Ask-Dr-Kirk

Did Your Cellphone Ring?

One of the challenges of classroom management is that some students will find ways around your policies.  The latest?  You instruct your students to turn off their cellphones in your class.  However, due to new technology, there is now a high-pitched ring tone that young adults can hear but many college professors cannot.  That's because adults start to lose the ability to hear higher frequencies beginning in early middle age.  Thus, the student knows when a text message has been received without us hearing the phone ring.

You have to admire the creativity...

technorati tags: Difficult students Classroom management Cellphones

Letter to Dear Abby on Classroom Management

A letter to Dear Abby yesterday comes from a college student in San Francisco who writes complaining about a disruptive classmate:

"A woman I have many classes with is making class time unbearable.  She frequently interrupts the instructor...laughs very loudly at things that are not remotely funny...she's rude and uncalled-for in her critique...  The student goes on to say, "Even our instructors are frustrated...."

Abby's advice was that the student should go with other students to the instructors and "explain how disruptive and distracting the woman's behavior has been."

My question is, why haven't the instructors addressed the behaviors themselves?  Don't they see how disruptive it is?  I understand that it can be a difficult conversation to have but it is not fair to all those students that are in your classroom to learn.  By discussing and modeling appropriate social behavior, we are giving our students a skill that is as valuable in their careers (and lives) as any math, science, or business content.

technorati tags: Classroom management Difficult students Dear Abby

Create Your Classroom Brand (Part III)

A third suggestion to get your students to "buy into" your class and thus create your classroom brand according to Mike Wagner is to:

Communicate passion.

That's passion for both your discipline and your students.  As Mike says, "Teachers who show only a love of their subject matter are incomplete.  Students sense when their well-being and learning is not a part of the instructor’s passion – and it manifests itself in their inattention, rude behavior, and absenteeism."

Tell your students why you went into teaching and show your enthusiasm for your course content.  If you're not excited about the subject, your students won't be either.

Keep in mind that your students are trying to figure out on that first day what your "brand" is...what are your class expectations, do you have a sense of humor, do you care about their learning?

By spending some time thinking about the message you want to communicate, "you’re well on the way to owning your personal brand – and your classroom!"

technorati tags: Classroom management First impressions Tips for teaching Brand Mike Wagner

Create Your Classroom Brand (Part II)

In order to create your classroom brand, Mike Wagner states that:

Great teachers waste no time in answering the unspoken question on every student's mind, “Does anything important happen in this class?”

How to do this?

Keep your students the entire first class to show that the class time is important and that they will be getting their money's worth. 

Do something interesting to illustrate what it is you want them to be doing throughout the semester...if you plan to use cases, do a short one the first day.  If you want them to work in teams, put them into groups and give them something to work on in class.   

Use examples taken from current newspaper articles or events that have occurred in your city.  Relate these back to the class material.

Give an assignment the first day that is due the second day of class.  It could be a reading, homework problems, something to research on the internet.  Build in some sort of accountability--a quiz or take up the assignment to show the students you think it important for them to do the work.

Next blogpost I'll discuss Mike's last suggestion on creating your classroom brand.

technorati tags: Classroom brand First impressions Tips for teaching Mike Wagner

Create Your Classroom Brand (Part I)

When I teach workshops on classroom management, I spend a lot of time talking about setting expectations and building credibility on the first day of class.  Mike Wagner, an expert on branding and regular contributor to MarketingProfs gives three great suggestions on how to create your "classroom brand." 

The first one:   The subject matter doesn’t always speak for itself. 

Think about the first impression your students are receiving. 

Dress to show your respect for them (you would dress professionally for a job interview, wouldn't you?)   Students should not think that you are just another student when you walk in; your clothing and demeanor should project leadership.

Give some thought as to how you will introduce yourself.  Using a title (Professor or Dr. or even Mr. or Mrs.) will establish that you are in charge.  It is easier to be a little more formal and strict at the beginning of the semester and then loosen up than it is to be casual at first and then decide to be strict.

