1. Handling Distracting & Annoying Behavior In & Out Of The Classroom
Dr. Brian Van Brunt
Director of Counseling WKU
Laura Bennett, M.Ed
Student Conduct Officer at Harper

2. Understanding Motivation
Introduction
Button Pushing!
Understanding Motivation
Customer Service
Case 1. Student has grating, difficult personality
Case 2. Student fails to listen and follow instruction
Case 3. Student spends too much time in office space
Case 4. Student body odor has impact on classroom
Case 5. Student is late, unprepared and unmotivated
Central principals that will be explored will include:
How to be aware of your buttons and emotional reactions
Understanding motivation
Customer service model and classroom management
Caring limit setting
Creative problem solving
Caring Limit Setting
Creative Problem Solving

3. Introduction
Welcome to the third of a three-part series addressing student behavior in and out of the classroom:
(1) Dangerous
Disruptive
Distracting/Annoying
Annoying
Disruptive
Dangerous
Through a series of case scenarios and practical advice, we will share with you useful tools needed to identify, intervene and manage annoying student behaviors.

4. Introduction Annoying Behaviors:
Student is restless during community programs and lectures
Student monopolizes staff/faculty time
Student shows up late for class and is unprepared for the assignments being covered
Student texts during class
Student passes gas
Student calls office continually,
won’t be redirected

5. Introduction Annoying Communications:
Frequent asking of similar questions over and over again in class, doesn’t listen and comprehend, tunes out of conversations
Interrupting others and talking
about unrelated things
Student sends multiple s
with poor grammar and selfish tone within seconds
Challenges you publicly, threatens to sue you

6. Introduction Dangerous Behavior Examples Disruptive Behavior 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.”
Disruptive Behavior Examples
Student misuse of technology in the classroom.
Yelling/fighting
Poor personal hygiene/body odor that “significantly disrupts learning environment”
Sexual harassment

7. Button Pushing! Michelle
Michelle often talks to her friends in class and comes unprepared for class discussions and quizzes.
She often participates in classroom discussion, but her comments are off-topic and ill-informed.
She talks back to the instructor in class and in her office and says, “I’m paying your salary. So you just stand up there and teach. Don’t worry about what I’m doing. You worry about yourself.”

8. Button Pushing! As the instructor, what bothers you most?
Lack of being prepared for class
The way her behaviors can frustrate others in the classroom
Rude communication with the professor
Wasted time on classroom management, taking away from content instructional time
Lack of participation and then when she does participate it is ill-informed and off-topic
The admissions department and the students they seem to be admitting to your college

9. Button Pushing! Where do we start?
Identify the things students do that
Push your buttons
Get under your skin
Make you see red
Drive you to reactive, rather than preventative solutions
Keep you up at night

10. Button Pushing! Where does this come from? Why do we get upset?
Differences from your college experiences
Frustration that you behaved well, why can’t your students do the same? (“In my day…”)
Early family expectations around behavior, authority, performance and respect
Overworked, overstressed, overwhelmed
Don’t bring your “A” game
Sense of unfairness for other students

11. Button Pushing! What do you do?
Take a deep breath, collect your thoughts
Don’t feel pressured to solve problem ‘on the fly’
Take each situation as a learning opportunity
Identify tendency to over-generalize or draw assumptions without evidence
Don’t expect perfection, 2 steps forward, 1 back
Understand Change Theory*

12. Prochaska and DiClemente’s
Button Pushing!
Prochaska and DiClemente’s
Change Theory

13. Understanding Motivation
Kyle
Kyle has a grating personality that tends to frustrate and annoy those who spend time around him. He makes off-color and immature jokes that often fall flat. He wears clothing with writing all over it and he exhibits odd behaviors such as tapping and kissing his gloves and notebook.
Few people can stand to spend time with Kyle. He drives potential friends away, frustrates his professors with off-topic questions and has difficulty getting along with other students in the dining hall and dormitory.

14. Understanding Motivation
As a staff member, what bothers you most?
The difficulty trying to change a student like Kyle who is likely set in his ways
The fact that your suggestion didn’t work and Kyle repeated the behavior
The teasing that likely is occurring from other students
Kyle distracting the instructor from his lesson plans and taking learning opportunities away from the other students
Kyle's parents sent him to college without the skills to be successful

15. Understanding Motivation
Why is understanding motivation important?
When we know why, we can better tailor and adjust our interventions to be more effective to address the problem at hand
When we assume motivation that isn’t accurate, we run the risk of using an intervention that doesn’t work
Keep in mind: Understanding motivation doesn’t mean not addressing the situation!

