I had a very powerful experience yesterday.
John had asked me to concentrate on classroom management and control for Friday’s Y9 class, so I did.
For this I was addressing a few needs that I perceived. There is a problem in my classes related to some students being bored with the exercises, which they probably think they can do easily etc … some of them actually can. They tune out and essentially refuse to participate. I sympathise … they need a greater challenge. John has talked about the use of the textbook and its range of exercises as a way to offer more stimulating activities for them. So I decided to talk about use of the textbook, to essentially give explicit permission and encouragement for students to take some responsibility for their own pace … to skip ahead and take on the harder ones instead, or if I have given something that seems too hard to go back a couple of steps and do a few of the easier ones, and to use the textbook model answers and descriptions to fill in anything they need.
I also wanted to achieve a clean, attentive start to the lesson … I would really really prefer to let the students sit down as they arrive, rather than line up outside and wait for orders, but it must be achieved properly. So I have decided to try setting up an explicit task on the board to get going with, rather than moving into social-chat mode as the rest of the class gathers. Generally I will prepare something. I was going to try this the previous class, but realised the process was going to be too clumsy with the multi-sheet exercise so handed it out at the beginning instead, which led to a very dissipated start. This time it worked well.
I chose textbook exercises to start this lesson, since I wanted to emphasize use of textbook, and since we were already well into this set. I was reasonably satisfied that both strategies will be useful, especially if they can be established over time.
But something else was going on.
The class dynamic had shifted completely … and not, I believe, due to either of these.
Frame of mind is hugely important in terms of presentation. In retrospect, especially after a couple of very useful conversations with Glenn (who had observed this class) and with Ali, I realised I had also taken the ‘control the class’ frame of mind that I was asked to focus on into the room.
If you are built like me you learn very early to make all sorts of adjustments to avoid appearing imposing or threatening. It is actually a constant thing, but it becomes completely subconscious. It is built into every action. If I am walking at night I am very aware that I can be scary, I go to efforts to make sure people do not feel I am approaching them, and am careful not to pause in places someone may be forced to walk close to me. But it is also expressed in many other less obvious ways. It strongly influences choice of clothing, “power dressing” of any kind is something I never never do, I own nothing of that sort. I also try, but not very successfully if I am passionate about something, to take less space in the broadest sense of the term.
If, like me, you do not limit yourself to the safe places of this world but venture everywhere then you also learn that perhaps 0.01% of the time a seriously imposing presence is very useful … situations become much much more manageable, outcomes become much much better. Switching off the cover instantly, in a carefully non-challenging way, becomes instinctive … the change in any developing relationships is very dramatic. This is also something done at a much more subtle level in other situations.
I have often been in positions where I have lots to get done, and a crew I have never met before to get it done with. In this case a certain attitude of authority is needed, and a somewhat imposing presence is helpful. One learns to switch it on. One earns a lot of respect by doing this properly, if all goes well … if the planned outcome is achieved … you know what needs to be done, they are being paid to do it … relaxing in the bar after a hard but successful shift with a new crew is great.
That is not what I want to bring to a classroom unless it becomes completely necessary. A classroom should be a place of exploration and discovery, not for completing a set of tasks cleanly and efficiently. In my terms it should be like the rehearsal space, working with a cast, not like the most rapid and efficient assembly of my set on their stage.
It may well be very useful as a temp filling in for a normal teacher … ok, this is the work set, lets get on with it, ask me if you need help … and I’ll see how I can. But I believe this is what I brought into the class yesterday. The relationship was completely different. All cheekiness was killed. I found myself giving orders. They were, in general, obeyed in a way that requests had not been.
I also lost most of the personal connection with the students that I had found so valuable. Glenn saw this very clearly. I felt it. Interestingly quite a lot of Glenn’s feedback noticed things like … you are physically big, be aware of that … make sure you come down in height to their level … address the class more personally. I think had been doing most of this before, I wasn’t this time. The contrast with my first lessons last semester was very obvious, and very disappointing.
I was giving orders and keeping them compliant. It worked. It was not good. It is useful to remember it is possible.
Or more likely (a week or so later …) any improved behavior was simply the result of Glenn being added to the mix of presences in the room.