Every teacher wants to know the magic ingredients necessary to creating a constructive and challenging learning environment. But just like a complex dish, extraordinary classrooms can be created using many different components. In this post I'm examining 3 different video examples of teaching, this Roller Coaster Physics Class, this 3rd Grade Chinese Math Class, and this teacher's use of Whole Brain Teaching.
Goals and Expectations
The 5th grade Science teacher leading this Roller Coaster Physics Class allowed her students to do a lot of the learning on their own, collaboratively, by creating a project which engaged each student in some fashion and forced them to grapple with real-world scenarios and problems. I absolutely loved how realistic these expectations were, as nothing drives me crazy than the idea that as students we are only practicing academic exercises without any understanding of a real-world application for them.
Connecting what we do in the classroom to the greater world is something I strive to do often. I work in elementary school, and every child in the school is required to take art. While some students enjoy art immensely, there are others who have already classified themselves as being "bad" at art, and therefore have little investment in the work. I explain to students that art is not just for people who are "good" at drawing, but that it is for everyone. I teach them that through trying new things and brainstorming, we become more creative, and I have discussions with my classes about how being creative is something that can enhance any career in the world - whether you want to be a youtube star, or a basketball coach, or even a stay-at-home-mom. I try to set my expectations to show students that it is not necessarily all about what the finished product looks like, but the struggle and effort invested in the work that is most important.
This science teacher has brought the real-world application of skills to another level by giving students realistic jobs and even incorporating a budget and other limiting factors into the projects her students are working on. In doing so, she is preparing them for actual tasks and problems they could encounter as citizens in the real world.
In this 3rd Grade Teacher's Math Class, students partake in chants that help them to memorize mathematical equations and encode them into long term memory. I too enjoy using chants like this to engage my younger students, and can see myself incorporating even more chants of my own that relate to concepts that need to be ingrained into long term memory for an artist to be successful, like how to mix different colors. As far as the teacher’s academic standards, these are a little less clear. I don’t see as many students being held accountable for their participation in the group work being done, and while I love the engagement I saw from some students, I’m not sure how much room there is for student creativity or real-world application of the math within the classroom routines and exercises they’re participating in.
I had a similar concern with the teacher who used Whole Brain Teaching techniques. In this case I saw students participating across the world - but in what, exactly? Repeating what the teacher has to say and reciting different chants and phrases has it’s benefits, sure, but I don’t personally think it should be the primary substance of a lesson. When I saw students speed reading for example, it was hard for me to imagine them actually comprehending the words being said, as almost all of my own brain power would’ve been invested simply in keeping up with exchanging the words aloud. In my own class, I like incorporating the use of hand gestures and some of the call and response tools offered on the Whole Brain Teaching website, but the majority of substance in my lesson takes place doing actual work, and there are no flashy or quirky ways we go about working. While these techniques can be fun from time to time, they are not how conversations and work proceed in the real world.
Behavioral Expectations
In looking at all 3 teacher's behavioral expectations, it's interesting to note that, at least within the context of these videos, student behavior was hardly spoken of or acknowledged at all. If it was acknowledged, it was largely through positive reinforcement. The science teacher had given each group of students at least one person who's job was to confirm that everyone else was doing their job. In doing so, she's essentially having the students monitor each other themselves, which frees her up to focus on giving out supplies, and probing students thinking to see where they might have any misconceptions. In the Chinese Math Class, there appeared to be several students who actually weren't participating in the chants. It was unclear, because of the length of the video, if this was ever addressed by the teacher, or if the teacher is primarily concerned with their participation in other activities outside of the chants. In any case, this was a different expectation than I have grappled with in my own school, where I have been told to halt instruction if I don't have "100%." Regardless of this, the Chinese math teacher at least didn't appear to have to deal with anyone literally interrupting instruction time, and went on with the lesson appearing enthusiastic and excited. Her positive body language and tone was a positive reinforcement of the student's behavior in it's own right. The whole brain teaching teacher appeared to have 100% student engagement and frequently praised them for their participation and work.
These are marks of a positive classroom culture. When student engagement is high, student misbehavior is generally low. Knowing this to be true, I often have to reexamine why a particular class isn’t going so well, and reevaluate the flow of my lessons to make sure I’m supplying students with enough chances to participate and engage with the material - that I am not just lecturing as I deliver the instructions for the day’s project, and that students are actually invested in the content being taught.
Norms and Procedures
Norms and Procedures were clearly a solid part of all these teacher’s videos. In the science teacher’s room, students were clearly already familiar with the process of “buying” materials, and the duties inherent in each job role assigned. In the Chinese teacher’s room, the majority of students knew how to recite the chants very well, and the pace of the class overall demonstrated their ease with the flow and the material. And of course, in the case of the teacher using Whole Brain Teaching exercises, students knew immediately to follow along with the teacher’s hand gestures and were able to do various exercises on cue. In all three cases, everyone appeared to be “on the same page” so to speak, and the teacher’s job was therefore to dispel confusion regarding actual content rather than classroom routines.
My classes, unfortunately, aren’t quite there yet. I just replaced an art teacher who had been there for 3 years prior, and many of my students are still becoming adjusted to the different norms and expectations I have set for them in contrast. Sometimes these routines are so ingrained, that even after I have given a distinct direction more than once, students will do what they used to do on autopilot. I am eager for the day when it is the new routines and procedures I’ve taught them that they’re doing on autopilot instead, but this takes time and reinforcement. Since it’s already nearly December, it’s difficult to remind myself and force myself to end a project early in order to practice a routine I’ve noticed hasn’t been as smooth as I’d like it to be. But once my classroom has all its procedures solidly in place, I know it will save us all a lot of headaches.
While all three of these classrooms involved students in instruction in very different ways, each one appeared to have a solid foundation of expectations and procedures on which students learning was more easily built. My personal approach incorporates aspects from all three of these classrooms, but isn't particularly close to any one in particular. I enjoy incorporating chants and whole brain teaching activities, I use classroom jobs, but a lot of our critical thinking analysis takes place in a discussion format and the primary content of my class requires students to work individually on their own art projects. But regardless of their approaches, I aspire to be like all three of these teachers, in terms of their enthusiasm and use of positive body language and reinforcement. It is my job to convey with my tone, words and actions, that I am confident my students can and will achieve the academic and artistic goals I have set for them.