Teaching for Excellence

Spring 2010

Civility in the College Classroom

“Being civil means being constantly aware of others and weaving restraint, respect, and consideration into the very fabric of this awareness…But it is not just an attitude of benevolent and thoughtful relating to other individuals; it also entails an active interest in the well-being of our communities and even a concern for the health of the planet on which we live.”

-P.M. Forni, Choosing Civility

What is civility?

1.) Annoyances a. arriving to class late

2.) Classroom terrorism a. monopolizing classroom time with personal agendas

3.) Intimidation of the instructora. threatening negative course evaluations

4.) Attacks on a person or person’s psyche.a. threats of physical violence

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

Four Types of Classroom Incivility

1.) Be specific. a. Outline and list specific prohibited behaviors

in your syllabus.

2.) Be consistent.a. Follow through on consequences.

3.) Be a model.a. Start class on time. b. Be neat in appearance.

4.) Reduce anonymity.a. Know your students’ names.

How to encourage civility in the classroom

 Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

 

Boice, R. (2000). “Advice for new faculty members: Nihil nimus.” Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

 

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E. & Heward, W. L. (2007). Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

 

Dreikurs, R., Cassel, P., & Ferguson, E. D. (2004). “Discipline without tears: how to reduce conflict and establish cooperation in the classroom.” Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

 

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

 

Forni, P.M. Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct. New York: St. Martin’s, 2002.

Forsyth, D. R. (2003). The professor’s guide to teaching: Psychological principles and practices. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

 

Miller, R., & Pedro, J. (2006). “Creating respectful classroom environments.” Early Childhood Education Journal 33: 293-299.

 

Schneider, A. (1998). “Insubordination and intimidation signal the end of decorum in many classrooms.” Chronicle of Higher Education 44: A12-A14.

 

 

Recommended Readings