Dealing with Tense or Confrontational Situations in Post-Secondary Classrooms

Notes from Teaching and Learning Open Forum - January 2010

Questions/Issues
1. What provokes confrontational behaviour in the classroom?
2. What are the issues of "power" in the classroom and how do they lead to tense or confrontational situations?
3. What do we, as teachers, do with student anger in the classroom (especially when it is not directly related to us or our teaching)?

Actions/Strategies/Ideas
Gauge the temperature of the classroom on a regular basis
Recognize where students in our classes are coming from and what their various reasons are for being there (highschool, lost jobs, WSIB, etc.)
Set boundaries in a friendly and fair way - many students want/need them
Acknowledge that the teacher can be perceived as holding a position of power and that can generate unintended responses
Consider how our culture has cultivated "freedom of expression" and that many of the ways this is playing out are not personal

Follow-Up
What are the diverse mindsets in the classroom and how might these lead to tense and/or confrontational situations?
What are strategies teachers can use to diffuse tension before it leads to confrontational situations?