BEHAVIOR: Rambling- wandering around and off the subject. Using far-fetched examples or analogies.

POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Refocus attention by restating relevant point. Direct questions to group that is back on subject. Ask how topic relates to current topic being discusses. Use visual aids, begin to write on board. “Would you summarize the main point, please?” or “Are you asking about…?”

BEHAVIOR: Shyness or Silence – lack of participation

POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Change teaching strategies from group discussion to individual written exercises or pair discussion. Give strong positive reinforcement for any contribution. Involve by directly asking student a question that you know they can answer (set them up for success). Make eye contact and smile. Invite student to be a group leader. Ask student their opinion.

BEHAVIOR: Talkativeness – knowing everything, manipulation, chronic whining

POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Acknowledge comments made. Give limited time to express viewpoint or feelings, then move on (“OK, we’ll all whine for the next 30 seconds and then there is a moratorium on whining!”). Make eye contact with another student and move toward that person. Give the student attention during breaks. Say “That’s an interesting point. Let’s see what other people think.”

BEHAVIOR: Sharpshooting – trying to shoot you down or trip you up.

POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Admit that you do not know the answer and redirect the question to the group or individual who asked it. Acknowledge this is a joint learning experience. Ignore the behavior. Work to develop positive rapport with student.

BEHAVIOR: Heckling/arguing – disagreeing with everything you say, making personal attacks.

POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Redirect question to group or supportive individuals. Recognize participant’s feelings and move on. Acknowledge positive points. Say “I appreciate your comments, but I’d like to hear from others.” Or “It looks like we disagree on this point.” Work to develop positive rapport with student.

BEHAVIOR: Grandstanding – getting caught up in one’s own agenda or thoughts to the detriment of other learners.

POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Say “you are entitled to your own opinion, but now it’s time we moved on to another subject.” Or “Can you restate that as a question?” or “I’d like to hear more about that as we hike.”

BEHAVIOR: Overt hostility/resistance – angry, belligerent, or combative behavior

POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Hostility can be a mask for fear. Reframe hostility as fear to depersonalize it. Respond to the fear. Remain calm and polite. Keep your temper in check. Don’t disagree but build on or around what has been said. Move closer to the hostile person and maintain soft eye contact (don’t glare). Allow a graceful retreat away from the confrontation. Do not accept the premise or underlying assumptions if it is false or prejudicial (e.g. “If by “queer” you mean homosexual…”). Allow individual to solve the problem being addressed. He or she may not be able to offer solutions and will sometimes undermine his or her own position. Ignore behavior. Talk to him or her privately during a break. As a last resort, privately ask the individual to leave class for the good of the group and have adult escort them away.

BEHAVIOR: Whining or legitimate complaining

POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Help student understand that conditions won’t change (rain or snow, long hike, etc.). Validate his/her point and effort made thus far. Discuss the problem with student privately.

BEHAVIOR: Side conversations – may be related to subject or personal. Distracting group members and instructor.

POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Don’t embarrass talkers. Ask their opinion on topic being discussed. Casually move near talkers. Make eye contact with talkers. If behavior is continuous, have a private conversation with talkers during a break. Change the pace or activity level to re-engage talkers in the subject.