How to Manage Student Behavior Without Really Trying

When first entering a community college classroom, many faculty members are shocked that students don’t act like “adults.” Even seasoned faculty members are sometimes flabbergasted by students’ behavior. Workshop participants gain a new perspective on student behavior, why students behave in certain ways, and how to respond to unprofessional classroom behavior.

By the end of this workshop, participants know or are able to:

• Identify expected professional behaviors for students already employed in their respective industries.
• Examine how to define expected behaviors in the classroom that are vague or general.
• Explore how culture, age, background, and other factors contribute to a different interpretation of professional behaviors.
• Identify current problematic learner behaviors, experiences dealing with those learner behaviors, and current management styles and strategies.
• Discuss how to identify at-risk students and analyze the relationship between learning barriers and classroom behavior.
• Learn effective strategies and principles for managing adult learner behavior in the classroom.
• Compare and contrast the aforementioned effective management strategies to their own individual strategies.
• Identify and use non-aggressive techniques to disarm potentially aggressive student behaviors and learn why some techniques may provoke students.
• Create written behavioral expectations designed to explain specifically desired behaviors, what undesired behaviors look like, and the results and consequences of each behavior.

About the Facilitator

Sean J. Glassberg, the recipient of the 2013 TYCA-Southeast Cowan Award for Teaching Excellence and the 2007 Professor of the Year at Horry Georgetown Technical College, has over 20 years of academic and professional experience, ranging from teaching English at community colleges and universities to training industry and technical professionals to become educators.

Coming from a family of educators has provided Sean with a solid foundation of best-teaching practices. His master's degree in Special Education and experience with children with disabilities have enabled Sean to respond to a wide spectrum of learners. His passion to help others in and out of the classroom led him to found Racers for Pacers, a non-profit organization with a mission to include children with disabilities in the running community.