16. Understanding Motivation
Why does Kyle behave this way?
He may have a developmental disorder like Asperger’s and has little control over how he approaches other students
He may have a history of being picked on, teased and bullied, he tried to cope by making friends
He may come from a small, introverted family and doesn’t have much experience in social settings
He may be self-centered, narcissistic and entitled

17. Understanding Motivation
How does this impact our intervention?
(Asperger’s): Soft referral to ADA, social skills training, counseling, accommodations
(Bullied): Counseling support, awareness of teasing in classroom, connect to support clubs, organizations
(Introverted): Create opportunities for success, encourage positive social connection
(Self-centered): Firmer limit setting and setting expectations

18. Understanding Motivation
How doesn’t this impact our intervention?
Conversation with student still needed
Feedback needs to be provided
A plan of action and resources to promote success need to be offered
Articulation of consequences of non-compliance still need to be communicated

19. Customer Service Susan
Once a semester, Susan calls the financial aid office looking for answers about financial aid. Her phone messages and demeanor are rambling, and the staff rarely understand her.
Only one staff member seems to be able to effectively redirect her. The others find her behavior odd and refuse to deal with her.
When Susan can’t resolve her issues, her mother gets involved. Susan’s mother is even more difficult to deal with, as she tends to escalate the situation.

20. Customer Service As the office staff, what bothers you most?
Annoyed that this seems to happen every semester
Frustrated to deal with both Susan and her mom
Frustrated that only one person is able to redirect her/assist her
Annoyed that Susan is still in school
Aggravated that Susan doesn’t take
responsibility for her own behavior

21. Customer Service What are the basic tenets of customer service?
Make an attempt to understand the reasons behind the concerning behavior.
Seek to be educational in conversations
Offer kindness and respect
Treat student how you want to be treated in a similar situation
Help the student solve the
problems or get information

22. Customer Service What are some limitations?
While it can be challenging and difficult to have these conversations, it is important to set limits with students if their behavior is of concern
Customer service in higher education does not translate to “the customer is always right.” You have rights in the workplace, and your campus has processes for addressing certain things
Everything we do has a developmentally focused educational component

23. Customer Service Narrative Therapy: Reframing
Narrative therapy introduces the concepts of helping students see their stories from a different perspective
The story doesn’t change, but how they think about it is shifted

24. Customer Service Narrative Therapy: Reframing
A student comes back to school later in life and struggles with his workload and computer skills. He doesn’t think he has the skills to make it.
Many don’t have the courage to complete school later in life. With a little extra work, they can be successful.

25. Customer Service
Helping students understand failure, difficulty and challenge as part of their journey in college is essential
Too often, students see failure as final and a sign of weakness, rather than a lesson
J.K. Rowling said at a Harvard 2008 commencement address, “It is impossible to live without failing at something."

27. Customer Service Encourage students to not dwell on failure
See challenges as something to learn from
Be connected to those who support positive choices, not negative ones
Expect challenges to occur; perfection isn’t a goal
Talk to parents and others about past failures
Assess where the student’s
energy is going; focus on successes
and build from those

28. Caring Limit Setting Jonathan
Jonathan comes to the Dean of Students’ office on a daily basis. After he had an issue that he received help with, he finds that the office staff are helpful and supportive.
Jonathan doesn’t have a lot of friends and feels like the Dean of Students’ staff listen to him. He often spends 45 minutes at a time talking to the reception staff. He makes appointments with the Dean every few days and doesn’t usually have much substance to discuss, at least according to the Dean.
No one wants to hurt his feelings, but they are frustrated.
Teachable moments

29. Caring Limit Setting What bothers you most?
Jonathan is nice, but annoying
Having to be the bad guy
“Clingy” students
Discomfort about approaching the conversation
Not sure what you can do because you don’t want to refer to conduct
Teachable moments

30. Caring Limit Setting Why is limit setting important?
People rise to the level of your expectations
If you are a teacher, remember the student usually has several teachers in a given semester
We all have different pet peeves – if a student doesn’t know what yours are, he/she can’t avoid them
You will sleep better
If a student doesn’t know what he/she is doing wrong, the behavior won’t change

31. Caring Limit Setting How to set limits well
Establish rapport using your strengths
Be real in your approach, not on a pedestal
Align yourself with the student, articulating why you care and how this conversation promotes success
Describe the behavior – use specific examples
Describe the impacts of the behavior
Listen to the student’s perspective and motivation

32. Caring Limit Setting How to set limits well
Describe what appropriate behavior looks like
Offer resources and ways you can be supportive
Discuss a plan of action
Describe consequences for non-compliance
Summarize the conversation
Follow up in writing

33. Creative Problem Solving
Dino
Dino is late to almost every class. He explains he has trouble getting up because he works the late shift at the factory and tries to sleep before class.
Dino shares with the professor he is struggling to keep up with the technology in class like checking , sending in papers as an attachment and using cut and past on the online discussion forum.
Dino shares, “I was promised the school would work with me on these kind of things. I’m not some 18 year old kid who lives on Facebook. I have a family to keep up with and a job. I need a little understanding and some help.”
documentation

