Students Testing Classroom Boundaries
Wearing earbuds throughout an entire class session. Showing up halfway into class. Physical altercations between students. These are just some of the behaviors that are showing up more frequently as professors experience an uptick in classroom disruptions.
In addition to such rudeness, professors have reported receiving pushback on grading policies and deadlines that in previous years were accepted without comment. One professor told of a case in which a student who was unprepared for a test expected the instructor to provide a make-up exam once the student could find the time to study. Another instructor’s student, who had not turned in any work all semester, demanded to turn in late work at the end of the term.
Such aggressive student ultimatums, combined with the push for instructors to be flexible, are making teaching more challenging. And while conduct issues are not universal, they are bad enough that many professors feel obliged to acquiesce to student demands they would never would have considered before or suffer blowback on social media, remonstrations from department heads, and warnings from deans.
To avoid these situations, administrators stress instructor transparency—being clear and explicit about expectations. They also note that instructors should learn about each other’s policies and expectations, so that they are not taken off guard when students make the well-known refrain: “But Prof. X allowed me to xxx.”
Source: McMurtrie, B. Toxic emails, unrealistic expectations, and classroom discussions. Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com
Hey, Listen Up!
Harvard researchers recently conducted a study to measure whether speakers thought they were being listened to. The research found that at least 24 percent of the time, the listener was not paying attention to the speaker.
When someone does not listen, difficulties can arise in both personal and work relationships. However, in the workplace, not listening is especially problematic because it leads to the loss of important information in addition to the speaker feeling dismissed.
To improve communication, speakers can encourage active listening by using verbal cues such as pausing, asking questions, and referring back to an earlier statement to check in with the listener. Listeners can show they are being attentive by catching themselves when their minds wander, apologizing, and asking the speaker to repeat the point.
Source: Blanding, M. (2023, November 6.) Did you hear what I said? How to listen better. Working Knowledge. https://www.hbswk.hbs.edu
Gen Z Is Affecting Workplace Language
Research from England found that older workers feel Gen Z is lowering formality in language. The survey questioned over 2,000 people, 70 percent of whom said they had noticed a marked increase in overly casual speech patterns during the last five years, and they blame it on the influx of Gen Z workers.
The change was most obvious in e-mail communication. The older workers noticed that instead of signing off with Yours truly, or Yours sincerely, younger colleagues preferred the more informal thanks so much or thanks!
The research revealed that these younger workers used such colloquialisms because they were actively trying to make their stamp on the workplace by exposing their personalities in written communication. To do so, they have adapted the use of informal language as well as slang in work e-mails, which many older workers consider unprofessional.
Source: Bhaimiya, S. (2023, September 14.) No more “yours truly”: Gen Z is speaking a whole new language in the office. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com