how to handle disruptive & dangerous behavior: 10 innovative approaches to addressing mental...

HOW TO HANDLE DISRUPTIVE & DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR: 10 INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ON CAMPUS

Dr. Brian Van BruntSenior VP of Professional

Program Development [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Introduction

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Confidence, Humility &Timing

Grace & Mercy; Awareness

Consult & Exert Control

Active Listening, Clarify, Know Thyself

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• Vignettes from seasoned faculty that provide thoughtful reflections and advice from everyday experience

• Research-based suggestions and intervention techniques to help faculty better assess, intervene, and manage difficult behavior

• Coverage of special populations, including nontraditional, veteran, and millennial students

• Discussion of the latest laws and regulations that should affect and inform faculty’s decisions

Introduction

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Today, I will review the following 10 practical approaches to better manage disruptive and dangerous

mental health behavior in the classroom

Disruptive Dangerous

Introduction

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Disruptive Examples

• Misuse of technology in the classroom, such as watching loud videos on a laptop or cell phone ringing repeatedly

• Body odor or passing gas that affects the learning environment• Use of alcohol or other substances • Getting up frequently or kicking other students’ desks• Frequent interruption of professor while talking and asking of

non-relevant, off-topic questions, after told directly to stop• Repeated crosstalk or carrying on side conversations while the

professor is speaking• Raising voice at classmates or instructor • Emotional outbursts or other extreme communications in the

waiting room of a campus office that significantly affects others

Introduction

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Dangerous Examples

• Physical assault such as pushing, shoving or punching• Throwing objects or slamming doors • Storming out of the classroom or office when upset• Direct communicated threat to professor, staff or another

student such as: “I am going to kick your ass” or “If you say that again, I will end you.”

• Bullying behavior focused on students in the classroom• Conversations that are designed to upset other students such

as descriptions of weapons, killing or death• Psychotic, delusional or rambling speech• Objectifying language that depersonalizes the professor or

other students

Introduction

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Confidence, Humility & Timing

1. Confidence• Imagine you are driving in an unfamiliar city. You have

a general understanding of where you are going, but lack the on-the-ground familiarity to remember landmarks, look at your map and retain more than one or two segments of the trip.

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1. Confidence• In this kind of situation, trying to also appreciate the

landscape of the city or the diversity of the people are far from your mind. Finding the next stop sign or the turn sign that indicates where to get back onto the highway takes up all of your attention and focus.

• It can be the same for a new professor in the classroom or an instructor teaching new material for the first time. The more they are focused on the content, the less they are focused on the management of the overall classroom.

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1. Confidence• It brings up the image of that old Billy Joel song, The

Entertainer. • Simply put, professors who “entertain” their students

while teaching the materials are more effective, receive higher marks on course evaluations and, in our subjective experience, tend to be more satisfied with their role as a teacher and in their interactions with their students.

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Confidence, Humility and Timing

1. Confidence• We’re not suggesting that professors should just be

entertaining, you know, like a clown juggling balls in order for students to behave well.

• We are suggesting educators who know their classroom material well and share it with their students in an creative and interesting manner often spend less time dealing with classroom disruptions since many of the students are focused on the content of the class.

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• Being an educator carries with it an element of responsibility and respect for the learning process.

• Insulting students, not communicating around grades and generally taking a holier-than-thou, arrogant stance is not only ‘karmicly’ a horrible way to exist in the world; it also increases the risk of violence in the classroom.

• Be a reed in the wind.

2. Humility

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3. Timing• Like a good stand up comedian, ‘timing is everything.’

This also applies to classroom management.

• Choosing the right time to handle a disruptive student can make all the difference in how they hear and, hopefully, internalize the message.

• Timing is important when we feel a pressure to address an issue immediately rather than developing a more thoughtful and measured approach.

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3. Timing• “I want to talk to you more about this after class or at

the next free time we both have available.”

• “What you have to say is important and I want to make sure I understand it. Right now, I feel distracted and focused on getting through my lecture. I would rather talk later when I can give you my full attention in a private setting.”

• “I can see that you are upset and I’m starting to feel a little upset as well. Let’s hold onto this until after class when we can both talk about your concern.”

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Share an example where confidence, humility or timing played a part in successfully navigating a disruptive or dangerous mental health crisis in the classroom.

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4. Grace & Mercy• Our admonition to those working with disruptive,

frustrating or annoying students is to understand the strength and power inherent in the demonstration of grace and mercy when encountering those who try our patience, and to behave in a way that demands a caring, developmentally appropriate corrective action.

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4. Grace & Mercy• Perhaps there is also an argument here for treating

students fairly. By this we mean following that golden rule and treating them how you would like to be treated in a similar situation.

• The issue is not one of giving them what they deserve, but instead offering them an opportunity to climb their way back out of a hole they have dug themselves into. Perhaps it would help to recall times in our own scholarship and schooling where professors shared some of this grace and mercy with us.

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Can grace and mercy go too far in the classroom? Discuss where these concepts can become enabling to negative behaviors.

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5. Awareness• Instructors should adopt this same approach to being

aware, alert and watchful with their classes.

• They should look for disruptive and potential dangerous behavior and be curious about the potential motivation and factors that are contributing to making the situation worse.

• For example:

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Awareness

• Why is a student always getting into arguments?

• What might you be able to do to get ahead of this problem? Maybe you could talk to them after class about their perspective. Then again, maybe they just come from a family that argues a lot and that is normal for them, even though you may have never argued in your family. This might just be a matter of perspective.

