“The Class from Hell”, held 11 - 14 August 2003, used threaded forums to facilitate discussion around a number of scenarios that addressed the often-tricky issue of dealing with difficult clients in an adult learning environment. It was facilitated by Bruce Enting - Learning Support Lecturer at Douglas Mawson Institute of Technology in SA, and Jeff Mee - Student Counsellor at the Port Adelaide campus of DMIT.
Online scenario based problem solving can be a fantastic way of allowing a wide variety of creative and innovative ideas to come to the fore. This resource presents some of the ideas generated by the Class from Hell event.
Scenario: Personal hygiene
I have a student in my class who is in her early thirties. At first I thought she was a Rastafarian with dreadlocks and a deep tan but she is actually just very, very dirty. There has been no problem for several classes but yesterday three students saw me to say they could not work in close proximity to her because of the odour. I feel like this should be a straightforward matter for me to raise with her but I am concerned about doing it without causing too much offence. I am also not sure about her living circumstances or her mental health or what to do if these come up as issues.
Suggestions and comments
Personally I never do anything in this situation. It's not a straightforward matter and it's fraught with danger. I'm not sure it's a teacher's responsibility at all.
I agree, I see potential for more problems if a teacher approaches the student. If the other students insist, I'd ask them to choose another seat.
I understand how you can feel that it shouldn't be your responsibility and that it can cause a lot of problems, however isn't it your responsibility to create a learning environment for all participates?
It could be said that it’s not our job. But we as trainers are supposed to provide an appropriate learning environment. If it were a loud or disruptive student we would have to deal with it.
I always think that it is better to be up front.
- Arrange a meeting.
- Include another same sex (as the student) lecturer, witness, facilitator, note taker - whatever.
- Start with the facilitator at the meeting. Something along the lines of; "Welcome to this meeting. My name is ....... and I am acting as ........ for this meeting. It has been brought to our attention that you have a personal hygiene problem............blah, blah, blah.”
- Listen to the student. Don't argue, don't name other students that have raised the complaint, take notes. Above all keep it on track and have a discussion. You should already have at least two options for an acceptable outcome before the meeting starts.
In the Health and Community Services Sector we cannot ignore personal hygiene as our students are training to do Aged Care and Disability Work. As it has been a concern on many occasions we have actually incorporated it as part of our course under “infection control”.
Any student that cannot take the hint must be addressed on a personal level.
You will be helping out the student by addressing it. They may not even know they have an odour problem!!
The same problem often occurs in our library. A great resource (although getting a little dated) is a video called 'Some of your bits ain't nice' which is an animated storyboard. I have pretended to look for the dead animal which is stinking out the back of the library...
One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that we need to be careful of cultural considerations here - not everyone believes in washing and using soap, deodorants etc the way the western culture does.
If the tutor or students find the smell so offensive that it is affecting their ability to participate the issue must be addressed. Talk to the student alone and advise them of the problem. Keep the issue (the body odour) and the person (You) separate. Ask the student if they are aware that there is a personal hygiene problem (this provides an opportunity for the person to make a statement about their personal situation - and if there is a cultural issue it will come up now). Now that is has been established that there actually is a problem you can discuss/share solutions. If it is a cultural thing - I would explain to the student the need for the total group’s comfort and identify possible solutions to the problem - i.e. space and distance through seating arrangements.
All I can say is I hope I never have to tell anyone that they have bad BO.
Maybe the class as a whole needs to be addressed in regards to courtesy issues for one another. Then address the student alone, identifying the issue. This will hopefully let the student feel that this is not an isolated issue?
Sounds like a case for a third party ... maybe the student services officer?
If the course is very short it might not be worth the possible upset. On the other hand if the course is of great length in a closed in environment it may be essential to take action. What action? Again this would be dependent on the person, what sort of relationship you have developed with them...it is best if you can approach the issue as a friend rather than the course leader.
