How will I control my students?
Before Lara and I interviewed my nephew, William, the main provocation that I had been thinking about was “How will I control my students?”. My reading had focussed on the interventionist approach, as I predicted that William would discuss a class with poor behaviour control. I also wanted some balance to my more natural approach which would be non-interventionist. I had read various articles on assertive discipline (eg Charles 2005 and Babkie 2006).
After the interview with William, I was intrigued that the classroom he described had learning issues, not behaviour issues. It reminded me that a positive learning environment is not just about discipline and conduct, but also about learning.
What will students want and need from me?
William’s need for structure in learning made me think about the provocation “What will students want and need from me?”. The interventionist approach provides structure for discipline and rules. But structure is also required for learning. For example, in the PPLE lectures, Steve has argued that boys need structure in their learning.
William found the discussions in his class pointless. Advice from experienced teachers indicated that any class discussion should be framed both on commencing and concluding the discussion. There should also be an outcome from the discussion – reporting back to the main group is one possible outcome – but other outcomes such as a PowerPoint presentation or a cartoon are other candidates.
Uncertainty about assessment was a major concern for William. Understanding by Design (in Churchill 2011) is a form of curriculum planning where the assessment outcomes are designed before the learning experiences. Such a style of planning makes the assessment more explicit and gives a structure that will assist students. During my first observation day I was reminded how students focus on assessment; “will this be on the exam” was asked by a keen student, not to get out of work, but so he could understand the level of competency and skill that was expected in the class.
A teacher needs to be organised and have a clear road map that gives students the structure they need in a class. A road map does not stop detours, but instead lets students know what is coming up and what to expect. In lecture E, Steve suggested one technique that seems appropriate : provide overarching structure with lots of freedom within boundaries.
A teacher needs to be a lead manager (Glasser in Charles 2005), leading and facilitating. To do this I will need to be more assertive than I normally am. I like to listen and see where a discussion goes. To be a lead manager I need to channel the discussion (without taking over the discussion).
What kind of teacher do I want to be?
William’s experiences have made me think about the kind of teacher I want to be. I tend to be pretty easy going, patient and laid back. I try to get along and encourage. I’ve seen this in how I was a team leader at work and how I coach my son’s basketball team. Because of this I had sympathy for William’s teacher. She was trying to befriend students (as suggested by Glasser (Charles 2005)) and provide variety through some fun activities like Singstar karaoke. Instead William felt excluded from the group of favourites and called Singstar “dumb”.
My immediate reaction was that it shows that you can’t keep everyone happy all the time. William survived the class, and is doing related subjects in Year 11 which indicates he wasn’t turned off the subject by the Year 10 class. Maybe the teacher did a good job but William just doesn’t appreciate her efforts and teaching.
On deeper reflection, I think a teacher must be aware what is happening in the classroom. The problem was not being friendly, but rather that some students (like William) felt excluded. It may be better for the student to help the class develop into a community as suggested by Kohn (Charles 2005) rather than for the teacher to unintentionally create a perceived community of favourites.
Similarly, Singstar was not a bad idea in itself, but rather the teacher should have seen that some students did not like it, or the teacher should have asked for feedback to check if Singstar was appreciated by the class. It may have been that the teacher was aware that William did not like Singstar but wanted to use it in class either for other students or to try to bring William out of his shell. In either case, the teacher should have explained the role of Singstar in the class. The students in a class must be involved in the learning journey.
One of the teachers we consulted said that she believes teaching is about relationships. A teacher must build trust and then a positive relationship and learning can occur. I think the teacher in William’s class was trying to build relationships but had not earned the students’ trust first.
I think I can be an easy going, patient and laid back teacher, but have to remember to establish trust and then build relationships. Remembering student names and using them is one practical technique that I can work on.
I would also like to be a teacher that tries new ideas (like Singstar) but have to remember that not all new ideas will work. New ideas must be integrated into the curriculum if they are to have any chance of succeeding.
Should we teach students or subjects?
I have always thought that teachers should teach subjects. Students are people and people are inherently complex and impossible to work out. And so I’ve always thought that teachers should focus on what they know - the content of the subject.
William’s experiences have challenged my thoughts.
First, he was being taught Australian history for third time in four years. A teacher needs to be aware of what students know about the subject and have experienced in the subject so that the subject can be taught in a meaningful way.
Second, in order to stay in the gifted and talented level of the subject, William had a particular motivation for maintaining a grade in the class. In a streamed class it was probably a concern shared by other students in the class. Knowing something about students is then necessary in order to teach effectively.
In Educational Foundations, Phil has suggested the provocation should be answered as “we should teach students our subjects”. I like this response, it fits my initial thoughts about teaching a subject but it allows for the fact that teachers must be aware of their students.
Babkie A. (2006). Be Proactive in Managing Classroom Behaviour. Intervention in School and Clinic. Vol 41, 3. pp 184-187.
Charles, C.M. (2005). Building classroom discipline (8th ed.). Pearson.
Churchill R et al. 2011. Teaching: Making a Difference. John Wiley.
