CIDR - Promoting Civil Classroom Conduct

Promoting Civil Classroom Conduct is an important part of leading a classroom. Establishing and maintaining a classroom atmosphere that is conducive to the civil exchange of all types of ideas and knowledge is essential in order to maximize student involvement, interaction, and learning.

CIDR Resources

	CIDR Web Guide Discussing a Crisis Principles and strategies for discussions in which students' strongly-held positions, concerns, or other personal ties to the situation could greatly affect their participation and their learning. See specific guides on discussing the recent Iraq Conflict and the September 11 Terrorist Attacks.

	Consult with CIDR CIDR consultants are available to meet with you and discuss your questions about promoting civil classroom conduct. See our Consulting pages on exploring teaching issues, diversity and inclusive teaching practices, and collecting student feedback for more information. To schedule a consultation, call 206-543-6588, or contact us by email to arrange an appointment.

Additional Resources

Encouraging Civil Behavior in Large Classes by Mary Jean Sorcinelli (2003), University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Handling Disruptive Students
from the University of Oklahoma

Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom
by Lee Warren, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University

Practical Strategies to Reduce or Eliminate Student Incivility
from the article, Reducing Incivility in the University / College Classroom, by Patrick J. Morrissette (2001)

Problem Situations
from Teaching at The Ohio State University: A Handbook

Strategies for Dealing with Troublesome Behaviors in the Classroom
by Rosalind Reed (1997), California State University, Chico

Feldman, L. J. (2001). Classroom civility is another of our instructor responsibilities. College Teaching, 49(4), 137-140.

Perlmutter, D. D. (2004). Thwarting misbehavior in the classroom. Chronicle of Higher Education, 50(30), B-14. (See same article as, Perlmutter, D. D. (2004). What works when students and teachers both misbehave. The Education Digest, 70(1), 48-52.

Seidman, A. (2005). The learning killer: Disruptive student behavior in the classroom. Reading Improvement, 42(1), 40-46.

Young, J. R. (2003). Sssshhh. We're taking notes here: Colleges look for new ways to discourage disruptive behavior in the classroom. Chronicle of Higher Education, 49(48), A-29.

Available in the CIDR Reading Room

CIDR Reading Room logo

Braxon, J. M., & Bayer, A. E. (Eds.). (2004). New Directions for Teaching and Learning: No. 99. Addressing faculty and student classroom improprieties. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

McKeachie, W. J., & Svinicki, M. (2006). Dealing with Student Problems and Problem Students (There's Almost Always at Least One!). In W. J. McKeachie & M. Svinicki (Eds.), Teaching Tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (12th ed., pp. 172-190). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Richardson, S. M. (Ed). (1999). New Directions for Teaching and Learning: No. 77. Promoting Civility: A Teaching Challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Sorcinelli, M. D. (1994). Dealing with troublesome behaviors in the classroom. In K. W. Prichard & R. M. Sawyer (Eds.), Handbook of College Teaching: Theory and applications (pp. 365-373). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.