Check out the classroom layout before class and make sure you know how to work the equipment in the room.  Don't fuss with your papers, the projector, or computer when you get there.  You need to look organized.

Share your credentials and work experiences with the students.  Don't assume that just because the university hired you that the students will automatically respect you or think they can learn from you.

Creating a good first impression improves your chances of getting your students to "buy into" the class.  I'll address Mike's other two suggestions in the next post.

technorati tags: Classroom brand First impressions Tips for teaching Mike Wagner

Comments From Students on Using a Class Blog

Today is the last class of the graduate course on Managing Diversity in the Workplace that I am teaching at Drake University.  Mike Sansone helped me set up a class blog to allow the students to share their thoughts and reactions to the various speakers, videos, activities, and discussions held over the last six weeks.   In response to my latest blogpost asking the students what they would say were their top three "Aha" moments, several responded to the use of the class blog itself:

Finally, my third a-ha moment was not of a particular presentation but of watching our class evolve and seeing the power of awareness through sharing our thoughts and stories on the blog. As we have become more aware of issues related to diversity, we have had class-wide a-ha moments. Now that we are aware of prejudices and difficulties associated with diverse people, we are better able to stop ourselves, adjust, and make better decisions than if we did not have this class. After one more class I will be finished here at Drake and I can say that the overall theme to business is not products or strategy but human relationships.  How businesses interact with other businesses, customers, suppliers, and employees defines the success of the business. Our class has had an advantage through our exchange...    Keri

I agree with Keri that another “aha” moment would include interacting with the class and reading comments of the group. I had taken some courses about four years ago with a makeup of students mostly of the age group of this class. When diversity or discrimination was discussed in the classroom it appeared that the class felt that discrimination no longer existed in this country and especially not in Iowa.  I was stunned that more people did not recognize that we needed to improve.  I had come away from that course concerned that the younger generation had lost a sense of what discrimination is about.  I am glad to say that this course has helped me see that the younger generation does realize that things still need to be improved.   Mike C.

Another overall and cumulative “aha” moment is seeing the benefits that can occur when people feel safe to talk about diversity.  Before this class, I often felt that somehow it was inappropriate to talk about certain diversity issues.  I don’t know if I didn’t want to offend someone or if I just didn’t know how to broach the subject.  I think our society falls into this trap all too often.  We all want to be safe under the umbrella of being “politically correct.”  I think a lot of change has happened this semester for the students in this course.  How can our society change if we can’t communicate the issues effectively?   Carole

The class blog was an ah-ha moment for me.  Not only did I enjoy reading everyone’s posts but I believe I learned from other classmates' experiences and thoughts.  The blog postings got much more in-depth than I originally assumed they would.  It seemed to be a safe environment for us to share our feelings and stories and that aided in our learning.   Keely

I am now trying to figure out how to use class blogs in my other courses as well as how to recommend this technology to others...

technorati tags: Managing diversity in the workplace Diversity training Class blog Drake University

Summer Workshops on Math, Science, and Pedagogy

Check out the National Science Foundation's Chautuaqua program which offers three day workshops in math, science, and pedagogy for college professors.  These are held at colleges and universities throughout the United States this summer and because of a government grant are only $50 a workshop.  As noted on their website:

Chautauqua Short Courses...provide an opportunity for invited scholars to communicate new knowledge, concepts, and techniques directly to college teachers in ways which are immediately beneficial to their teaching. The primary aim is to enable undergraduate teachers in the sciences to keep their teaching current with respect to both content and pedagogy.

I am teaching three of these workshops on classroom management this summer in New York City, Seattle, and Des Moines, Iowa. 

technorati tags: National Science Foundation Chautauqua Teaching workshops Classroom management Delaney Kirk

College Professor #2 on List of Top 10 Best Jobs

I just came across a list of the Top 10 best jobs, according to research by MONEY Magazine and Salary.com based on pay, flexibility, stress levels, and growth.  As a College Professor (#2 on the list) who teaches students to be Human Resource Managers (#4) and occasionally utilizes counseling skills (Psychologist is #10), I'm feeling good...Just need to remember this as I start grading those papers...

technorati tags: Top 10 Best Jobs College Professor Difficult students Classroom management

Covering the Material vs Making Sure Students Are Learning?

