When a student cheats: Know their techniques

By Tricia Cacho

Beat: Teachers
Category: Unpublished
Type: Service Article

Photo from seminarysurvivalguide.com

Have you ever wondered why your students get a high grade in their exams, yet they slack off in your classes? Well, your students might be cheating! Here’s a guide on how to know if they’re cheating in their exams:

When one’s eyes wander around

When a student acts a little too normal in your exam, rather than looking depressed because the questions in the test are hard, you should start to observe this student. He or she might be confident with this exam because he has “sources” to the test answers—in short, his seatmates. Try to follow his eyes…are they looking at his own paper? Or at his neighbor’s? Some try to hide their eyes by covering it with their hands, which makes them look like they’re thinking hard, but actually, it makes peeking easier.

Actions speak louder than words

If your student’s not using the peeking method, then he might be using the gesture method. Instead of looking at his eyes, observe his actions once in a while. This method works if the teacher dictates the questions in the test. For example, if the answer is letter A, then one will tap his foot twice, if B, then one will tap his pen on the table twice. In order to know if those actions indicate cheating, look at your students after doing those gestures—they quietly smile or laugh to themselves. This means that they already got the answer.

Unnecessary things are necessary

If the peeking or gesture method doesn’t work, one could use other paraphernalia for cheating. Correction pens, the box of their coloring pens, and small pieces of papers are usually the medium they use to hide their cheat sheets. A sure way to know if these things contain cheat sheets is when it is passed around to the whole class. A number of students would be asking if they could borrow a certain student’s correction pen even if their seatmate has one.
Now that you know when your students are in the act of cheating, how do you approach them?

Caught in the act

If you are absolutely sure that your student is cheating, you could approach him after class; or if you’re brave enough, approach him during the exam. The latter is better because your other students could think that they could not fool you, and they’ll know that you take these matters seriously. A teacher must approach the student in an assertive manner, so that the students will less likely do the act again.

Cheating is an act done by desperate (or just lazy) students. Wouldn’t it be unfair to those who studied well for the test to have them around?