Establish rules for the classroom. When you are teaching a room full of adults, you are still in charge, and your classroom rules will reflect your classroom management philosophy. Rules help adult students understand what behaviors are tolerated by the instructor, and what behaviors are not. Clearly describe the consequences for unwanted behaviors.
Ignore the negative comments made by the adult student during class time. Reacting to a student's negativity only fuels the fire and distracts the other students. Don't let the negative student control the classroom by giving her the attention she is after. Additionally, enlist the help of your other students by asking them to ignore the negative comments, too. If the negative student realizes that no one is paying attention to her, she might stay quiet.
Pull the student aside after class, or request a one-to-one meeting with the student during your office hours. Ask the negative student questions about his needs and why he is taking your class. Perhaps part of the reason he is being negative is because he is not being challenged enough in the classroom. Or, the student might be forced to take the class to fulfill particular academic credits, but is not genuinely interested in the material. Find out from the student what he needs to feel more challenged and discuss how he can get through the course with a less negative attitude.
Give the negative student more independence in the classroom. If she feels negatively towards working in teams with classmates, for instance, allow the student to perform the assignment individually. Adjusting your teaching style can help the negative student get through the course in a way that works better for her learning style. According to Rochester Institute of Technology, it is characteristic of adult learners to be self-directed.
Ask the student to leave the class if he is becoming too disruptive. You cannot allow one negative student to ruin the learning experience for the rest of the class. Use a three-strikes-and-you're-out model to determine when the line has been crossed. If you have to tell the student three times to turn his cell phone off or stop text-messaging in class, ask him to leave the fourth time this happens. The three-strikes policy may not be appropriate when a negative student insults other students in your classroom, makes inappropriate sexual, racial or religious comments to other students or creates a hostile environment. These may be more immediate grounds for telling the student to remove himself from the class.