In today's newspaper there is an article about an entire class of eighth-graders in Fort Dodge, Iowa, who have been asked to attend summer school because their algebra teacher did not cover four chapters of their textbook.  According to the students, the teacher (who has 19 years of teaching experience) "spent more time making sure students understood, rather than moving ahead fast." 

While I fully understand the need to cover concepts so students are ready for the next class, are we more interested in teaching the material or in students learning it?

technorati tags: Public education student learning No child left behind

Out Of The Box But Still In Control

I absolutely agree with Vicki A. Davis at Cool Cat Teacher who says:

You can be out of the box and still be a good classroom manager.  Don't misunderstand me, a good teacher is somewhat predictable, yes. They can get their classroom back on track in a millisecond. They can hush a student who is toying with the idea of goofing off with a sideways glance out of the corner of their eye. They have predictability and safety in their classroom management.

You can have fun with your students and yet control your classroom at the same time if you have what Jacob Kounin called, “withitness.”  A teacher with “withitness” not only knows exactly what the students are doing in the classroom...the students know that the teacher knows. 

technorati tags: Classroom management Tips for teaching Jacob Kounin Cool Cat Teacher

Blogs as a Teaching Tool

I'm happy to share that I am one of the 101 people (along with Seth Godin, Tom Vander Well, Mike Sansone, Shel Israel and many other great bloggers) that Ted Demopoulos will be featuring in his next book tentatively titled: What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting: Real-Life Advice from 101 People who Successfully Leverage the Power of the Blogosphere.  Ted's book will illustrate various ways that people are using blogs in business, finance, marketing, and the classroom.  As mentioned in an earlier blogpost, I decided to use a class blog for the first time in the MBA class I am teaching this summer at Drake University.   I have been very pleased with the way the blog allows the students to take more ownership of the class.  The 22 students have created a collaborative learning community and shared ideas, thoughts, concerns, and emotions that they would never have shared in the physical classroom.  When the class is over next week, I will post my suggestions as to what I thought worked and what I would do differently next time in using this innovative teaching tool.

technorati tags: Class blog Ted Demopoulos Innovative teaching Drake University Edublog

It Works for Simon Cowell

As I travel from coast to coast teaching workshops on classroom management (New York City to Seattle within this last month), I hear the same complaints about students:  they lack respect for their professors, they don't want to do their homework or read their assignments, they come to class late or leave early, their cell phones ring during class (and they even take the calls!), etc. 

Thomas H. Benton in his article in the Chronicle of Higher Education on June 9, 2006, challenges us as teachers:

Students and professors have entered into a mutual pact of low expectations, and somebody has to be the first to re-arm. The popularity of programs like American Idol in the college-student demographic shows how hungry they are for honest criticism. On some level, they want the hard truth instead of the "everybody is a winner" nonsense. They will rise to high expectations if teachers are firm and resist sending mixed messages. And we teachers should want, most of all, to be respected rather than liked, even if that means having to grow some backbone and take some risks.

Go ahead and take back your classroom! 

technorati tags: Classroom management Tips for teaching Take back your classroom Thomas H. Benton

Tips for Students to be Successful in Your Class

Ron Theys, University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac, gives out the following suggestions to his students on the first day of class.

As college students, there will be many expectations placed upon you and this class will have several expectations of its own.  The most important goal is to teach you how to learn on your own, outside the classroom.  This is the main feature that distinguishes college from high school.  This handout contains expectations that I, as your instructor, have for you, and that you should have for yourself. 

The thing you need to realize is that most of you were taught well below the level at which you are capable of learning when you were in high school.  This may not seem true to you, but the fact is many of the students who were in high school classes had no college plans and the level of the classes had to suit all of you.  This forced the teachers to teach at a level below your capabilities. 