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5. Awareness

• You wonder if the student is having some kind of emotional problem.

• They seem really sad and withdrawn from the rest of the class. You go to check in on them and see if you can’t refer them to counseling services. You think you should be careful though, maybe they are just being quiet.

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5. Awareness

• The student seems to get teased frequently in your class and seems lost with much of the material you are covering.

• You wonder if there is some kind of learning problem here that is preventing them from understanding what is going on. Then again, they might just not be putting the effort into studying when they aren’t in class. Either way, you are going to talk to them after class and see if you can’t offer some help.

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Share an example where a classroom management situation turned out to be more complicated and your awareness of other causes proved helpful.

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6. Active Listening• Listening is one of the most effective ways of de-

escalating a disruptive or dangerous student.

• The simple act of not talking and encouraging a student to share what they are upset about helps reduce the student’s desire to raise his voice, yell or become more frustrated with the situation happening around him. People yell when they are not feeling heard or understood.

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6. Active Listening• When an instructor takes the time to listen to a

student who is upset, it conveys the message that they are paying attention and reduces the student’s urge to escalate their behavior in order to be heard.

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6. Active Listening• If you have ever watched the TV show COPS, you are

familiar with the first step when the police show up to a domestic violence scene. One officer directs the guy in a ripped white t-shirt over to sit on the curb to tell his side of the story. The other officer talks with the wife at the kitchen table to listen to her version of the story. Like fire and gasoline, as soon as they get back together the couple is back at each other’s throats.

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7. Clarify• Setting clear expectations in your syllabus and during

your first class meeting can go a long way to head off disruptive behavior in the classroom.

• Each professor has their own personal feelings about what kind of classroom behavior they would like to see.

• Some become very upset at the idea of a student texting in class. Others find a baseball cap or hat worn in class to be disrespectful.

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7. Clarify• Some want students to raise their hands in class

before talking. Others encourage students to jump into conversations without raising their hand and being recognized.

• Help them know your answer to these questions:o What are your rules on attendance and

punctuality?o What about Academic Integrity issues?o Do you allow food in your classroom? o How do you handle frequent bathroom visits or

any getting up?

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7. Clarifyo Do you encourage students to interrupt the

lecture with questions or do you prefer them to wait until the end of class?

o How are students recognized? Do they “have the floor” or are you in control?

o Does gum chewing set your teeth on edge? o Is a quick glance at a cell phone permitted or seen

as a sign of disrespect? o Are cell phones allowed at all?

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7. Clarify• Spend the first class exploring:

o Why did you decide to take this class?o Is this a class for your major and future career or an

elective you have to take?o At the end of the semester, what standard would you

use to measure if this class was a good one?o What are some of the things past instructors have

done (no names, please) that have detracted from your learning?

o How do you learn best? What is your preferred learning style?

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7. Clarify

“You have signed up for a course in the sociology of deviance. This course contains some graphic visual material, questionable language and often will offend or challenge your comfort zone or worldview. Given the nature of the course, it’s likely we will have some impassioned debates and discussions. I would ask that during these times we focus on the issues at hand, be respectful to one another and avoid any personal attacks, raised voices or talking while someone else is making a point or expressing their opinion. The point of this class is to be challenged and learn new ways to see the world from a different perspective. The best way to accomplish this is through listening and respectful dialogue with others who see things differently.”

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8. Know Thyself• This popular Greek proverb was inscribed on the

Temple of Apollo at Delphi. While some see it as an admonition against boastful behavior exceeding what you have accomplished, it applies here for educators to understand how past experiences have effects on their current expectations in their classrooms.

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8. Know Thyself• What are your biases when it comes to expectations

for students’ behavior in your classroom?• Think about your own college and graduate school

experience. Who were some of your favorite professors? What qualities did they possess? What aspects of their approach to teaching and classroom management have you adopted?

• Who were some of your least favorite instructors? What qualities did they possess? What aspects of their approach to teaching and classroom management have you avoided in your own experience?

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8. Know Thyself• How was discipline and authority handled in your

early childhood experiences in your family? In what ways do these early messages inform your current expectations for your students’ behavior in your classroom?

• What are your feelings about the incoming class of first-year students at your institution? How do these feelings influence your teaching or classroom management style?

• Who are the most difficult students for you to work with in the classroom? What kinds of behaviors push your buttons?

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8. Know Thyself• What attitudes about classroom management come

from your institution and departmental colleagues? How do these shape your approach to teaching and classroom management?

• What students do you feel more connected to in your classroom? How do you treat them differently than the students you do not enjoy as much?

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Share an example where active listening, clarifying your expectations (either during a first class or in the syllabus) or knowing your personal ‘buttons’ played out in the classroom.

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9. Consult• The basic premise of all education centers on the idea

that we are always acquiring knowledge and learning new ways to approach the world we live in.

• Consider looking to other professionals and colleagues to see how they approach similar situations you may encounter in the classroom.

• This is essential for new professors to learn how to approach classroom management, as they have no past teaching experience to draw upon.

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10. Exert Control• In some extreme cases, a disruptive student resists

any attempt at a professor’s redirection or attempts to shift or end the argument.

• Like an individual who “trolls” and “flames” others on the Internet with inflammatory comments, the student looks for a public reaction and attention and will not be dissuaded or talked out of their prize.

• In these rare instances, the professor is left with only one real alternative: dismiss the class.

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