Sullen Students - Turning Sullenness into Enthusiasm

There are university students in every class who are habitual troublemakers and act rudely with their professors, to activate their own intellectual edge or show off in class. So, what should one do?

Here are important classroom management suggestions which can help professors deal with these sullen students and make them enthusiastic learners. 

• Stay in touch with Family: 

Talk to the family to know about the student being sullen and make sure they know what is going on, how often he/she is in trouble and why it happens. Develop a confident bond with them.

• Monitor his Activities: 

Check out the possibilities to place the student where you can monitor his/her activities, so that they do not disrupt the class lecture.

• The Discipline Factor: 

If something is troubling you, talk to the participant personally because you can’t win if you call out a student in front of his peers. 

• Understand the Issue: 

If the university student is rude, don’t rebuke him severely or publically. Sit with them calmly and try to find out what is happening? University students might need a comfortable seat to vent out their worries.

• The Interest Factor: 

Not all subjects are interesting, you know it but feel the need to teach this boring subject to class. To make the learning process more exciting, come up with a competition or use multimedia presentations to distract the sullenness of university students.

• Build an Interest Ground: 

Find ways to build a relationship to see if there is any way you can get connected with the student. Is the student enrolled in any football club, does an on-campus photography or have a sibling. Encourage them to get enrolled in university clubs and societies, so that they can become confident and useful members of society.

• Talk to Your Colleague: 

Talk to your colleague, to find out if they have been able to help this student. It is better to set up a meeting with students and teacher to address major concerns.

• Do not Make Studies an Issue: 

Do not make class assignment an ‘issue’, give them the flexibility to deal with individual and group presentations gradually. Deal with their sullenness first, work on building a positive relationship and then streamline their work schedule.   

• The Peer Tutor Method: 

Evaluate the participant. Ask yourself, if he/she is showing good performance in one subject or all. Can he tutor a fellow friend? It works both ways. 

• Relate to their Future Careers: 

Another way to deal with sullen students at university is to narrate your subject as for how it can be applied professionally. You can guide them on how doctors, IT developers or engineers can use that information to become great leaders.

• Keep up the Good Fight: 

Do not give up the fight. Reach out to your student and understand that this negativity is a defense for something deeper.

As a university professor, you should keep in mind that getting the best from your sullen students might not be easy but we should try to find out a reason for their behavior and work with their family and peers to understand them and provide the enthusiastic experience which they truly deserve.