Building Expert Power Beyond Your Curriculum (Classroom Management Series #2)

In a previous article, “Teachers Have Options,” I introduced the idea that effective classroom management hinges on a teacher’s ability to perceive themselves as a leader and discern which types of power (John French and Bertram Raven’s Bases of Social Power) they should use in their classrooms and when they should use those powers. The article scratches the surface of topics requiring a more detailed look at the power dynamics in a classroom. No matter the physical size of the students in the classroom, there will always be more students in the room than adults which means interesting power dynamics are bound to unravel. One way a teacher can maintain control of their class is by establishing themselves as an expert.

Expert power works in a classroom because students respect what a teacher knows and can, in turn, trust the information given to them by that teacher. When students feel their teacher is not an expert, they may begin to think the expert power in the room rests with other students. Leadership for classroom management is then transferred from the teacher to another student in the room—this is rarely conducive to a positive learning environment. This same thing happens with new teachers and substitute teachers. Students feel that the teacher can be taken advantage of because the teacher “doesn’t know any better.” 

Teachers new to the profession may quickly think, “I am fully certified and highly qualified to teach this subject,” or perhaps, “I received my _______ degree from ______ University which is one of the top schools for that field of study in the state.” However, this is probably not the sort of expert power difficult students would respect or trust in the classroom. Teachers must know their student populations—their audience so to speak.

There is a great deal of power a teacher can harness if they will choose to walk into their classrooms as an actor playing a character on the stage of their classroom. In this context, the teacher can establish themselves as an expert in whatever manner they wish because they are establishing the character of “Teacher” as an expert in ______. Now I am not suggesting that a teacher lie about their credentials. I am, however, suggesting that teachers develop a rapport with their students by finding out what their students’ interests are and make an effort to develop some knowledge on that subject matter. This allows teachers to find common ground with their students and forge trust and respect with students by initiating real human interactions rather than the forced conversations of typical education.

Consider this situation:

Skyler was a student in my AP English Language class and rarely turned in any work for the course. His grade was tanking and he had zero interest in the subject. I tried talking with him, parent conferences, grade contracts, and guidance interventions. I got nowhere with him. His test scores indicated he had the ability to perform on par with the rest of the class, but he lacked motivation. Obviously, sitting in class for an entire period with no work to do meant he quickly became a behavior problem out of boredom. For an entire school year, I followed the routine procedures of documenting attempted grade and behavior interventions for Skyler and ultimately got nowhere with him. My conversations with Skyler were typically, “Hey, Skyler, this would be so easy for you, give it a shot.” “Hey, Skyler, going to attempt any work today?” “Hey Skyler, do you have anything to turn in for last night’s homework?” “Skyler, you need to know this to get into college.” “Skyler, you need this credit to graduate.” This is very typical teacher speak for a student not producing academically and it changed nothing for Skyler.

As it happened, I rolled up with this group of students to AP English Literature for their senior year. I could not repeat the previous year with Skyler and neither could he. We were both miserable. He wasn’t going to change so I had to come up with a new plan. One day in the first week of senior year, I had the class working on independent practice and let them listen to music with earbuds. I conferenced with Skyler at my desk and I changed my conversation. I asked, “Skyler, you didn’t do much homework last year. When you left school, how did you spend your time?” I already knew he didn’t have an after-school job. I learned he was a serious comic book fan. He told me his favorite characters were Spider-man and Venom. I knew a little about comic books from my foster son and husband so when I got home I started quizzing them to learn all I could about the characters. Before I knew it, I was engrossed in an entire universe and my teenage foster son was insisting I ask Skyler if he liked Carnage and Deadpool and I was learning as much about them over our dinner conversation as I could. Some of it was gruesome stuff, but the literary quality of a coming of age story drenched in sarcasm commenting on modern society was too good of a teachable moment to pass up. 

The next day, Skyler and I talked about the things I had learned. He was impressed. Over the course of the school year, Skyler’s work and behavior gradually began to improve. When I could make connections to comic books, I did. When he could make connections, he did. If he was wrong about the literature, I told him. If I got the comics wrong, he told me. I am not going to suggest that comics were a silver bullet to solving all of Skyler’s classroom problems but working to become knowledgeable in what Skyler was already an expert in certainly improved our dynamic and his work greatly.

As it turns out, most students are pretty concerned with fitting in, even the "outcasts." A teacher doesn’t have to be an expert in every topic under the sun to establish common ground with students. Teachers just need to listen to the student conversations already happening in their classrooms—there will be popular themes. Teachers don’t have to research adolescent culture either. I just ask my students, they are usually willing to tell me. If am I allowing them to listen to music while working on an assignment, my conversation with a student with whom I haven’t yet connected, might be something like:

Hey, what are you listening to? I don’t know that artist, what’s your favorite song? Why do you like that artist so much? Who else do you like to listen to? Have you ever listened to ____?

On my planning period or drive home, I’ll listen to some of the suggestions the student made. I have learned quite a bit about myself from my students in this way. I stay authentic in my engagement with them. They got me to play Pokémon Go. For a while, I was doing much better than they were. We would take out phones to compare catches, evolutions, and levels. We even crossed paths at the city park a few times while playing. It was fun side conversation. I found a love for Kendrick Lamar, but I hate Drake and I just cannot get into this Migos thing. Students know if you are faking your interests, so be honest.

Teachers struggling with classroom management or struggling with a particular student should consider seeking out alternative ways to establish their expert power in the classroom by discussing their authentic interests in rock bands of the 90’s, or abstract art, or superhero movies and by engaging with students about the expert power a student has. Role reversal can be powerful! “Ok, we are both in a classroom. You aren’t learning anything from me. So today, you be the teacher and teach me something.” What is there to lose in seeking to establish expert power outside of the curriculum? Instructional time? If no instruction is happening in a classroom because of poor management, spending time to engage with students isn’t wasted time, it’s a new strategy.

Amanda McCallister is the Co-Founder and National Advisor of Sigma Alpha Sigma, Inc a non-profit organization dedicated to building educational excellence and opportunities for student leaders.