I was offered one solution to this perennial problem just last week when a student came in to talk about her 'disability'. Seems she has suffered from Chronic Fatigue for a long time and now has a very strong chemical sensitivity.... so much so that she has to leave lots of public places because of the deodorants and perfumes. One way a lecturer may broach the subject - over and above the suggested 'group norms' activities at the start of a course or reference to some Institute's Code of Conduct - might be to raise the somewhat more positive idea that some in the class may have chemical sensitivities and "would the rest of the class be mindful of their 'pungency.'" Of course it could all backfire horribly if the whole group stops wearing deodorant in sympathy and they all smell whiffy!
Most students are attending to gain skills to get a job. If they stink no skills they have learnt from us are going to get them that job!
I am teaching apprentice chefs. The OHSS and Hygiene act in food preparation is certainly supporting me as a teacher in one of these situations.
We deal with it as a learning exercise. Our students learn in a Practice Firm environment and we run a 'staff development' on 'Appropriate Office Attire'. This generally brings out the excessive perfume issue as well as BO together with mini skirts, bare midriffs and footwear.
Wow, there must really be a lot of stinkers out there! Maybe I could start a separate website: 'On-the-nose Online'.
Scenario: The late student
You can set your watch by this student… they will come to class 10 minutes late almost every day and always be the last student back from breaks. Their lateness usually means a request to repeat instructions or explain what they have missed. Coming late and leaving early is more of an irritation than disruptive to other students but the perverse consistency of the behaviour means I have lost a lot of tolerance in dealing with requests for assistance and am indignant about it. This is not how I wish to respond. What can you suggest?
Suggestions and comments
When I taught ESL, my adult learners came in dribs and drabs. After much discussion, I found out that they thought this was perfectly acceptable as they were adults and weren't to be dictated to by a bells and whistles approach. Finally I planned my lessons so that the first fifteen minutes or so were useful revision. That meant condensing the class somewhat.
Don't get yourself too hung up over it and neither will your class. Carry on as normal. If latecomers interrupt, tell them to catch up with a classmate.
At the commencement of the course, I ask the group to set their own ground rules.
If you give them the missed information, they have no reason to modify their behaviour. Expect the student to find out for themselves what they missed, or [initially!!] expect the student to stay back for ten minutes to get the briefing then!... wouldn't happen more than once!
I would ask if they have a problem with the start times as possibly other arrangements could be made if they suited the rest of the class. Then I would explain that their lateness is also affecting the rest of the class and the course. From here I would explain that from now on we will be starting on time and if anyone is late then this will need to be caught up in their own time. I now establish class guidelines with all students in the first class.
At the start of the term guidelines are set by the students. These include lateness, missing classes and mobile phones. The students decide what will be the consequence.
During the first break pull them aside and explain the impact they have on the rest of the group. Let them know you won't tolerate this behaviour and let them know if it continues they will not be able to attend.
I had a group of trainees who would regularly arrive after a pub crawl... very late and of course hardly in a mood to concentrate on anything other than more jokes. Talk about disruption! I became somewhat desperate and consulted my head of department... He suggested that I set the class a short test/quiz at the start of every session, and make these assessable activities (eg each one worth say 5%). These activities would be marked and solutions shown on the spot. This worked like a charm!!! In addition to punctuality and disciplinary issues, this technique also solved the problems that the students had with some tricky topics - good trick for revision, activity and immediate feedback.
Having the serial latecomer document her/his reasons for lateness may help. It would certainly help to have her/him focus on the problem and provide some evidence for further counselling.
Ignore them when they come in late. If they interrupt to ask instructions, remind them that as explained last time, you won't be repeating them. Continue on with the rest of the class. Be firm and consistent. Leave it with them to resolve.
We have introduced some basic housekeeping rules set down by class members. The irritating things like coming in late, use of mobile phones, etc have been identified. The penalty established by one class was a donation to a designated charity for late comers...it's a start!
I think a little bit of latitude is always necessary for late students - the first time they're late I'm understanding but explain to them that I won't be able to catch them up until we do an exercise and only after I have helped those who were there on time.
