How to Get Blood From a Stone

The origin of the phrase above is most attributed to Giovanni Torriano the 17th century writer.  His intention was to simplify the idea that we cannot extract a substance which isn't there in the first place.  When trying to encourage discussion amongst teenagers perhaps the same applies.  We often hear that children are naturally inquisitive, however when they approach the borderlands of adolescence this often changes to apathy.  Again this is a generalisation which may not describe all young people but it is a common trend.

The complaint often aired by teachers in any context is that discussion is often difficult.  To approach the problem it might be wise to consider the importance of student led education.  The truth of the matter is that students benefit more from interaction and discussion than from the teacher lecturing them to oblivion.  If we see this type of 'lesson' then we can be confident that those sitting listening aren't actually 'learning'.  The usual exceptions are the methods used on the University campus where the students are expected to be of a certain level of academic maturity to benefit from being talked to.

In any context it is quite apparent that language interaction is essential to the development of intellect.  After all, children learn language acquisition skills before they are born.  It is through the hearing of conversation that infants begin to adopt their speech and language.  Why should this change when they begin formal education?  As children mature they need to be encouraged to engage with their immediate carers and other people in their social environment.  The sharing of thoughts, ideas and knowledge is essential to their own mental development:

'The building and exchange of thoughts and ideas which takes place in the

course of a discussion, in any context at all, is likely for at least one of the

participants, and often for both or all of them, to lead to a greater understanding

of, or insight into, the topic of the conversation.'

- Alan Pritchard, Ways of Learning, 2005

So in the classroom we should try to hear many different voices instead of one or two.  Yet this might be an upward struggle.  If we have a class of new students in front of us, or if the subject matter is unfamiliar then we may have an upward struggle when promoting dialogue.  The key is to show the students that we are not more important than them.  Some of their reluctance may stem from preconceived ideas about the teacher.  Humans tend to open up more if they are in a relaxed environment.  By making them aware of the level playing field between us and them then we make ourselves more trustworthy and, dare I say it, even normal (however, I believe that educators should develop dual characteristics of normality and originality).

Once we have developed an atmosphere of trust then much of the groundwork is complete.  The quality of our questions and topic starters comes next.  This is where we should take advantage of our awareness of prior knowledge.  However, if the topic of the lesson is completely knew to the students then start with the most thought-provoking questions you can think of.  Thinking time is essential!  Never get into the habit of asking a question and offering the answer five seconds later.  This is completely at odds with the role of a teacher.  Ask the same question again.  Give the students time to 'think'.  At this point the question can be re-phrased.  In most cases the answer will come from someone in the class.  This may not be correct or even detailed, but whatever the student says may just begin a conversation.

Whilst these factors help to encourage discussion it is also possible to use a little bit of performance.  Many teachers behave in very predictable ways with common teaching habits.  This includes the manner in which they talk.  Perhaps bringing some appropriate humour and fun into the mix might encourage students to open up.  Not at any time should our dialogue become inappropriate or digress from the main thrust of the discussion, but a more relaxed approach can go a long way in getting blood from a stone.  As teachers we need to know our pupils and prepare accordingly.  As long as we are keen for them to learn we have to reduce the amount that we speak and listen carefully to the opinions of those that matter most.

Using Photography to Record the Good Times!

In education teachers become really paranoid about taking pictures with pupils included.  On our History trips to Belgium and France we break all the records for photographs taken.  The reason for this is the pupils want it and appreciate it.  Here is a very small selection of the pictures taken on our last trip this March (minus the pupils of course).

