II. Interacting With Students

Students with Difficulties

Classes in the ampitheater are popular on pleasant days.

Students may come to you with not only academic, but also personal problems. In all situations, know your limits; you are (most likely) not a trained psychologist, and you should not assume a counseling responsibility. You can, however, be a concerned helper or provide a referral when professional assistance is warranted. If you are unsure about how to help, contact the Counseling and Psychological Services Center (CAPS). No matter what type of difficulty the student is experiencing- academic, personal, or substance abuse-related- you need to follow up to see whether the problem has been addressed, thus reaffirming your concern for the student. A note in your appointment book will help you remember.

Academic Difficulties

One of our most challenging yet satisfying jobs as teachers involves helping students succeed in learning a subject even when they have substantial difficulties. When students approach you with concerns (or when you approach students), first identify the scope of the problem. Is the student having difficulty in your class only or in other classes as well? Does the student have problems with your class in general or only with specific aspects of your class: for example, does the student do well on tests, but writes poor papers? Once you identify the boundaries of the problem, take appropriate steps such as those outlined below:

A student having difficulties in several classes should be in contact with the appropriate academic advisor and association dean (for College students). If you want to help directly, consider these ideas:

• Has the student taken on too much: too many credit hours, too many extracurricular activities, too demanding a job? If so, help the student identify something to put on hold or eliminate.
  
  
• Help the student manage time efficiently (see "Time Management").

If the student is having trouble in your class in particular:

• Work with the student individually for at least half an hour, asking specific questions about material covered recently and not so recently. Ask probing questions about how and when the student studies and what parts of the course are most difficult. Look for signs of emotional distress or a specific learning disability (see "Teaching Students with Disabilities").
  
  
• Ascertain whether the student has adequate background in the subject or should be enrolled in a prerequisite or lower-level course.
  
  
• If the student has trouble solving problems, you need to discover the source(s) of the difficulty, even though simply having the solution may seem the student's goal. Students cannot solve problems for a variety of reasons; if your course involves much problem solving, familiarize yourself with the sources and types of problem-solving errors below.
  
  
• If the student's difficulties emerge primarily on tests, look for a pattern in the incorrect items. Are they mostly from the reading, the lecture, or discussion or lab section? Do errors appear in multiple-choice items or essays? Does the student repeatedly run out of time? Use test results and students' performance to redirect your methodology, your directions, or your explanations when necessary.
  
  
  • If responses to course reading are problematic, ask to see the student's textbook; if in-class information has been misunderstood, check class notes. Do the student's highlighting and note-taking indicate awareness of what information is essential and what is peripheral?
    
    
  • If multiple-choice questions are troublesome, make sure the student is reading all the items and can distinguish among distractors.
    
    
  • If essays are the problem, can the student identify major themes and relate them to each other and to broader issues? If not, you can help develop these skills by soliciting a two- or three-sentence description of themes following each lecture, discussion, or reading assignment.
    
    
  • If a student always runs out of time, he or she may not have sufficient command of the material to summarize facts quickly, or may previously have been rewarded for verbosity rather than conciseness, or may have a learning disability that slows processing time. If, during your conversation, you find that the student grasps the subject matter, contemplate the possibility of a specific processing problem (see "Teaching Students with Disabilities"). If the student's test tells you everything known about the subject, show how to improve the answer, or provide sample answers that present necessary information concisely.
    
    
• If the student's difficulties emerge primarily on writing assignments, investigate whether the student has misunderstood the assignment or has more general writing/ research deficiencies. Ask for a description of the assignment in the student's own words. The student can perhaps write well but is unaware of your expectations; if so, evaluate your instructions. For example, if you expect a logical argument, explicitly state, "This assignment requires a logical argument," and explain what that involves (a clarification that is often necessary in lower-level courses). Some students do not transfer skills learned in writing classes to other disciplines: One student responded to instructions to "tell me what you're going to tell me, tell me, and then tell me what you have told me" with, "Oh, I do that all the time for my English papers. I didn't know that's what you wanted."

