Building an Engaging Learning Environment

I was astonished to learn of one Deputy Head Teacher who had on display not the work of the students in this class but students from a different school where she had previously worked. Her explanation was that this work on display was models that the children could emulate. One weeps when one thinks of all the opportunity for interaction and praise which this teacher was throwing away. And what about the message she was conveying to her students that not one of them was worthy?

In some schools the very best work from every age group is on public display. And in some schools no work is on display. The opportunities being thrown away here are not only negatively affecting the children. The opportunity for parents and visitors to see what the children do is also lost.
Most teachers do group work because it creates opportunities for collaborative work, differentiation, mixing up social groups, and practising purposive communication. The layout of the room can reflect this. Tables for two, or four, or more are more conducive to group work than when children have to turn around physically to collaborate. There is also the possibility for a learning carousel where children rotate round the room participating in various activities.

I also explain that many of the class are going to ask me to provide a reference for prospective employers or for further study. As I am putting my reputation on the line I will not give other than honest references. Poor work, poor classroom behaviour, frequent lateness or absence will all feature in any reference I give. I also tell them that I have sometimes refused to give references for students who are not attending or who are not helpful when they do attend.

Discipline & Responsibility

I was lucky to be teaching Law. I would explain that I am today assessing their capacity as lawyers to follow a simple instruction. “Take your mobile telephone out. Turn it off. Put it away”. I said that we would know by the end of the class which students did not yet have the personal skills to become lawyers. I had previously been in practice. I would say that whereas I used to worry about my clients I really enjoyed this teaching job because I did not worry about the students. This met predictable shock. I explained that the students who were working hard I did not need to worry about. The students who were not working hard why should I worry about? More than one student commented that this was blunt but clear.

In the first class with a group of students I would enquire how many hours work there was in a full time paid job? After discussion the class would agree at around 38 hours a week. Then I would ask how many hours a week a full time Law student should work? There was always a crashing silence because they all knew the correct answer was “38″ but none of them were putting in those hours. I pointed out that their competitors at the good universities are working those hours and more. My expectation was “38 hours” but it had to be their individual decisions.