Small Bursts of Instruction Versus Long Lectures
Recently an article from Edutopia magazine titled, “How School Culture Must Change Post Pandemic” by Doug Lemov, popped into my social media feed.
Many factors, including being post-pandemic, have limited the time spent on the academic curriculum to such an extent that the Ministry has been forced to take these into consideration by adding extra marks to the total of those sitting NCEA. It sounds fair but it means that those who need those extra marks to qualify for entrance into the next level will start with a deficit of knowledge that hinders or even stalls future progress. These two examples illustrate what is causing lack of interest in classroom learning. Living in a household that the cost of living has seized them by the throat and putting food on the table is a difficulty, or where there is a trigger setting off all the wrong chemicals being delivered to the brain, causing resentment and the fight, flee or freeze reaction searching for payback because families cannot afford sports gear for their children to play in.
I used a slogan both in my classroom teaching and as a principal, that could well be used in an introduction to Lemov’s article. “The students are the fish, the classroom/ school is the sea. If the sea is not kept at the right temperature the fish will die.” Climate change gives a good example of the snowball effect. If we do not change the climate to avoid floods and droughts, we will be unable to control our temperatures and much more! In its own way, the pandemic (as climate change) is having lasting effects, like formless fears to give up on school work, particularly if your school rates you in the bottom fifty percent, where students live in a home where putting food on the table is a struggle or where children resent not being able to play sport because there is no money to buy the equipment needed to play. Getting them settled in school is like herding cats. How do we recover from all this?
First, reduce teacher talk and activate the students. There was an interesting study some years back when a researcher was able to record the actual thoughts of the students as a lesson on ancient China unfolded. After a long period of teacher talk, no one appeared to be listening to the instruction, and only one had China on their mind – but they were thinking about the last Chinese meal they had eaten! Is this your classroom or school? If so, it is time to take stock of yourself!
As an example, suppose I am instructing a senior secondary class on how to write an expository essay, initially as a life skill but in the short term to produce good examination results. I start by instructing them to have a short, simple introductory sentence to indicate the strategic direction and set the scene. Initially, that organising question was about their school, from the point of view of whether they thought it was good or bad which only took a minute or two for them to decide, then back to me, the teacher. Again, a short bit of instruction to look for facts that the students could use to prove their point of view. Still only a short teacher instruction, allowing a quick return to student activity to prepare their lists of paragraph topics to prove their thesis sentence. The teacher interrupts when student pens start to go idle.
The next task is to select four or so best topics from the students’ lists to become the paragraph topic sentences for the future essay. I then explain for them to place a conjunction or joining word (such as because, or, and, etc) after the original thesis sentence. The students complete the sentence after the initial thesis sentence which turns it into an analytical thesis sentence, which becomes the introductory paragraph outlining. Four or more points from the list they have that prove the student’s point of view is enough at this learning stage, when quality is more important than quantity. When completed, this comprises the opening paragraph or analytical thesis sentence. Again, the teacher talk is brief, but these two new words (thesis and analytical) provide a degree of curiosity, a powerful motivating force.
The students have been well prepared. To progress now all they need is to proofread and self-reflect, starting with using the Habit of Mind thinking skill, communicating with clarity and precision, or Duckworth’s grit. Then, they can do a revised copy. This provides space for teacher quiet time, to mark completed exercises, prepare a new lesson, catch up on professional reading or wander quietly round the classroom to help any lame ducks.
When I moved as a principal to a primary school, much to my surprise, I found this an appropriate method to teach to years seven and eight intermediate age children.