If the student has not misunderstood the assignment, try to determine whether the difficulties result from deficiencies in research, organizational, or grammatical skills. A student with poor research skills may not know where to find material, how to use the required reference system, or how much material is expected. A student who has problems organizing may not know how to develop an idea, what types of questions to ask, or what constitutes adequate support or refutations. To help, require outlines of subsequent papers before final drafts, and recommend the Writing Center (924-6678) and/or another writing course.

• If you are dissatisfied with students' class participation, determine confidentially what's holding them back. Most often they will tell you: they are shy, they don't like to discuss or, perhaps, their cultural heritage discourages such activity. For instance, some Asian and Arab women believe it rude to meet the eyes of an authority figure. Your teaching style may inadvertently put off some students, particularly those of the opposite gender. For example, a non-confrontational style of interaction can offend some men, who interpret a blanket acceptance of their comments as an insult, believing that a quality comment demands a counter-comment. Similarly, some women may hesitate to risk potential humiliation from a teacher who employs the more confrontational approach on which some people thrive (Tannen, 1991).

When students don't participate, ask them individually how you can help. Some students speak comfortably in class when called upon or when giving a scheduled presentation, but hesitate to volunteer. If skills related to oral participation are mandatory for your course or for individual students' future careers (for business/marketing majors, for instance), help your students develop them.
If oral participation skills are not essential, encourage students to be active in class in other ways: for example, by submitting potential discussion topics a few days prior to class or by preparing for classmates a written summary of the pros and cons of a controversial topic. Students who approach you about this problem are generally eager to find solutions.
When problems seem serious, consider referring the student to the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center for help. If in doubt, call LNEC (243-5180).

I continue to seek a balance between telling students things and asking students to make discoveries themselves, between asserting my control and allowing students to take genuine responsibility for what occurs in the classroom.

—Jessica Feldman, English

Personal Difficulties

Students who solicit your help with personal difficulties do so because they trust you and believe that you care enough to listen. Often, good listening is sufficient to help students toward their own solutions. Here are some tips to help you be an effective listener while still maintaining an appropriate teacher-student relationship:

• Clarify your role as instructor, not counselor. Whenever students or teachers disclose personal information, role conflicts may occur. If the student sees you as an authority figure, you may feel obliged to give advice, advice that may be unwanted or not in the student's best interest. If the student sees you as a peer, you might find it difficult to act objectively as a teacher/ evaluator.
  
  
• Don't pry. Let the student decide how much to reveal about the problem.
  
  
• Clarify the concerns. After the student has described the problem, rephrase the main aspects of the situation, helping the student define primary concerns.
  
  
• Offer support. Often rephrasing the emotions the student has expressed (either explicitly or implicitly) is enough to let the student feel heard, understood, and supported: for example, "So you are feeling betrayed by your roommate?" Other situations merit more explicit expressions of your regard for the student and your perceptions of the student's competence.
  
  
• Help the student generate potential courses of action and select possible solutions. When a student seems unable to generate plausible solutions, suggest some as a model; but do not assume responsibility for choosing a solution. Remember that the best helpers help students help themselves.
  
  
• Be sensitive about referrals. To some people, the suggestion that they see a professional counselor is stigmatizing. Demystify the process by emphasizing that recognizing one's need for help is a sign of strength, not weakness, and by explaining that many people seek counseling occasionally. If a student seems ambivalent about making an appointment, simplify the procedure by writing down the phone number of the Office of the Dean of Students, Counseling and Psychological Services, or Learning Needs and Evaluation Center, or by telephoning yourself for basic information.

Sexual Harassment or Assault

Both male and female students can become victims of sexual harassment. Although you cannot always foresee when a topic will touch on a sensitive subject, it is important to be aware that a student's emotional reaction to seemingly innocuous classroom discussions can be the result of traumatic past experiences.
A student who has experienced significant trauma, either in the past or recently, or been the victim of sexual harassment, may seek you out for advice and/or support. Although, as noted above, you are probably not qualified as a counselor in such situations, you can have a significant impact as a listener or referral source. The following are a few suggestions for handling such situations:

• In the case of sexual harassment, reassure the student that the University has a policy prohibiting sexual harassment and that the victim's wishes as to how to handle the situation will be taken into account. The Equal Opportunity Programs Office or the Sexual Assault Education Office can provide detailed information on how to file a complaint either on or off-Grounds. Filing a formal complaint will allow the University to take action against the harasser, if appropriate, and can protect others from experiencing the same behavior. Persons who file a complaint in good faith are protected from retaliation.
  
