When a College Class Becomes a Mob: Coping with Student Cohorts.

Abstract

This article is a theoretical, experiential and reflective analysis of potential problems that may arise when teaching cohorts of students. Although more often than not teaching cohorts of students can be a fulfilling experience, the authors have, on occasion, taught groups that were challenging. The authors speculate whether this generation of students is really different than previous generations and believe that was is more relevant than making intergenerational comparisons when encountering cohorts of students is the literature on group development. In addition to reporting on the literature of stages of group development, they also examine how the group defines membership; how it creates communication and role structures; and how to deal with influential high-power students. They also examine how the concepts of transference and deindividuation may apply to the group and suggest that the can be an important venue for personal development. ********** Anyone who has taught in a college classroom, or for that matter any classroom, has, on occasion, been confronted with an unruly student. The kinds of behavior that a disruptive student might exhibit include sleeping in class, arriving late, engaging in conversation either with other members or on their cell phones, arguing with the instructor either over assignments or grades, text messaging, playing video games or even in rare cases becoming hostile. In addition, Carbone reports some rather innovative disruptive behaviors, including watching portable televisions, sitting through the lecture with headphones on, having pizza delivered in the middle of class, fraternity pledges' pretending to have a nervous breakdown during an exam, and passionate making out in the back of the classroom (1999, p. 35). There is a considerable amount of scholarly literature on disruptive behavior in the (Amada, 1995; Amada, 1999; Hernandez & Fister, 2001; Nordstrom, Bartels & Bucy, 2009; Boice, 2000; Kuhlenschmidt, 1999; Kuhlenschmidt & Layne, 1999; Carbone, 1999; Marzano & Marzano, 2003; Holton, 1999; Carter & Punyanunt-Carter, 2006; and Anderson, 1999), but there is a paucity of literature about how to deal with a of students. Most classes, particularly at the undergraduate level, are composed of students who may share only a few classes together. In the course of the semester, particularly if the is a small one, they form a group with its own characteristics, but then break up once the is concluded. Cohorts of students, often enrolled in graduate and professional programs, take multiple courses together and are much more likely to form an enduring group with a defined culture. In many cases, a can be an excellent learning environment for both instructors and students (Lawrence, 2002; McPhail, Robinson & Scott, 2008). The authors believe that teaching and interrelating with a cohort class is considerably different than doing so with a The is much more likely to be cohesive. Members of classes are more familiar with their peers and are thus more likely to participate in class, particularly early in the semester. Barnett and Muse (1993) also suggest that cohorts represent a collegial support system. On the negative side, if behavior problems erupt within the class, the instructor is much more likely to have to deal with a more complex systemic behavior problem rather than an individual behavior problem. Furthermore, the is also more likely to exhibit the characteristics of a crowd and at worst a mob. Purpose This article is a theoretical, experiential and reflective analysis of the class. In it the authors analyze relevant intergenerational issues; discuss how classes differ from non-cohort classes; relate theories of group process to the situation; relate the concepts of transference and deindividuation; and provide some advice to instructors who teach classes. …