Ben Stein, Choice Words, and Coaching: What Do You Notice?

What do I notice? I'm due for a break! The "classroom discussion" played out in the clip above from Ferris Bueller's Day Off is more common than not, and I guess that's why I always thought it was so hilarious...until I had to find ways to "coach" after observing this painful ordeal in many of my classrooms.

Approaching the coaching session as an opportunity to invite teachers to talk less...and invite kids to talk more, touches only the tip of the teacher-centered classroom. In Choice Words, Peter Johnston calls the pattern of interaction (IRE: teacher initiating [usually a question], student responding, and teacher evaluating the response) very controlling behavior. The underlying premise is that the teacher already knows what needs to be known, and he/she is therefore in the role of the judge, or in other words, the teacher is the knowledge giver and authority, and the students are the receivers without any authority. This system holds a subversive message to students that "children know about the world only through the knowledge that is transmitted to them" (54).

Hum...Where to begin..Johnston suggests a tape recorder to play back and listen to the dialogue...Gosh, I tried (as an observer) to script like crazy to catch as much of it as possible, trying to count hands in the air, position of students in classroom, and as many of the words from the teacher as possible. One of the strongest messages I get from the Johnston book is to notice the good (just as you would in your classroom) and name it...He talks about how sad it is that often teachers can't verbalize what they are actually doing in their classrooms.

I guess we could all be better at noticing what's really going on...and see what positive effects spring from our interactions. At the same time, we can take better control of our words, which have enormous power over the identities of our students as readers, writers, and learners. I think this applies to our teachers - and trainers - as well. If some of my stressed out teachers could just lighten up and enjoy what their kids can discover on their own...Johnston also discusses "wait time," something I need to revisit during my collaborations.

So...I plan to rest, eat, and look for the good that "refueling" during Thanksgiving break will bring me. I know I need a break when all I can see during observations is Ben Stein up there in the front of the class. I know also that laughter is healing and energizing... We could all use some of that, too!