similar issues!

As a formerly quiet student myself, I think that putting that person on the spot in front of the group more often is unlikely to make them feel more comfortable, but sometimes it is a normal part of the class. When it’s necessary, giving appropriate prep time can help. Not everyone will grow to like or be good at speaking in front of a group, and it seems a little unfair to those without extroverted personalities to make that a main component of success in the course. Speaking doesn’t have to include a large audience.

If the whole group seems quiet, I try to evaluate if the tasks I’m giving them are appropriate for their level, if the instructions I’ve given are good enough, and if the subject matter is interesting or relevant enough. They might also all just need a coffee; I have fortunately reached a point where I realize their mood may have little to do with the tasks of my choosing and so on.

I do put more thought into the questions I ask, and try to compose them so people who don’t know a lot about the topic, or who feel adverse to sharing their own opinion, can answer most easily. For example, “How were your answers the same or different?” and “What reasons do people give for having opinion x?” are easier than “Why do you disagree?” or “What’s your opinion on x?” Roleplays also allow people who are shy about sharing their own opinions, likes, and dislikes to speak more freely as “someone else.”

Problematic office dynamic

Do you teach a group where the secretary and executive director of the same company are in a small group together, and the secretary speaks much better English? Is the director used to having what he wants and people listening till he’s done speaking? In a regular class of virtual strangers this might be easier to address, but in an office setting I’ve felt mostly a guest. After I leave, they have to work together, give each other raises or performance evaluations or whatever.

I would make an effort not to make an issue out of it and subtly pair them appropriately, or chose activities which require more balanced interaction and make it harder for one person to dominate. Competitive activities might be a no-go. It is a little counter intuitive but it has also occurred to me that if I play dumb about their positions, I may be able to get away with a little bit more. I think it’s fair to say though that at times you just need to accept that you can do your best but are not in a position to change the way co-workers interact.

A final note
Even the idea of “putting yourself in your student’s shoes” will lead to different answers for different teachers, and probably for different cultures. Sometimes techniques I came across in my CELTA were not techniques that I would appreciate as a learner. That doesn’t mean that they don’t work,or that learners should always feel 100% relaxed in the classroom - to me it just means that cookie-cutter solutions are rare.
Last but not least, if you’re studying the second conditional, you could always give them a series of hypothetical situations an throw in one based on the problem in that class. I doubt I’d really do this, but it would be interesting to hear what students think … and to see if they realized that situation was the one in their class.

How to Deal with "Problem Students": Part I

From: http://www.tefllogue.com/in-the-classroom/tips-and-tricks-for-problem-students.html

First I should say that I believe classroom “problems” don’t happen in a vacuum. It’s not as if there is only one possible solution for each for each problem that comes from exactly one source (you, the teacher). A class of adult learners is much like any group of people, and while as the teacher I am in a position to set the tone for the class, the six, eight, or twelve others in the room bear some responsibility for the dynamic too. Beyond that, students do in fact exist outside my classroom (at least I think they do), and have several years of education prior to it. I think it’s important to realize that plenty of these problems are not going to be solved by, say, better concept-check questions or a different seating arrangement. Still, you do what you can, and with that in mind:

The student who talks too much

This is the student who jumps in when you call on others, or just takes more than a reasonable share of the speaking time.

Why?

It may happen because you “let it” – by not “controlling” the class enough – but it can be hard to reconcile this with the goal of being student-centered. I think some people just like to talk a lot, or are just enthusiastic about speaking English, and are not inclined to put themselves in the shoes of others who may also need practice speaking.

What to do?

When I notice this happening, I ask myself whether I’m incorporating enough pairwork, and alternating partners often enough. I might speak directly to the student to commend his or her enthusiasm and enlist their help to get other students speaking…but sometimes it’s better just to make a joke of it. “Bob, I didn’t recognize you with your new haircut!” I might say to talkative Admira, if I call on Bob and Admira answers. If Admira is interrupting Bob mid-sentence, it may be effective to just keep your attention on Bob’s answer. This will only work, however, if Bob keeps talking, and not if he stops and defers to Admira.

The weak student

A student who frequently lags behind or just doesn’t get it can be a problem, first for him- or herself. This person often feels bad when they notice they are behind, and this affects their confidence even more. Other learners can be affected if you alter the pace of the course to adapt to one student who is not up to the level.

Once you are sure that the problem is not just shyness or a certain grammar point which they go blank on, my opinion is that the first step is to try to get the student in the right level. If you’re in a setting where the student has been placed in your class because they paid for and attended the previous level, even though they aren’t ready for the current level, this can be hard to address. Or there may not be an appropriate class this term. An ELT Notebook had some detailed advice on adapting tasks to mixed-ability learners. Also see my take on the larger picture of mixed-ability groups.

A few short and sweet tips of my own would be: make an effort to pay attention to that student – who they work well with in pairs, for example. On a common sense, personal level, I think that it’s important not to single out that student as the weak one too much. Adapt as you can, try not to put him or her on the spot if s/he is totally lost, but also keep in mind that a wrong answer is just that and not something to be ashamed of. Especially in a for-profit school, I think it’s fair to raise the issue with the student privately, though it also depends on if something can be done about it. In ideal situations, the person would want to be in the correct level, or if that’s not possible, to work a little more at home to catch up as much as they can, but in practice there are many reasons why this doesn’t work out.