34. Creative Problem Solving
As the instructor, what bothers you most?
Dino is trying to do too much and should take some time off of school
He expects you to solve his problems for him
Dino hasn’t taken any initiative on his own to seek out technology help or tutoring
You don’t have time to deal with Dino and his problems while keeping up with all of your other students
Dino is older and should have gotten this information before
documentation

35. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Creative Problem Solving
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Pre‐contemplation: At this stage, the student is unaware that there is a problem and hasn’t thought much about change
Dino: Dino may have been at this stage before the semester started when he thought about going back to school with a family, job and technology challenges

36. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Creative Problem Solving
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Pre‐contemplation Contemplation
Do not provide information (flyers/brochures)
Do not offer advice or direct feedback for change
Engage in open-ended questions; clarify mixed messages (Columbo)
Encourage student to explore and talk about their attitudes and beliefs without assumptions
Be a supportive listener, don’t offer answers or pressure to change

37. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Creative Problem Solving
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Contemplation: The student has thought about change and is getting ready for movement in the near future. The student realizes their current behavior is not in their best interest, but is not yet ready to begin their plan to change
Dino: Dino may realize now that things are not going well. He has been falling behind in his work (online forum) and he is aware the instructor is not happy with his attendance problems

38. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Creative Problem Solving
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Contemplation  Preparation for Action
Provide passive information (flyers/brochures)
Suggest “next-step” resources
Continue to engage in open-ended questions
Talk about fears and worries they have about changing their behavior
Be a supportive listener
Encourage and inspire hope for change

39. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Creative Problem Solving
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Preparation for Action: In this stage, the student is aware of a problem and is ready to actively create goals to address the problems in his life.
Dino: Dino might be at the cusp of this stage. He might be willing to try some new ideas (tutoring, technology help, talking to someone in counseling about his stress, meeting with other non-trad students). Be careful about jumping too quickly to this stage of change.

40. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Creative Problem Solving
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Preparation for Action  Action
Encourage and support
Expect obstacles and roadblocks
Be supportive in ways that encourage good choices and success as they begin to change
Talk about fears and worries they have about being successful
Redefine failure
Encourage and inspire hope for change

41. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Creative Problem Solving
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Action: This stage of change is where the student puts their plans into action in order to change behavior.
Dino: Assuming Dino is ready for change and begins to access tutoring, learn some new technology and better manage his stress; it is still likely he will struggle with making all of these changes successfully the first time out

42. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Creative Problem Solving
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Action  Maintenance and Relapse Prevention
Encourage and support
Have realistic understand of “two steps forward, one step back”
Help analyze what worked and what didn’t
Be creative about ways to adjust plan
Encourage to try, try again
Itsy-Bitsy spider

43. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Creative Problem Solving
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Change Theory
Maintenance and Relapse Prevention: Here the goal is to continue successful plans and repeat those action steps that work, while adjusting things that don’t.
Dino: The plan for Dino to improve attendance, learn how to use the discussion board and better manage his stress has worked and is either being maintained or slipping. The student is likely getting positive and negative feedback from others.

44. Our Member’s Motivational Task
Dino’s Stage of Change
Our Member’s Motivational Task
Pre-contemplation
Raise doubt; increase their perception of risk and problems with current behavior
Contemplation
Help student head towards change out of their current ambivalence; help them identify risk for not changing; strengthen self-efficacy for changing current behavior
Preparation for Action
Help the student identify and select the best initial course of action; reinforce movement in this direction
Action
Help the student take steps towards change; provide encouragement and praise
Maintenance & Relapse
Teach student relapse prevention skills

45. Tips
Read your Student Code of Conduct and base syllabus language/office expectations off that
Meet with your Student Conduct staff and discuss the campus thresholds for formally reporting annoying vs. disruptive behaviors
Develop a detailed syllabus and spend time talking through it
Address behaviors in the moment

46. Tips
Develop relationships with students so that the first conversation isn’t a “bad one”
Learn how to describe behaviors objectively and be consistent in your approach
Keep good documentation
Invest time in solutions, not in complaining
Give yourself permission to feel uncomfortable, not to be evasive

47. Summary Things to do when working with annoying students
Listen and align with the student to promote success
Address the behavior, but support the person
Don’t assume students “know better” based on their gender, age, grades, or any other quality
Address low-level behaviors before they become a problem
Don’t assume you can pass off an issue to your conduct staff or BIT – usually you are the best one to address the behavior through a conversation with the student

48. A Final Thought Remember: Students have a right to be odd
Students rise to the level of your expectations…
Or they may make your next decision an easy one

49. Questions? Brian Van Brunt Laura Bennett