It’s critical that you create a culture conducive to excellent behavior.
Indeed, and of course.
That’s what we do here at SCM. We teach exactly what you need to do to cause students to want to listen, learn, and behave.
Much of this work is done at the beginning of the school year, which includes teaching and modeling your classroom management plan and everyday routines in a certain way.
It includes setting a tone of politeness, respect, and responsibility and the first spark of recognition within every student that says, “This year is going to be different.”
If you’re new to SCM and you’re not sure where to begin, the The Total Classroom Management Makeover and the classroom management plans at right are a good place to start.
However, there is one particular strategy you need if you’re to have your dream class. It’s a strategy that goes all the way back to the scribes of Mesopotamia, yet it’s hardly ever mentioned.
It’s as if it’s still buried under the stony plains of Iraq.
This hidden strategy is both enjoyable for teachers and attention-grabbing for students. It’s also low-hanging fruit; anyone can do it. Yet nothing, nothing, has the same power to draw students into whatever you’re teaching.
So what is it?
Well, before we get there I want to mention that when I use this strategy in the beginning of the school year I like to watch as my least-engaged students—determined by their body language the first few days of school—start to awaken like Frankenstein’s monster.
From a slouched position, their eyes look up as if to say, “Hmm, what’s this?” Their head turns toward me confused for a few beats before they begin to inch their way up in their seat. Not long after that, they’re leaning in.
And I got them. Just like that.
But it’s no surprise. I know it’s going to happen. No one on Earth is immune to this forgotten strategy as long as you’re willing to go far enough. By far, I mean deep. You see, the strategy that almost no one mentions anymore is to teach in great detail.
Forget just touching on the highlights. Forget the broad brush. Forget the lily pads and pickerelweed and go down below the pond’s surface.
To be interesting to your students, to pull them in and never let them go, you have to get into the nitty-gritty. You have to break down your topic, subject, objective, etc. and pull apart the itty bits.
It’s the stuff students love.
How conquistador helmets were made.
Why Marie Curie carried radium in her pocket.
The evidence boy-king Tutankamun was murdered.
There is something cool or weird or scary or fascinating that can be discovered in every lesson if you’re willing to dig for it. This alone, for so many teachers, is the missing piece.
They may do everything else well. But as soon as they step in front of their students to actually teach a lesson, it’s bedtime. Yawn, slump, sigh, and glance around the room for some amusement.
The solution isn’t to try to be more entertaining. It isn’t to plan for hours on a “fun” activity. It isn’t to lecture, beg, bribe, dance the haka, or work harder.
It’s to mine the details they’ve never heard before. It’s to take a topic you’ve been asked to teach and look under the hood. Find at least one thing your students can can grab hold of. It can even be something that at first glance isn’t terribly interesting.
With detail, it becomes interesting.
I’ve had an entire class mesmerized while showing how to hold a pencil or line up for lunch or divide fractions or create an outline for a well-written essay. Doesn’t matter. Details win championships.
At SCM we believe in shifting a heavy load of responsibility onto students. We want them challenged and feeling a sense of purpose when they enter the classroom and every moment throughout the day. There are many and high expectations of them.
But this one is on you.
The quality of your directed lessons are your responsibility. And they need to be good. Your knowledge of content is critical because without it you can’t go deep enough. You must be an expert.
Only then can you bubble down to the bottom where the real treasure awaits.
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That is really inspiring. This is going to be one of my goals for next year.
You know, there’s a fashion in education these for disparaging teaching like this these days. “Teachers need to be the Guide on the Side, not the Sage on the Stage,” people say. But think back to our own schooling; who were our favourite teachers? The ones who could be fascinating with amazing facts, wonderful stories, and inspiring you to learn.
Right on! Any time I start with the words Did you know..?! They are hooked. Sometimes it delays us when they want to know more – but totally worth the few minutes.
Thank you! Great idea. As an art teacher there are LOTS of fascinating details (how to hold a paint brush, what the parts are called, how they’re manufactured, synthetic vs animal hair bristles, the origins of color names, etc.
Request: second article with the details on exactly what you say, “ I’ve had an entire class mesmerized while showing how to hold a pencil or line up for lunch….”
Much appreciated, Wendy in NJ
I second this.
I’ll bet this idea can also be applied to writing syllabi. Some syllabi from past classes I’ve had still stick in my head for how detailed they were! I loved having such a helpful road map for the course right at the start of the semester, and you bet I referenced that thing all the time. Now that I’ve been teaching at the high school level for a couple of years, I’m looking forward to making my own detailed syllabi. I think it sends a message to the students that the teacher has well-thought out the class and that it is designed with purpose.
This is so true! I’ve had my students rubbing their hands together and giggling in delight while creating Shakespearean sonnets because of fun details.
Can you share a detail example that worked with sonnets?
This is so true, especially for middle schoolers. Be explicit. It works with high school seniors too in a college credit class. Being this way eliminates teacher frustration later. I’ve done it for years but didn’t know it was a strategy. Just thought is was my way of managing their behavior and my pending irritations if they messed stuff up. My expectations are high, and I’m seen as picky, but one observer told me, “You don’t have discipline problems.” Wasn’t that way 30+ years ago. We do learn as we go.
We had many students over the years.The old reciprocity agreements about college majors and financial dangers.They are agreeable with developmental but revolt with behavioral discipline.Thanks
I agree with wanting to see your details spelled out for a procedure. Could you share what you say when you teach kids to line up? I understand that all teachers have different standards but seeing one of your procedures spelled out would help me think through how to share what I expect. Thanks — I am always inspired by your blogs and by reading your books.
Yes. I would also like to see a script. My lines suffer year after year.
Very true! It’s going to be very helpful at the start of the semester and I am sure that it will work well. Thank you!
I truly believe in the importance of detail as well. I have taught many social studies lessons that allow students to think and inquire as they collect their own information and we then discuss. Through the discussion and wondering, speculating, trying to unpack all of this history of people and situations, the students become so engaged. Often, they beg to continue our conversations, when we have already stretched our time, and are eagerly and energetically raising and waving their hands to share. My students and I have absolutely loved these discussions due to their depth and I know they will remember these in depth learning moments over surface level in the future.
Any advice for doing this with teaching a foreign language?
I’ve drummed up some level of interest by going to the source of Latin and explaining how English is a split language which explains why there are so many cognates between English and romance languages, but that doesn’t seem as detailed as what you are referring to and I’m not sure how to apply that to learning Spanish vocabulary…
Yes – also where I am needing more support. I am a trainee language student and struggling with what I perceive is a boring curriculum – talking about the subjects you study and which ones you like – language they won’t even use when they leave school!