Classroom Craft: Advice from a Head teacher

No doubt you have already begun to work at how to develop 'good' and to avoid 'poor' modes of teaching. If you are looking for advice on particular strategies and skills to improve your performance, you are strongly advised to consult The Craft of the Classroom (Heinemann, reprinted 1984), by Michael Marland, Head of a London Comprehensive School. This slim handbook, subtitled A Survival Guide, is full of practical do's and don'ts for student and probationer teacher. It ranges from down-to-earth advice on keeping your room, shelves, blackboard, papers, teaching file and briefcase tidy (not to mention your mind ...), to a valuable account of 'The Rhythm of Teaching'. You may not feel able to assimilate all the advice at once; and you may, later, through confidence found in your own experience, wish to adjust some aspects of Marland's code of good practice. But this book is worth regular consultation during your PGCE and probationary year, and provides good material for 'self-help' discussion among students. It is especially sound in encouraging you to think ahead, to anticipate problems and possibilities before they overwhelm you. Consider, for example, his advice on dealing with minor disturbances: "Many disturbances that are minor but nevertheless require more than a look or silent gesture are quelled easily by the teacher who shows he or she is anxious to get on with the job in hand and is not willing to waste time investigating. A Science teacher moving towards a group whose experiment is being held back by giggles over something one of the boys has produced from his pocket, would actually be best advised to say as he arrived at the group: 'Come on; we just haven't got time for that', and immediately ask an interesting question about the experiment. In general, it is more effective to use what has been called 'task-focused' criticisms rather than 'approval-focused', especially as far as the effect on other pupils is concerned: 'Ray, if you talk you won't be able to hear these new words so well 'Ray, I'm surprised at you letting me down again'.

Criticisms and prohibitions must be clear. It is amazingly easy to convey a general sense of disapproval without making it clear exactly what is being objected to.

American research has demonstrated that clarity of reprimands is of more importance than their intensity. Thus:

'Don't touch that display board' is more likely to be effective than:

'Behave yourself.'

and: 'Leave Gary's desk alone.' is more likely to be effective than:

'Stop fooling around.'

Your bluff will usually be called, so don't throw out empty threats of punishments you can't in fact carry out. Some teachers use excessive physical threats: 'If you don't sit down, I'll hit you', when it is neither permitted nor desirable to do so. These both undermine your authority and create an unpleasant atmosphere. (I am excepting the clearly jocular threats which really are meant to be, and are, taken as jokes to relieve class tension: 'Do that again, and I'll hang you by your feet out of the window!') Similarly, if you know you have to hurry away after school one day, don't threaten to keep a pupil in unless you are willing to forgo that appointment. Always keep your word to your pupils." (Marland, pp. 17-18)

What, in your own terms, do you see as the essential point being made here? Marland's chapter on 'The Classroom Environment' provides many practical strategies for effective grouping and seating arrangements. You may find that his advice is based on the optimistic premise that all teachers should have a classroom that they can call their own, but much of what he says about care for the physical space in which you teach require simple foresight and planning. Concern for relationships and for the classroom itself come together in his advice on The End of the Lesson:

The end of a lesson is not merely the end of that lesson; it is part of the sequence that will lead to other lessons or activities in the school and will be remembered at the back of the pupils' minds as a cue for the tone of your next lesson. It should therefore be an orderly and pleasing occasion. Never let your relief at the end of a difficult lesson encourage you to sign off early, abruptly, or carelessly.

Consider, for instance, a teacher who had thirty second-year pupils working fairly well, if a little noisily. The bell went precisely on time by the classroom clock. A moment afterwards he said: 'Will you be packing up now. The bell's gone'. He then tried to gather up some of their books! Such an end was unfair on the pupils, and didn't help him. It was the end of the week; these pupils needed a summing up, a pat on the back, and reassurance that he was pleased with the week and had a plan for the next. What's more, he ought to have got them out dead on time so that they could get to their next teacher on time.

The routine should have been something like this:

Time: 2.21 (and I mean as precisely as that) (standing at the front of the room where they can all see, and stopping their work.): Stop writing now. (Insist on complete silence.) I'm sorry to interrupt you when you're doing so well, but my next customers will be here soon. (Or whatever joke you can manage.) This week we've all written up our pieces for the exhibition, and I'm looking forward to reading them. Next week we're going to do a longer piece of writing. Collect up your pieces now.

2.22 Without talking, check your name is on each and hand your piece to John or Fred. Will you collect them up please. (These pupils do, in the usual order.)

2.23 Please put your books away in silence. Check there're no bits of paper on the floor. (John and Fred bring the work to you.)

2.24 Without scraping your chairs, please stand. (You go over to the door.)

2.25 (Bell goes): Well, that was a good week, I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday and I'll tell your Form Master how well you've done. This row out first, please. (You stand in the open door, seeing them out, saying the odd word to individuals, and keeping an eye on the corridor.)

It is normally wise to ask a class to leave the room a group or a row at a time. This is not always necessary with older pupils, larger rooms, or smaller classes. However, avoid a rush and dismiss a line at a time if you are in doubt. Stand in your earlier position against the door jamb. There you can again supervise room and corridor, and at the same time give each pupil a pleasant parting word or a reminder as appropriate." (Marland, pp.49-51)

Clearly, you will need to adjust what you say in detail to each separate occasion; but what do you see as essential points to note here? Similar planning provision will be needed for the routines of setting, collecting, marking and returning work; again, they should not be rigidly the same on each occasion but you will need a policy and a code of practice that your pupils can rely on.

