Disruptive & talkative students (vent)

[Little_Bear2013]

Sorry but I just got to vent....We have a handful of students in our class who just feel they always need to talk or make little sidebar conversations that have nothing to do with the freaking lecture! Or my favorite, they have to share every personal story or ask the teacher if they can help diagnosis my friend who seems to have the exact same situation the teacher is explaining! I'm all for story telling every now & then but when it's every single class period two or 3 times a day especially by the same student, it gets so irritating especially when the teachers response is the same thing every time such as, "without seeing that patient I couldn't tell you".

You can't even sit in a particular area in the class without even hearing someone whisper too because the way the classroom is set up, a lot of noise echoes.

Anyways...I'm normally a pretty likable person but it's just gotten to a point this semester where the talking & the story telling by other students makes it to where the instructor can't finish the lecture & they have to record the rest online, so we gotta go home sometimes & listen to the rest or the class will be talking & I miss what the instructor says. I don't mind going home to relisten to the online recording because that's where I get another good extra notes & even sometimes I go to the night lectures because this class is so much more respectful & quiet & the teacher actually gets the lecture done!

We have a designated person on a student council who is suppose to tell people to calm down but they're kind of a talker themselves & doesn't even want to do it anymore because our student council is more politics & drama than dealing with the issues at hand. Couple of instructors have even told our class that we have the most disruptive class in the program & at times it gets out of hand.

Rant over, sorry just wanted to blow off some steam before I get back to studying & before I blow up on the class & just tell people to shut up!

Anyways, does anyone have any similar stories to tell or further ways to hopefully tune these people out?

[AOx1]

This is a classroom management issue. First offense, I move towards the perpetrator and state my expectations (also stated in the syllabus). Second offense, removal from lecture for the day and loss of any points for quizzes or assignments. Third offense, probation. Fourth, removal from program. i've never had anyone make it past offense two. If you have a question, ask. When I ask for thoughts and input, please participate. Otherwise, hush, quit staring at your crotch and texting, and stay off the internet. No smacking gum or rustling food wrappers either. I view it as stealing time from those who paid to be there and want to be there, but can't concentrate due to distractions. Act like a child, I will treat you accordingly so that the adults can enjoy an adult learning experience. That whole competitive "my aunt's cousin's daughter's neighbor had that exact same disease and blah, blah, blah" does not work either. It reminds me of a kindergartner who says "Teacher!!! teacher!" while waving a hand in the air. I love my students and want them to learn, but I am not their pal, I am their professor and expect them to respect others and me in the classroom.

[gearedup]

I hope the situation gets better! I have that in my classes to a degree, but my teachers get an obvious look of annoyance that seems to keep it from getting out of hand. I know that people complain about the strict classroom standards of the program I'm in, but I love it. No cells vibrating (you are considered absent for the day if a cell is detected), people never come in late (doors are locked after roll). I'm loving it, I'm there to learn! I can't imagine it the way some of y'all are describing!

[JBudd, MSN]

Your instructor actually finishes the lecture by recording it online? Because they can't get through it all in class?! How ridiculous. Either restructure the lecture so it fits the time frame, or TAKE BLINKING CONTROL of the classroom.

I will not shout over students, I invite class participation, I cut off story tellers that threaten to take over ( a simple "we need to keep moving"); I simply start talking when it is time to start class or the break time is up. The rest of the class shushes their classmates who don't notice right away. If enough people in class are saying "shush", the talkers will get the idea. It may also encourage a timid instructor to say something about the disruption as well.

[duskyjewel]

There should be no timid instructors. These people are in leadership positions and classroom control is one of their duties. If you're afraid to be assertive, you have no business standing in front of a classroom.

[WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

This is exactly why I always sit in front. First, very few of these Chatty Kathies seem to sit closer to the front in my experience. Second, it helps me resist the temptation to talk myself as the instructor is right in front of me.

I CANNOT stand when people talk over instructors. In undergrad I was known to publicly hush them if the professor ignored it. I was paying a lot of money for those classes!

Don't get me started on oversharers...

[phoenoryker]

Great post...what the fudge is going through someone's mind to think its ok to cut off a DNP during proficiency training to share... This one time at band camp.... Holy ship it drives me flipping bonkers!!!!

[RookieRoo]

I just read through the latest comments and got frustrated all over again. Yes, the instructor SHOULD be doing something, but isn't. Our last class session was ridiculous- we probably wasted a good 30 minutes (of an hour and a half class) on personal anecdotes. GAH. We also have someone who every.single.class.session has something to eat, and that something to eat invariably comes in a potato chip bag or something else egregiously loud. It is hard to hear over the crinkle-crinkle sometimes, and yet.

I'm thinking about leaving an anonymous note. I don't want to be labelled a tattle tale, nor do I want to distance myself from classmates... but MAN does it need to stop!

[Little_Bear2013]

Thanks everyone for the insight & comments!

I will say the instructors do definitely know how to quiet down the class when they get too talkative as a group better lately but they don't single out particular individuals who are making sidebar convo's & the class really seems to have this mindset when the teacher kind of goes off on a tangent the class finds it okay to start talking to everyone.

The story talking has died down from now from a few students as well during lecture, so it's not as bad the past week or so. BUT I think it was because these few particular students were caught plagiarizing an assignment by a specific teacher & looks to me they are still in class. Which I've seen this happen twice in my schooling & the person never got in trouble which ****** me off beyond belief because 1 how ignorant & stupid can someone be & secondly if I would've ever pulled that crap I would expect without a doubt to be failed on the SPOT.