You are no longer in high school.  The majority of you will have to discard high school notions of teaching and learning and replace them with university-level notions.  This may be difficult, but it has to happen sooner or later, so sooner is better.  Our goal is more than getting you to reproduce what was told to you in the classroom.

Expect to have material covered at two to three times the pace of high school.  Above that, we aim for a greater command of the material, especially the ability to apply what you have learned to new situations when relevant.

It is your responsibility to learn the material.  Lecture time is at a premium, so it must be used efficiently.  You cannot be taught everything in the classroom.  Most of the learning must take place outside the classroom.  You should expect to put in at least three hours outside the classroom for each hour of class.

The instructor’s job is to provide a framework to guide you in doing your learning of the concepts and methods that make up the material of the course.  The professor’s job is not to program you with isolated facts and problems, nor to monitor your progress.

You are expected to read the textbook for comprehension.  The text gives the detailed account of the material of the course.  It also contains many examples of problems worked out, and should be used to supplement those you see in the lecture.  The textbook is not a novel, so the reading must often be slow-going and careful.  However, there is the clear advantage that you can read at your own pace.

Consider putting together your own suggestions for success in your class for your students (or borrow from Ron!)

technorati tags: Classroom management Tips for teaching Class expectations

How to Establish Your Classroom Brand?

In the teaching workshop on classroom management I taught a couple weeks ago in New York City, we discussed the importance of first impressions and establishing credibility with your students...in other words, creating your own brand that says who you are as a teacher and what you are trying to accomplish.  Mike Wagner at OwnYourBrand.com is a national expert on brand ownership.  I would like to ask him to share his ideas as to how college professors can establish our teaching brand and Take Back Our Classrooms.

technorati tags: Take back the classroom Tips for teaching Classroom management Mike Wagner Own your brand

Teaching is Like Golf?

I love J.R. Egan's analogy of teaching to golf in yesterday's Chronicle of Higher Education.

"In golf, even after 50 bad shots, if you accidentally hit a beauty, life is good and you love the game and you don't throw the clubs in the lake after all. In teaching, even if you get 50 students who don't care, it's those one or two (good ones) each term who keep you coming back."

Although my colleagues and I spend a lot of time talking about the "bad students," we obviously have enough good ones to make us keep coming back...Maybe we should concentrate our efforts on those students who want to be in the classroom.

technorati tags: Tips for teaching Classroom management Chronicle of Higher Education J.R. Egan

The Problem With E-Mail

As teachers, you probabaly use email often to respond to questions and concerns from your students.  An interesting article titled,  “It's All About Me: Why E-Mails Are So Easily Misunderstood” discusses some of the problems with using this form of communication. 

Email does not give us cues such as tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language.

The ability to instantly reply to email leads people to think and write quickly without thinking through what they're saying and how it might be perceived (hence, the large number of spelling and grammatical errors by our students).

Email does not convey emotion or a personal rapport and thus can convey a message different from what you intended.

"According to one study, e-mail users have only a 50-50 chance of correctly interpreting the intended tone of an e-mail."

How to avoid problems with email?  "Read it aloud in the opposite way you intend, whether serious or sarcastic.  If it makes sense either way, revise."   And if you are discussing sensitive issues or having a conflict with your student, communicate in person or by phone.

technorati tags: Classroom management Tips for teaching E-mail communication Conflict with students

Importance of First Impressions in the Classroom

Research shows that people make assumptions about our credibility, professionalism, and sincerity within a few seconds of meeting us for the first time.  The way we present ourselves--dress, body language, attitude, behavior—all impact on how others perceive us. 

This emphasis on first impressions translates to the classroom as well.  Frank Bernieri of Oregon State University conducted an experiment where he discussed his syllabus the first day of class and then had the students filled out a teaching evaluation form.  At the end of the semester, they completed the same form.  He found the rating the students gave him at the end of the semester was essentially the same as that given the first day.  According to Bernieri, if your students think the class will be interesting and useful and that you are a credible professor on the first day, they will tend to think that throughout the semester.  In fact, Bernieri states that people will make excuses and manipulate the data in order to reinforce their first impressions. 