Promoting Respect in the Real World Classroom

How many teachers would have the mindset that being an adult equals automatic respect?  At least two generations ago the authority of an educated, professional adult was enough to keep students in line (despite the odd, courageous individual lad who had no fear of authority).  Now it seems that the exception has almost become the rule.  In teaching practice within the modern classroom, there appears to be a dearth of respect shown to teachers.  Undoubtedly there would be many practitioners who would argue against such an assertion, but this would be more of an indication of personal experience rather than firm evidence.  For example, some teach in affluent private schools in which pupil behaviour and attitudes tend to be less highly charged than in public schools located in areas of high deprivation (the author does acknowledge that disrespect can be found in all schools).
All of this seems quite negative but my experience has shown that the challenge of creating a respectful ethos is a positive one.  The constant media focus on the negative aspects of young people needs to be turned on its head.  There is, of course, the uncontrollable factor of home environment influence.  However, working with young people from deprived communities allows adults to deal with barriers and try to instil respect where virtually none has existed at home before.  There are some extremely useful approaches to encourage respect in these circumstances.
First of all, students can tell when teachers are genuine or not.  The key to gaining respect is to show real concern for welfare.  Token gestures are an example of doing the job more than trying to help.  If an approach is not genuine, or if the teacher struggles to be so then this has to change.  Secondly, make full use of colloquialisms.  Culturally Responsive Classroom Management encourages meeting points between the student and educator.  Linguistic differences naturally exist when educated adults engage with students who possess limited vocabulary skills.  Some educators come from backgrounds in which slang speech was the norm and this has remained an integral part of their communication.  For those who struggle to relate linguistically with young people, there are certain phrases and ways of speaking which can be adopted without lowering ones own vocabulary.  I have used a few examples which get attention and allow students to open up.  Since there are so many cultural variances across the globe, to give examples would be virtually impossible.
Perhaps an overarching principle is the importance of consistency.  My own children tend to improve in their general attitudes when the rules are upheld regularly.  In the context of school the same applies.  In fact many pupils with little or no social structure often react well to constant patterns of leadership.
These practices are certainly not full-proof and have to be adapted depending on the circumstances.  There is so much more to positive engagement and respect, some of which cannot even be written in a prescriptive manner.  The key is to have real concerns and care for the students.

THE BENEFITS OF SILENCE

After 60 seconds I have exceeded the maximum limit of waiting time for an answer.  There is a feeling of slight awkwardness amongst some of the students, almost like that tense moment when the stranger walks into the saloon and everyone stops what they're doing to stare at him.  Yet I love the silence!  For me it's the perfect tool for thinking and being funnelled into a process of thinking.  Even when students aren't very engaged with the lesson content, this sudden gap in the conversation can force them into a micro thought.  Silence can be Golden in these moments.  I find that it works best when the build-up to the question prepares the class for some deep contemplation.  Therefore the quality of the question is quite important.  Don't be put off by the silence, but make sure that it's not due to any confusion caused by a complex remark on you part.  Students have to be given something to think about which allows them to quickly process what is being asked.

Sometimes the silence can be taken to another level.  As part of a Greek Philosophy lesson I encouraged all the students to do what Socrates would do . . . Sit and think . . . In silence.  They had to choose something that was important to them.  About 70 percent of them explained that they thought about cars or computer games (no surprises there).  However, 2 or 3 spoke about higher order concepts such as the existence of God or their place in the Universe.  This then led to the most fascinating discussion on Gods and eternity.  This lesson was certainly successful, which can be mainly attributed to the benefits of silence.

Responding to Cultural Variations in the Classroom

Managing the behaviour of a whole class of teenagers from mixed backgrounds, different genders and levels of intelligence is a task that many people would consider beyond them . . . And then you have teachers.  There is absolutely no doubt that some in the profession find it difficult to harness classroom management skills but others seem to do it naturally, as if they had been born in a house full of teenagers.
It would seem that a certain amount of Life experience can be the core element to any level of confidence in controlling young people in the school environment.  However, being able to teach, encourage, manage, satisfy and progress pupils requires a wee bit more than a mature approach.
Culture is such an important meeting point between pupil and teacher.  Managing behaviour is as much about reaching the level of the individual as it is about consistency and a stern voice.  I wonder how many teaching staff would consider their commitment to their students in terms of caring for them.  In some situations it would seem that being sympathetic to pupil circumstances is frowned upon.  From personal experience, getting them to stay in the classroom, never mind get on with the work is best achieved when authority figures 'show' that they respect and care for them.  This is one element of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management:

Students are more likely to succeed if they feel connected to school and a positive, respectful relationship with teachers helps create such an environment. Poor classroom management threatens school connectedness because a poorly managed classroom cannot provide a stable environment for respectful and meaningful student learning (Blum, 2005.) Marzano (2003) concluded that good teacher-student relationships are important to effective classroom management and there is much research to support the belief that good student-teacher relationships enhance learning (Rodriguez, 2005; Tomlinson and Doubet, 2005; Brown, 2003).  
- Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

Lesson Starters - Setting the Scene

Some of the best attention grabbers are the most simple ones.  The key is to mix it up and provide unique variety.  Trying to avoid predictable beginners is difficult when your days are filled with lessons.  I once began a lesson on the Bugonic Plague with the words on the board: THE LAST PERSON TO WALK INTO THE ROOM HAS THE PLAGUE!

As the unfortunate pupil came in the majority of the class caught onto the joke and behaved exceptionally cautious.  I approached him with a hanky held over my mouth and nose (due to fear of Miasmas) and told him to sit away from the other pupils.  I had prepared a sign to hang over his neck which read: PLAGUE - DO NOT COME NEAR ME.  I AM DEATH.  For the next 5 minutes we used our previous knowledge to determine how the disease was 'apparently' spread and how this pupil should be treated (based on Remedies from the Middle Ages).

This lesson starter worked a treat.  The class were attentive, interested and enjoying themselves.  The boy in question was quite happy to play the part and was not scarred by the experience.  I'll use this as an attention grabber in the future.

Can technology hinder learning as well as enhance it?

Whenever I place a research task in front of my pupils/students many of them struggle with the ground work that is essential to achieving the outcomes.  For example . . . I had a pupil ask me what the name 'Adolf'  actually meant because the website he found said simply that there are different versions of the name.  After praising the quality of the boy's question, I suggested to him that he might check the words he typed into the search engine and then read 3 or 4 results from the websites shown.  He looked at me with an expression of despair and grudgingly began the labourious task of taking the time to read several sources.  After only 5 minutes of simple research he was able to clarify the meaning and use the information for his project.  This pupil had learned the valuable skills of information cross-referencing and quality checking (as well as 'How not to be lazy').  This is clearly an example of technology enhancing learning . . . but more importantly it is a great example of technology enhancing the learner!

The value of technology, or perhaps more accurately, the level of understanding of the various uses of technology might be better explained with another example.  In the religious setting I teach a youth Sunday School class for about 50 minutes every weekend.  Students come with traditional 'book' versions of the scriptures and others come with smart phones and tablets with digital versions of the same.  I always, without exception, let the students know that becoming familiar with the order and sequence of individual books, chapters and verses is better achieved with the book version.  Digital versions do the searching for you.  It's usually at this stage that I explain my love of tablets and digital formats.  However in the context of 'familiarisation', it's the page by page sequencing found in 'books' which remains the better method.  Search engines are not our masters!  We are the learners and should remember that our research skills are enhanced by digital media when used correctly but not at the mercy of too much ease!  Perhaps we should possess a learning ethos which allows us to have one foot in technology and the other in tradition. 

The Way of the Teacher

So . . . teaching!  How easy or hard is it?  Is there a place for actual friendship between teacher and pupil?  How creative are our lessons . . . really?  How the heck do we deal with pupils/students who don't engage?  And here is the BIG question - Can teachers actually solve the social problems which seem to be on the increase?  Can we, the mighty few do what so many parents, social workers, educational psychologists and government ministers cannot?  Follow my Blog, check it regularly, take part in discussions, share resources and ideas. Lets make teaching better!!