  
• Express your willingness to listen non-judgmentally and assist in any way you can.
  
  
• Determine whether or not immediate action needs to be taken; does the student feel in danger? Is medical attention necessary? This is a priority if the assault was recent.
  
• Listen without suggesting explanations or providing excuses. Validate feelings. Say: "That must be hard to talk about…."
  
  
• Avoid making decisions even if the student seems confused. Ask questions about what he or she would like to have done. In the case of harassment, suggest steps they can take to make it clear the behavior is unwelcome and that it should stop. Be flexible and supportive if work or class performance has been affected.
  
  
• Follow up to see if the situation persists or has been repeated.

Substance Abuse Problems

Alcohol or drug abuse can, of course, seriously affect students' academic progress as well as their personal well-being. As an instructor interested in educating the entire person, you have an important role to play should you suspect that a student has a substance abuse problem. You can help that student receive crucial help. How do you know that one of your students needs help with a substance abuse problem? Although a student's roommate or friend might approach you, most likely the student's classroom behavior will alert you to abuse if you know the signals and pay attention to them. "Red flags" include tardiness, multiple absences, inconsistent performance, talk of substance use or abuse in class, apparent loss of ethical values, overreaction in ambiguous situations, and behavior that is grandiose, aggressive, belligerent, or passive and withdrawn. If you suspect that a student is abusing a controlled substance, you should do the following:

• Become knowledgeable by calling the Institute for Substance Abuse Studies (924-5276) and/or the Office of Health Promotion (924-1509), and help the student's roommates and friends who have approached you become knowledgeable. We cannot begin to tell you here everything you should know.
  
  
• Don't assume that someone else will do something. Others may be thinking the same thing. Moreover, the student may need to be confronted several times before recognizing or admitting a problem.
  
  
• If you confront a student, be nonjudgmental but persistent. Stick to observable facts and show you 20 care. Use "I" statements rather than "you" statements: say, "I am concerned about you," not "You are ruining your life."
  
  
• Never "enable" by giving extensions, allowing make-up tests, or sparing the student the consequences of the abuse.
  
  
• In the unlikely event that a student approaches you to discuss a substance abuse problem, make a referral. Encourage a visit to either Student Health or the Counseling and Psychological Service Center (CAPS).

For more details, see the brochure "Recognizing and Assisting Students in Distress: A Guide for Faculty and Teaching Assistants."

Discussing Alcohol with Students

In recent years the University has taken steps to reduce the prevalence of abusive drinking on Grounds, including initiating the University-wide Task Force on Alcohol Abuse (1997-8). The problem is in some part perpetuated by a tradition and culture that condones excessive drinking habits. As a faculty member or teaching assistant you can foster responsible attitudes toward alcohol use and avoid inadvertently enabling the "drinking culture" through your own behavior and language. Here are some suggestions:

• Whenever possible, encourage student participation in cultural, non-alcohol-related activities in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area.
  
  
• Suggest meetings at coffeehouses on the Corner (University Avenue) rather than at bars.
  
  
• Bear in mind that even casual remarks, such as that all students "party," can serve to normalize alcohol use by reinforcing the misperception that "everyone drinks anyhow." Not every student engages in excessive or risky drinking behavior, and a significant minority of students do not drink at all. Blanket statements dismissing students as irresponsible drinkers support those who are and alienate those who use alcohol in moderation or not at all.
  
  
• In the classroom, use serious situations as teachable moments, incorporating alcohol-related issues into the class discussion when appropriate. Active debate allows students to explore and evaluate their own attitudes toward alcohol use. At the same time, stress that alcohol is a drug and the consequences of misusing it are often harmful.

Students really want their instructors to succeed, to be engaging, humorous, wise, and informative. They will do everything within their power to draw these qualities out of us if given some indication that these qualities are there to be tapped.

—Dennis Proffitt, Psychology