Nalini Ambady of Tufts University concurs with Bernieri.  She conducted a study where she showed students a ten second video of professors they had never met.  Their ratings of the professors in the videos were the same as those given by students who had had the professors in class for several months.  In addition, the students’ first impression of whether the professor was an effective teacher predicted how well the students themselves performed on tests. 

Preparing for the first day of class by deciding what to wear, how you want to be addressed, and working on your presentation skills will help you make a good first impression...

technorati tags: Tips for teaching First impressions Classroom management Frank Bernieri Nalini Ambady

Personal Information Posted on the Internet May Keep Your Students From Getting Hired After Graduation

An article in the New York Times on Sunday, June 11, 2006, discussed an issue that many of our students have not considered.  Companies are starting to use the internet to check out potential job candidates as part of their background checks.  Personal websites as well as social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are used by college students to met people.  However, some of the students are posting risque or provocative photos and comments about their drinking habits, drug use, and sex lives...leading organizations to decline to interview or hire them.  As several companies mentioned, a student who shows this lack of judgment and unprofessional behavior is not the kind of person they want to hire.

In addition to helping our students become well-rounded, educated, successful adults, you might want to warn them that information posted on the internet is not private...

technorati tags: Advice for students MySpace Facebook New York Times inappropriate behavior

Using a Class Blog to Build a Learning Community

I mentioned in an earlier blogpost that I was experimenting with using a class blog for a graduate class at Drake University on Managing Diversity in the Workplace. I have been very pleased with the quality and quantity of the blog comments made by the students.  One thing that I think helped was to allow them to comment on their fears re this new technology in one of my first blogposts. 

My blogpost question to them was:  As we discussed tonight, we will be using a class blog for MGMT 298 (Managing Diversity in the Workplace) to help us create a learning community and share resources and information on diversity.  What questions or concerns do you have about using this technology for this class?  What issues or comments do you have about the class itself?

Some of the student comments:

I’m a little nervous with the posting format, finding the questions and submitting comments in the correct location; being the first to add a comment not knowing if you are really the first or just unable to see other comments. I guess I don’t want to stand out or do or say anything stupid. Technology can be intimidating and humbling.  As for the class, the challenge for me will be managing the disruption of my comfort zone. I’m willing to let people into my safety box but not so anxious to venture out and look for diverse situations. This will be very difficult for me and I want to gain more than simply checking off an assignment. I would like my intentions to be perceived as honest, sincere and respectful.  Jean

I think this is a great supplement to class. It allows class participation for those who are more comfortable writing than speaking, and also provides a medium where thoughts are allowed to materialize before being shared. Once everyone becomes comfortable with the technology, it will certainly add value to this class.  Holly

This experiment will certainly show us how diverse we are in the terms of understanding and using technology. I think the concept is great, I just hope I can get a lot more comfortable using it, in the short amount of time we have in this class.  Mike C.

I like to feel comfortable. Normally, I will not leave my comfort zone on my own and that is why I’m excited to participate in this class. I will be forced to think outside of the box and hopefully I will be able to carry this type of thinking with me when the class has been completed.  Michael N.

I think this will be an interesting and insightful supplement to the class as well. I agree with Holly's statement that this will allow everyone the ability to participate and share ideas, since some people are more reluctant to speak up during class. Hopefully, the sharing of ideas will allow everyone the ability to learn from others and give each one of us another side to consider. I think a huge part of embracing diversity involves keeping an open mind and being receptive to others' ideas, viewpoints and experiences. Hopefully, blogging will serve as a tool to do just that.  Allison

Blogging will be a new experience for me. When the first news of blogging was discussed I was a little hesitant about it, then I thought about the older generation who thought that the internet was worthless and they would never need to learn. That opened my eyes to accept blogging for what it is and can be.  Diversity is all about accepting something that is different or new, Blogging is definitely new to me.   Josh

