How do I deal with apathetic students?
- Try to build a personal relationship with these students, and take an interest
in them to find out what is at the bottom of the "perceived apathy." Learning
students' names and using names in class can help students understand that
you are interested in them and in their success in your course. Consider e-mailing
a student who seems uninterested or unresponsive and let him/her know that
you would like to help them in any way that you can. Oftentimes their apparent
apathy has nothing to do with the course. There may be personal matters that
are dominating their attention. Some students are going through a period of
depression which disconnects them from their studies. Showing a little concern
can be very helpful.
- Measure the students' progress early and regularly, so they have a clear idea about where they stand academically. This may involve quizzes, short response papers, or some kind of weekly assignment which gives you some indication of their level of understanding. Your "apathetic" students may also be the students who are struggling with the class. They could also be students for whom the class is inappropriate. In either case, it would be good to find this out early, so you can arrange an appointment with the student to talk about how things are going. Take some initiative here. Just saying "Drop by my office if you need to see me," may not be enough to get them in there (especially freshmen).
Address questions or comments about
TEP or this site to:
Georgeanne Cooper, Program Director,
64 PLC
Phone: 541-346-2177 Fax: 541-346-2184
© Copyright 2000-2006 Teaching Effectiveness Program, University of Oregon.
Last Modified:
05/22/08