1.3 Classroom Craft: Advice from a HeadteacherNo doubt you have already begun to work at how to develop 'good' and to avoid 'poor' modes of teaching. If you are looking for advice on particular strategies and skills to improve your performance, you are strongly advised to consult The Craft of the Classroom (Heinemann, reprinted 1984), by Michael Marland, Head of a London Comprehensive School. This slim handbook, subtitled A Survival Guide, is full of practical do's and don'ts for student and probationer teacher. It ranges from down-to-earth advice on keeping your room, shelves, blackboard, papers, teaching file and briefcase tidy (not to mention your mind...), to a valuable account of 'The Rhythm of Teaching'. You may not feel able to assimilate all the advice at once; and you may, later, through confidence found in your own experience, wish to adjust some aspects of Marland's code of good practice. But this book is worth regular consultation during your PGCE and probationary year, and provides good material for 'self-help' discussion among students. It is especially sound in encouraging you to think ahead, to anticipate problems and possibilities before they overwhelm you. Consider, for example, his advice on dealing with minor disturbances:

"Many disturbances that are minor but nevertheless require more than a look or silent gesture are quelled easily by the teacher who shows he or she is anxious to get on with the job in hand and is not willing to waste time investigating. A Science teacher moving towards a group whose experiment is being held back by giggles over something one of the boys has produced from his pocket, would actually be best advised to say as he arrived at the group: 'Come on; we just haven't got time for that', and immediately ask an interesting question about the experiment. In general, it is more effective to use what has been called 'task-focused' criticisms rather than 'approval-focused', especially as far as the effect on other pupils is concerned: 'Ray, if you talk you won't be able to hear these new words so well' is normally better than: 'Ray, I'm surprised at you letting me down again'.

Criticisms and prohibitions must be clear. It is amazingly easy to convey a general sense of disapproval without making it clear exactly what is being objected to.

American research has demonstrated that clarity of reprimands is of more importance than their intensity. Thus:'Don't touch that display board' is more likely to be effective than: 'Behave yourself.' and: 'Leave Gary's desk alone.' is more likely to be effective than: 'Stop fooling around.'

Your bluff will usually be called, so don't throw out empty threats of punishments you can't in fact carry out. Some teachers use excessive physical threats: 'If you don't sit down, I'll hit you', when it is neither permitted nor desirable to do so. These both undermine your authority and create an unpleasant atmosphere. (I am excepting the clearly jocular threats which really are meant to be, and are, taken as jokes to relieve class tension: 'Do that again, and I'll hang you by your feet out of the window!') Similarly, if you know you have to hurry away after school one day, don't threaten to keep a pupil in unless you are willing to forgo that appointment. Always keep your word to your pupils." (Marland, pp. 17-18)

What, in your own terms, do you see as the essential point being made here? Marland's chapter on 'The Classroom Environment' provides many practical strategies for effective grouping and seating arrangements. You may find that his advice is based on the optimistic premise that all teachers should have a classroom that they can call their own, but much of what he says about care for the physical space in which you teach require simple foresight and planning. Concern for relationships and for the classroom itself come together in his advice on The End of the Lesson: The end of a lesson is not merely the end of that lesson; it is part of the sequence that will lead to other lessons or activities in the school and will be remembered at the back of the pupils' minds as a cue for the tone of your next lesson. It should therefore be an orderly and pleasing occasion. Never let your relief at the end of a difficult lesson encourage you to sign off early, abruptly, or carelessly.

Consider, for instance, a teacher who had thirty second-year pupils working fairly well, if a little noisily. The bell went precisely on time by the classroom clock. A moment afterwards he said: 'Will you be packing up now. The bell's gone'. He then tried to gather up some of their books! Such an end was unfair on the pupils, and didn't help him. It was the end of the week; these pupils needed a summing up, a pat on the back, and reassurance that he was pleased with the week and had a plan for the next. What's more, he ought to have got them out dead on time so that they could get to their next teacher on time. The routine should have been something like this:

Time: 2.21 (and I mean as precisely as that) (standing at the front of the room where they can all see, and stopping their work.): Stop writing now. (Insist on complete silence.) I'm sorry to interrupt you when you're doing so well, but my next customers will be here soon. (Or whatever joke you can manage.) This week we've all written up our pieces for the exhibition, and I'm looking forward to reading them. Next week we're going to do a longer piece of writing. Collect up your pieces now.

2.22 Without talking, check your name is on each and hand your piece to John or Fred. Will you collect them up please. (These pupils do, in the usual order.)

2.23 Please put your books away in silence. Check there're no bits of paper on the floor. (John and Fred bring the work to you.)

2.24 Without scraping your chairs, please stand. (You go over to the door.)

2.25 (Bell goes): Well, that was a good week, I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday and I'll tell your Form Master how well you've done. This row out first, please. (You stand in the open door, seeing them out, saying the odd word to individuals, and keeping an eye on the corridor.)

It is normally wise to ask a class to leave the room a group or a row at a time. This is not always necessary with older pupils, larger rooms, or smaller classes. However, avoid a rush and dismiss a line at a time if you are in doubt. Stand in your earlier position against the door jamb. There you can again supervise room and corridor, and at the same time give each pupil a pleasant parting word or a reminder as appropriate." (Marland, pp. 49-51)

Clearly, you will need to adjust what you say in detail to each separate occasion; but what do you see as essential points to note here? Similar planning provision will be needed for the routines of setting, collecting, marking and returning work; again, they should not be rigidly the same on each occasion but you will need a policy and a code of practice that your pupils can rely on.

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 815