Coping with Resistance in the Classroom

For this week's group discussion the following teaching scenario was presented:
Enrolled in your course are adult mothers who must be enrolled in school to receive their public assistance and young men who are mandated by probation or parole to be in school working toward their HS diplomas or GED’s.

With regard to the above scenario, the following discussion question was posed:
Of the T/S's and SET's explained in Elizabeth Barkley's book Student Engagement Techniques, which would you use to get these resistant adult learners engaged?



In preparation for answering this question, I re-read Stephen Brookfield’s Responding to Resistance chapter in his book The Skillful Teacher (I love this book).  Brookfield’s writings are helpful, practical, insightful, and they offer a fresh approach to resistance; I highly recommend this book for anyone associated with the field of education. 


To begin, I will highlight some of Brookfield’s points regarding resistance:

 

 

About Resistance

• Resistance can sometimes be contained but it can never be completely overcome
• Understanding where resistance comes from helps determine an appropriate response
• In some situations, educators have no control over the resistance
• If learners are determined not to learn, there is little an educator can do to change their mind

Responding to Resistance

• Before responding to resistance, you must have a clear understanding of the origins of the resistance
• The more we know about our learners, the better we are at responding to their resistance
• Enlist the help of former resisters via an alumni panel where former resisters voice how they were able to appreciate and value this learning experience
• Give learners a say by involving them in educational planning
• Use a variety of teaching methods and approaches in order to appeal to a variety of learning styles
• Acknowledge that students have a right to resist; however, make sure the consequences of resistance are made very clear
• Admit that resistance exists and explain how it has been dealt with in the past
• Above all, make sure resistance interferes as little as possible with classroom activities and the learning experiences of others

As far as which of Barkley’s SET’s I would use to counteract resistance, I would first work towards understanding the resistance.  Once I have a better understanding of the resistance, I could try to modify my methods and practices to better support the needs of the resistant learner.  To gain a better understanding of the resistance, I could utilize SET 1 Background Knowledge Probe to see where the student is academically, SET 35 Autobiographical Reflections could be used to understand their perspective on this course and its content, and SET 42 Critical Incident Questionnaire should be employed frequently to better assess classroom environment and potential problems. 

With regard to this particular scenario where learners are forced to attend school, their resistance is probably connected to their lack of control over the situation.  To allow learners to regain control over their learning experience, I would utilize SET 43 Go for the Goal to give learners an opportunity to set goals for what they want to learn, and SET 49 Student Generated Rubrics could be used to allow the class as a whole to develop rubrics for coursework. 

Lastly, resistance can occur when learners believe the material or the learning experience is irrelevant.  To help learners see the value of the material and/or learning experience, SET 5 Stations can be set up (possibly with former learners presenting their material) where current learners could get a feel for potential learning in this course, SET 24 Think Again could be used to challenge common misconceptions about course material and to demonstrate course relevance, SET 26 Proclamations and SET 29 Contemporary Issues Journal could be used to connect course material to current issues and concerns (SET 26 – Proclamations could also be used as an assignment where learners write persuasive papers for or against required enrollment in this course).  Finally, SET 34 Field Trips could potentially provide a refreshing change to their learning experiences and help resistant learners create meaning between course content and practical situations. 

Bottom line, resistance is normal, natural, and should be expected throughout education.  As educators, we must learn to understand origins of resistance, maintain a toolbox of resources and methods for diluting resistance, and ensure that resistance does not consume our classrooms. 

References

Barkley, E. (2009). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Brookfield, S. (2006).  The skillful teacher. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.