Well, now it's my turn to try posting a comment. Lets hope I do this correct.  One of my previous co-workers had an auto-signature on her e-mails that read, "You must ride the wave of change." I think of that often and utilizing this form of communication certainly falls into that category for me. I am completely unfamiliar with this and unfamiliar things are typically uncomfortable at first. However, the benefits of adapting quickly always pay off. For example, now maybe I will be able to participate knowledgeably in my co-workers discussions on blogging. As we discussed on Monday, blogging is big in the Marketing field right now. I must admit I was/am ignorant about the whole thing. I hope that will change.  Carole

Allowing the students to share their concerns and fears with each other created a culture that showed that it was OK to have these concerns, that we were all learning together.  The class blog is currently password protected but I will link to it after the summer term is over and share what I think worked well and what I would do differently next time.

technorati tags: Class blogs Teaching tools Pedablogging Managing diversity

Are Your Students Plagiarizing Their Papers?

Mary Pilon, in a recent article in USA Today writes about websites that are available to help faculty detect plagiarized papers.  This is such a problem that one site, TurnItIn grew from professors checking 6.84 million student papers for plagiarism in 2005 to 9 million in 2006.  Another site, MyDropBox.com, has seen a "growth from 700,000 students (papers) in 2005 to 1.4 million in 2006."

Here are some other tips you might use:

Be proactive in preventing cheating on papers and assignments.  Let your students know that you expect them to do their own work and that cheating will be punished in your class. 

Put your university’s policy on your syllabus.  You should also be familiar with your university’s procedures on reporting cheating so that you follow the appropriate steps if this becomes necessary. 

Define the term plagiarism for your students.  Many of them do not understand the difference between citing and copying someone else’s work. 

Give specific and timely topics on papers so that students cannot simply access the internet for commercially produced papers.  Thus, a paper on sexual harassment in the workplace is easily available for sale.  A paper on sexual harassment policies in local companies in your town is probably not.

Have students turn in outlines and/or first drafts of their papers to you earlier in the semester and then have them attach those drafts to the final paper when it is due. 

Require students to turn in copies of all sources cited including websites, journal articles, and pages of books used.

Several years ago I had a student turn in a paper where he actually plagiarized an article that I had published the year before!  I kept thinking as I read his paper that this sounds familiar...

technorati tags: difficult students cheating plagiarismclassroom management

What Do Our College Students Think Makes For Effective Teaching?

In preparation for teaching a three day workshop on classroom management in New York City, I asked my students, "What advice would you give to college professors so that they can be more effective teachers?"

Some of their responses?

Make class interesting.   Mark

Be prepared for students to be unwilling to give input. Make class interaction and participation mandatory.   Dana

Don’t let your class tell you how to grade or let them talk you into lowering standards.  I’ve seen this happen way too often and it takes value away from the class.  Kelly

Keep personal opinions out of classes such as politics and history.  Use real world examples.  Be relaxed and easy to talk to.  Don’t feel threatened by students.   Sarah

Don’t read to your students-we can read.  Use real life examples, it makes it more clear and real to us.  We remember these more than random sentences from the book.  Amy

Take control of the class from day one, but don’t hesitate to get to know your students.  Help us help ourselves be successful.  Brad

Involve the class and make it clear how the subject is important to the students.  Assignments must clearly reflect the material and doing these really assist learning the material.  Tests should have applied knowledge questions.    Mary

Be enthusiastic and confident.   Don’t show fear.   Derek

If you see that a student is performing poorly (i.e. bad grades on tests, papers), try to bring them into your office for help.  Brett

Give timely feedback on presentations and tests.   Pat 

Pretend you’re in the class with them and together you will fight to understand the material.  Otherwise you will be equated with the material (evil and difficult).   Joel

If you are a young and new teacher, realize that we are looking to you for education, not for you to be hip, cool, and our friend.  Friendly and approachable is good but there is also a line where respect from the students lies.   Jim

Have you ever asked your students what they think makes for good teaching?

technorati tags: Effective teaching Classroom management Tips for teaching