Why do I Need to Know This?

For the most part students will go along unquestioningly with the tasks we ask of them. They are acculturated in the system to comply and "just do the work". The occasional question posed "Why do we have to do this anyway?"  can seem disrespectful, even defiant. But I am seeing better now that unless I take the initiative and have the foresight to clearly state at the outset why this lesson or task matters, it is in fact surprising that the challenging question is not being asked more often! 

A good start to a key lesson or unit means stating the BI (Big Idea), the LG (Learning Goal) and the SC (Success Criteria). These three things may seem superfluous when we are in the middle of a busy season of covering the curriculum. But they provide the foundation and energy for raising the level of understanding and motivation. Students have a right to see the relevance of what they are being asked to do. By making a connection to their lives they will be motivated to become more engrossed in the learning. Too often students are detached and disinterested and I as the teacher accept that as normal. As long as I have something to grade and the task is completed, life in the classroom goes on. But the norms of schooling are often at odds with the norms of life-long learning. So it's worth spending an extra few minutes working out the BI, LG and SC clearly and in language students can understand. Without these in place the level of engagement runs the risk of flat-lining or even spiraling downward. It could mean the difference between the appearance of learning and  learning for life. 

Managing the Troublemaker

As teachers we might be better off expecting a non-compliant student to show up in our classroom rather than dreading a situation where that student comes under our care. There are many reasons for this type of behaviour. An Identified condition such as ADHD, ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), or a range of other causes like attention-seeking behaviour, anger, peer rejection, etc. 

What I've found to be most challenging has been to separate my personal feelings (fear, anger, frustration) from the needs of the troublemaker and the needs of the rest of the class. When I have taken defiance personally I have not been able to feel or show genuine care for the student who has, for example, defied me in front the the class. Caring for the unruly student is not the same as letting him or her carry on with the disruptive behaviour. I can show care for the student as a person while I calmly implement  clear, objective procedures such as redirecting, counting down, restating agreed-upon incremental consequences   (not "to the office!" on the first trigger), and lots of opportunity for deferred conversations ("We will need to chat after class"), I can maintain control of myself and consequently of my teaching goals and students without giving in to negative emotions. 

I need to recognize that most troubled students are carrying wounds from their home environment to school. Obviously, I want to win the battle in order to maintain order and respect. But I have to be careful not to resort to power tactics that only fuel resentment on both sides.  If the student needs to be removed from the classroom in the end, let it be in sync with a consistent attitude of caring firmness. 

Am I Teaching or Babysitting?

I can think of three reasons for not actually teaching i.e. conducting a lesson by talking, demonstrating, interacting pedagogically with the students. One, the students are engaged in a follow-up activity stemming from a lesson already given. Two, I am unprepared or unwilling to teach, so I assign seat work. I am either tired, stressed, or making a political statement that demands being made on me are unreasonable. Three, I believe in the philosophy that students' learning should be self-directed. 

I can accept the first reason, as long as the activity continues to be a meaningful extension of the lesson taught. I can understand the second reason too as there are days that I experience fatigue or discouragement. Not as the modus operandus of my classroom, though. I hope this decision not to teach is incidental, not recurrent. I also understand the third reason, but only when it is done with careful intention and includes lots of interaction and processing checkpoints along the way. The problem is when the second reason is used as an excuse for the third. Busy work is a form of babysitting, so is unengaging seatwork. It takes MORE preparation to carry out student directed learning well, not less.