I have successfully used peer pressure. Early on in the course I make a bit of a joke of the person who comes back late from the break - I shut the door and tell everyone: "make sure you say 'tsk, tsk, tsk' when they FINALLY come in", then I start the class. Usually we then forget about the late person - until they open the door a few moments later and a couple of the students remember and say 'tsk, tsk, tsk'. Everyone then laughs (in a nice way) and we get on with the class.
Humour can be a great way to make a point without being heavy handed
At OTEN (distance education), lateness takes a different shape. They enrol and then you don't hear from them in weeks. I find that regular reminders are great (a phone call, an email) to probe them into action.
Scenario: The generation gap
I have a class of mostly young adults and one middle-aged student. The younger students get on well with each other but there is increasing tension between themselves and the older student. She seems isolated from the class and the younger students don't have the inclination or skills to involve her in their group. She has suggested to me that she is wasting her time being here and is generally upset that the course does not meet her expectations. Any ideas?
Suggestions and comments
The teacher could set up activities in which all students need to communicate with each other. Students often don't have inclusive communication skills. Here is a valuable opportunity to give them some practise. Information gap activities are good here.
Maybe you as a teacher could try involving her a bit more. Maybe calling on her a bit more in class to answer questions or what not, just so she feels she is making a contribution.
I have a similar situation in my class. There is quite a lot of animosity towards the older student because of his perceived "superiority" over the younger students. I feel it is important to acknowledge someone's personal experience by involving that person in discussion and using their input to enrich the class experience. To reduce the bad feeling, the younger students are encouraged to participate, using the input of all the class, not just the older student's ideas or the teacher’s. I encourage the feeling that no matter what our past experiences are, we can all (esp. me) learn something new and try to separate the "old" us with the "new" us.
Scenario: Third hand reports
What are my responsibilities as a lecturer when a student sees me in private and reports of another student's distress at yet another student's 'concerning behaviours'? The reporting student is suggesting that 'her friend' is too intimidated to attend classes for fear she will be put in the same group with a male student she is uncomfortable about. There is no doubt that the male student is 'a little lacking in social skills' but nothing conspicuously unacceptable. Do I speak to 1, 2, or 3 students and what should I say?
Suggestions and comments
You would need to tell the student who has spoken to you to ask her shy friend to tell you of the problem.
Approach the "shy" student and ask her if she has anything she would like to discuss with you.
I would only act in some way if I got the request from the complainant.
I'd need the request from the complainant herself. Third hand reports are not always reliable.
Our Institute has an excellent EO Officer.
I would keep a close watch on the behaviour of the male student and then have a general discussion with the class about acceptable social behaviours both in and out of class.
Why not speak to her and assure her that you will not put her in a group with the other one?
Speak to the 'intimidated student' first. Explain that the problem has been brought to your attention by her friend and ask her to explain the problem in her own words. Ask her what she suggests could be done to resolve the problem. If it's something like 'tell him to stop ... ' you will need to speak to him and convince him that his behaviour is not acceptable, even if he (or you) thinks it's 'nothing'. If this doesn't work, speak to them together and let them air their differences while you act as mediator. Keep directing it back to them and the changes they may both have to make to resolve it - a compromise/agreement between the two of them must be reached.
I think it is important for all students to feel safe in the classroom therefore you should talk to the female student in distress and reassure her that you will not put her in the same group as the male student. Tell the ‘distressed’ student if she has any other concerns she may come and speak to you directly and you will do your best to make her feel comfortable. I would keep your eye on the male student, and thank the reporting student for addressing the problem
Contributors
Yolande White, Andrew Watson, Lindy Vanslooten, Carmen Vallis, Lenora Thaker, Mary Sutton, Angela Street, Christine Stapylton, Jo Solly, Ray Smith, Stephan Schmidt, Sally Poyzer, Shan Portelli, Claude Pogliani, Connie Papanikolaou, Robyn Oneill, Kay Mountford, Jeff Mee, Sue Mcshane, Ian Hutton, Louise Housden, Anne Hellou, Janet Harris, Caitlin Gordon, Chris Godwin, Bruce Enting, Lisa Dawson, Katie Crews, Maureen Connors, Betty Castine, Tony Carland, Anne Cameron, Gillian Aves, Kerry Archer
