Questions Asked by Prospective Teachers Concerning Student Behavior

Regarding Cooperation Problems

PHY 311, Autumn 2000

ISU Physics Teacher Education Program

 

1. How can a beginning teacher minimize behavior problems during the first few days of school?

2. How much freedom should you allow in a class?

3. How do you maintain control in a relaxed atmosphere such as the lab period? Field trip?

4. How much of an undercurrent of talking should be permitted?

5, Do early morning classes tend to set the student's mood for the day?

6. Are discipline problems more likely in the morning or afternoon?

7. Is it too formal to use "Mr." or "Miss" in a high school class?

8. Do not the behavior problems encountered by a substitute teacher reflect the discipline of the regular teacher?

9. Should a student be sent from the room for misbehavior? To where?

10. Is it proper to use "friendly sarcasm"? Ridicule?

11. Should a test be used as a threat in order to elicit cooperation?

12. Should a teacher use harsh, angry voice at a minor offense?

13. Should a teacher permit a student to leave class to get forgotten material?

14. Should you ignore a troublemaker until you finally have to eject him?

15. Should assignments ever be given as punishment?

16. Is it proper to use embarrassment as a disciplinary procedure?

17. Should students be permitted to respond without raising hands?

18. Should a teacher threaten disciplinary action? If so, what kind of action?

19. Should a teacher raise his voice to secure attention? If not, how do it?

20. What should the teacher do if the work assignment is not done?

21. Is it best to seat bothersome students in front, close to the teacher?

22. How can students be prevented from doing homework during a lecture-discussion?

23. How do you stop students from "packing up" to leave before the class is ended.

24. How do you deal with the student who will not participate?

25. What can you do with the student who simply will not pay attention?

26. How should you treat a student who puts his head down on his desk for most of the period?

27. What can the young teacher do to prevent older high school students from being brash and outspoken? To prevent students from getting "chummy"?

28. Is it wise to call on a troublemaker to assist in a demonstration?

29. How can you handle the bright student who refuses to do a problem in the way suggested because he thinks his own way is more challenging?

30. How can you protect the student who is the scapegoat for his classmates?

31. What should you do about a student who makes personal remarks about the teacher in class?

32. What should a teacher do when a bright student challenges a statement and backs it up with material from another course, a) when the teacher is not sure of the answer, or b) if he is sure the student's information is incorrect?

33. How do you handle a student who deliberately violates a safety rule?

34. How can you instill confidence in shy students?

35. How should the teacher handle the class "wit"?

36. How do you handle the student who continually volunteers information that is interesting but not pertinent?

37. Should a teacher giving a test stand at the front to try to eliminate cheating? How else can you eliminate cheating?

38. What constitutes harsh but permitted disciplinary action?

39. To what extent should students be placed "on their own" to work?

40. How often should a student be allowed to repeat a subject?


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