Best Response to 'Bad students' (2)

Steps to a Coaching Classroom: Newsletter 2

UPDATE Jan 27: We now have a LinkedIn Group where you can share your thoughts and interact directly with the Author.

”I might not be able to pay teachers more money, or give them the public recognition they deserve for the amazing work that they do, but I can teach them about a coaching approach. And that will be my contribution to a better world.”

Martin Richards

In this article, you will learn which words and phrases to remove from your classroom and from your mind, as we explore the concept of Positive Language.

In the previous article, I described how your thoughts about a situation - for example students rebelling during a lesson - can provoke you to react during the lesson. I described that beneath the surface of the students' behaviour is a request for you, as their teacher, to step up as their role model.

I also described the three steps you can take in order to make the best of those situations, they are:

1. Notice
2. Reframe
3. Implement.

At the end of the previous article, I promised to tell you about the teacher who improved the learning environment in the classroom.

Here is that story.

The Teacher who Used Paper Clips

This teacher has decided to tackle the biggest problem in her working life. Her students have been moody, difficult, and challenging all term. Every lesson, they resist most of the learning activities that she asks them to do, and are consequently not progressing well through the course.

The students are losing confidence that they will pass the course, and are worried about their academic and employment options if they should fail.

Imagine the scared thoughts that are going through the students' minds.

The teacher is concerned that she’s not a good teacher, that she has chosen the wrong profession and is considering quitting at the end of the term.

Imagine the scared thoughts that are going through the teacher's mind.

That is the mental backdrop to the scene that is about to play out. The scared thoughts in the minds of the teacher and her students.

Fortunately, this teacher has been coached and has reflected on what her thoughts might actually mean. She has reframed the thoughts and chosen those that will support her and her students, and has come to a decision about how to respond.

Follow me to her classroom.

The teacher calls the class to attention to tell them how she feels about the communication between herself and the class has been over the past weeks.

"I have something to say to you all. I have something to ask you all."

The class hushes.

"Looking back on this lesson, and the past few week’s lessons, I feel that we can improve the learning environment, by improving the way we communicate."

The students exchange puzzled looks.

"Communication is a shared responsibility. You share 49%, and I have the other 51% of the responsibility. So I want to start making some changes with what I say to you. Will you help me with that?"

There is a tremble in the teacher's voice that sounds like authenticity. Her request falls on the students' ears mixed with desperation, and fear. There is general murmur of agreement to help. They know what it's like to be afraid.

She continues, "During the lessons, I ask that you give me an indication when I say something that is not positive, or not supportive. Can you do that?"

The students ask for more details and begin a discussion around the exact meaning of ‘not positive’ and ‘not supportive’. They have plenty of examples of what their teacher says that puts them on edge. She assures her students that this is not a trick, and she truly does want to know, and make changes.

The class also agrees to a specific sign that will be an indication to the teacher that she is using words that are not positive or supportive.

During the lessons the teacher uses a box of paper clips and a shallow dish.

Each time the students indicate that she had said something that is not positive or supportive, she takes a paper clip out of the box and puts it in the dish. At the end of the lesson she counts the number of paper clips and writes that in her journal. Her aim is to have no paper clips in the dish by the end of the fifth lesson.

It takes time. For the first of the five lessons she takes the students’ indications at face value, and without challenging the students picks up a paper clip and puts it in the dish. During the second and third lessons she pauses after each student’s sign and asks with honest curiosity “What could I say instead?”. Most often she then uses the words or phrase that the student suggested.

After the fourth lesson, the number of paper clips has reduced to almost none. Noticeably relaxed, the teacher begins to offer to give feedback to certain students, “Would you like me to give a sign when you use language about yourself that is not positive, or not supportive?”

Reflection

What would it take for you to request that your students give you feedback on what you say to them?

I would love to read your answer to that question.

Examples of Positive Language

Positive language includes thoughts, words and behaviours that maintain and increase students’ chances of becoming successful adults. Using positive language builds the students self-confidence and their belief in their future. Positive language is inspirational, motivational, constructive and instructive, and occurs in all communication, verbal, non-verbal (facial expression) and paraverbal (proximity and stance).

Examples of positive language can be found in:

• What you tell yourself (your thoughts and spoken words)
• What you tell your students

Horrid little words

What did that teacher learn? Which words are not positive or supportive?

You might be surprised to learn that among the worst are:

• Try
• Must
• Not
• Help

Try - is a horrid little word

If you say to yourself, “I will try to get these test results to you by the end of the week”, there is a negative, dis-empowering assumption that you might not succeed. So say the truth:

“I have two hours tomorrow to mark these test papers. I will mark as many as I can and see on Thursday how much more time I need to mark the rest of them.”

By saying this you will open up your and the students degree of choice about doing what you have time for, and asking for more time. Of course, there may be no more time, and so there will be consequences, but they will have been chosen freely.

Must - is a horrid little word

If you think to yourself, “I must get these papers ready!”, you have conveyed a sense of victimization by a third person who will punish you if you don’t succeed. This thought can drain your energy, because you don’t say that you want to do this work. If there is no punishment for not getting the papers marked, use instead:

“I am going to get these papers ready, now.”

This communicates to yourself (and others) that you are making a choice and commitment to doing the work.

By saying this you will show yourself and your students that you are making an active choice in what you do, because you want to do it... And be a role model for the students having choice.

Not - is a horrid little word

When you tell your students “This isn’t hard” you are also implying “You are wrong if you think it is hard.” It is more encouraging thing to say:

“This becomes easier as you learn how to do it.”

If you say “don’t forget to do your homework”, you are setting up an image of them forgetting homework. Ask:

“What do you need from me to make the homework easier?”

Regarding the homework, it's simple to tell them what you really want them to do. Say,

“Remember to set aside an hour for the reading homework, so that you are well-prepared for tomorrow’s lesson, and can have fun and join in the discussion.”

By using this kind of language you are presenting an image of success, and empowering your students with strategies for achieving goals.

Help - a horrid little word

The phrase “I will come and help you in a minute” contains the message “You cannot do this by yourself ”. The helper-role is less helpful than you intend it to be. Say instead:

“I’m tied up at the moment. I will be ready in two or three minutes, if you still need me.”

This suggests that the student can, if they want to, do it themselves, find support from someone else, or wait until you have time for them. You have shown them alternative strategies without hinting that they are helpless without you.

Paperclips teacher revisited

I met the teacher again close to the end of term in a final coaching session and asked how things were progressing. Not only had she gained the confidence of her students, she had also regained confidence in herself as a teacher and had decided to continue in the profession, “for a few more years”.

My reflection as coach is that not only has this process eased the tension between the two sides, and improved the learning environment, but has also raised the expectations of the teacher and her students. All of them have experienced the importance of positive language in forming a productive working environment and they have at least one set of tools for making the kind of changes they might want to see in their communication. I have not met any of the students since they left school, but I imagine that they will have benefited from this teacher’s bravery and honesty in tackling the big problem in their working relationships, and have a role model for when they might need it in their own working relationships.

Not only had she gained the confidence of her students, she had also regained confidence in herself as a teacher and had decided to continue in the profession, "for a few more years".

Next

The next article, focuses on ways to build a positive working environment in the classroom.

I will share a story about a teacher who engages with students using positive language to start the lesson, to engage the students in activities, to correct mistakes and bad behaviour and for ending the lesson and setting up the homework.