Seminole State College Language Arts and Humanities Vice Chair John Bolander presented with a panel at the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association fall conference on Sept. 8 at Cameron University.

Alongside instructors from East Central University and Cameron University, Bolander spoke on the topic of “Coping with Disruptive Students.” He contends teachers must set the tone from the first day of class.

“Instructors set student expectations through the syllabus and the opening presentation at the beginning of class. If you find you have a disruptive student that prohibits others from having a fulfilling learning experience, you need to consider various coping strategies.”

John Bolander

The panel’s audience consisted of both new and experienced instructors seeking effective classroom management techniques.

“Our goals were to element the disruption and keep the student in class. This allows the teacher the opportunity to educate and to resolve conflict in the classroom through methods of resolution proven through time and experience,” Bolander said.

Bolander has been teaching for 25 years. He also served as a high school principal and counselor before serving as an adjunct at SSC. He served as an adjunct for six years and has been a full time professor for the last three years. Last year, Bolander was the Faculty Senate President and is currently the degree program mentor for the Liberal Studies with a Speech Emphasis Associate in Arts program.

If you have questions about the degree program, you can reach Bolander at j.bolander@sscok.edu or 405-382-9249.