What is a method you use to handle the students who thinks they “know it all”?

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manpreet Tuteehub forum best answer Best Answer 2 years ago

This is a typical problem in my undergraduate Calculus I class. Many of these freshmen come in having made an A in their High-School Calculus class, and believe they know everything they need to about Calculus. They love to try to challenge my explanations or they always have a "better way" and they feel the need to share it with the rest of the class interrupting my lecture. Most of the time I can talk to the student after class and explain to them that the way I teach will set them up for success in Calculus II and III, but I have had one student in particular who refuses to admit that he can learn anything from me.

I asked him if he would like to me to assign him a more challenging homework set instead of the current class set, but then he accused me of trying to fail him (he currently has an A in the class). I also suggested that he switch to another class, but mine is the only one that fits in his schedule. What techniques can I use help this student understand there is always something that you can learn even if you know it all?

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manpreet 2 years ago

You should avoid a "I am smarter than you are" war with the student, the teacher must be above that. (You're already avoiding it, I am saying so for the benefit of the Internet.) In Japan you could just smile mysteriously, but I suspect we're talking about the Western world.

The first and most important thing to resolve is this: Is your student right? If his or her suggestions are actually improvements over what you do, or if they can lead to improvements, then you should suspend your ego and use them. And give the student proper credit, and figure out how not to inflate his ego beyond the size of the solar system. Teaching is tough.

Assuming your student is actually suggesting irrelevant modifications of teaching material, the nastiest thing you can do to your student is to relativize his little world:

  1. There may not be the best way to explain or teach any given topic in math. What is best depends on previous experience, background knowledge, personal taste etc. You can tell the student that he is correct to think that for him another way is best, although he should not presume that everyone else has exactly the same background as he does.

  2. There is nothing wrong with knowing how to do a thing in two different ways. The student already knows one way to attack the topic. You're offering another for him to compare. He should therefore listen, and in the end think not just in terms of "absolutely better than" but also in terms of "what are the pros and cons of each way". (See first point.)

Regarding interruption of your classroom, you can use your authority to tell the student that such interruptions should be replaced by off-line conversations.


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