The What

Modelling is such an important part of what we do, especially when reading more complicated extracts or texts. I had previously taught a George Orwell extract I planned to use again, and instead of reading it before the lesson to prepare, I simply didn’t. It’s George Orwell writing about sport, what could possibly go wrong?

Confidently, and with great clarity in my voice, I began to read.

… ‘fiercer passions are aroused’ – first round of giggles, always best not to draw attention to it.

… ‘rousing savage passions’ – more sniggering, just continue to ignore it.

At this stage I should also point out that not only did each student have a copy of said extract, but I was highlighting and annotating on the visualiser, my pen hovering along the words as I read.

… ‘something something foreplay’ – they erupted in laughter. Look, they’re a group of 16-year-old boys, I get it. But really? Couldn’t they just be mature for once?

And then I noticed my mistake.

George Orwell hadn’t written about foreplay; he had written about fair-play.

I was now beetroot red and weighing up my options. Do I address it or ignore it.

The How

In true British fashion – I rolled my eyes at them for their immaturity, kept calm and carried on reading.

In this instance, it was the best decision. I could have stopped and apologised, or I could have lectured them for their immaturity, but it wasn’t the right moment. Had one of them made an inappropriate comment, or taken it further in some way, I would probably altered my approach.

I had made a silly mistake which they had obviously found funny, they’re not robots.

Before reacting to tricky situations, always take a breath and think:

1.     How severe is this, actually?

2.     What will cause the least distraction to the lesson and the learning?

3.     Has a specific student showed repeated concerning behaviour or reactions?

The Why

Our reaction to our students makes all the difference. They will often mirror us - if you escalate something, they will also. If you raise your voice, they might too.

There is a time and a place to deal with silly, or sometimes serious, reactions from students. Our role is to model positive responses, no matter how embarrassed we might feel ourselves.

This week I read a phenomenal speech Sam wrote about the benefits of AI (more on this another time). I was completely blown away by the quality of work. I was also completely blown away that Sam would even try pass this off as their own. Sam, explain to me what ‘surreptitiously’ means… Alas, no luck. Sam, what point are you trying to make with this speech? Silence.

‘But miss, it’s so deep. AI writing about AI!’ Yes Sam, claps for you.

While this might bring a smile to your face, it highlights the importance of vocabulary and understanding. What percentage of words do you think you need to know in a text to ensure understanding?

You might be surprised to know the answer is 95%.1

Let’s do a little experiment. Here, 85% of words are known words – what can you understand about the text from this?

Now compare that to 95% of known words in a text:

And finally, 100%:

Just 20 words can be the difference between understanding or confusion.

Often, we are setting students up to fail because we haven’t equipped them with the knowledge to decode and understand the information they are reading. Understandably, this is a huge part of my subject area, but it applies to all areas of learning.

The How

‘…we should see reading, writing, vocabulary, speaking, listening, debate, and more, as the complex tapestry of great teaching, enacted in every lesson, in every phase and subject domain, by every teacher.’2

Here’s a few things you can try:

• Ensure students do lots and lots of reading of challenging texts.

• Support students to develop, connect and cohere their knowledge.

• Give students targeted, text sensitive support to deploy reading comprehension strategies, with a gradual release of responsibility.

• Prioritise ‘disciplinary literacy’ across the curriculum.

• Provide targeted vocabulary instruction in every subject.

• Actively teach Tier 2 vocabulary.

• Embed retrieval tasks into learning, so students are revisiting prior knowledge.

• Don’t gloss over vocabulary misconceptions. Always stop and address these.

Most importantly – take away the shame or embarrassment of not knowing. I don’t hesitate to say ‘I’m not sure’ and pull open the dictionary definition with my students.

The Why

The research surrounding the literacy and vocabulary gaps is shocking. Statistics show that too many students are leaving schools with low levels of literacy and the inability to read.

In fact, children born into communities with the most serious literacy challenges have some of the lowest life expectancies in England. A boy born in Stockton Town Centre (an area with serious literacy challenges) has a life expectancy 26.1 years shorter than a boy born in North Oxford.3

This of course has a knock-on effect; adults with poor literacy skills will be locked out of the job market and, as a parent, they will not be able to support their children’s learning.

For students who begin school with a poor understanding of language, being able to decode words is essential for equality, because their understanding of language, their vocabulary and their knowledge of the world will expand rapidly when they can read for themselves.

‘To be unable to read is to be locked out, to be isolated from discourse, to grasp the edges of conversations, to be without the knowledge of one’s companions. It is to be terrified of failure and haunted by its presence. It is humiliation and frustration, and it builds into anger, or despair. It is loneliness, and a formless sense of injustice.’ (James Murphy, On Reading)

While we might laugh when students like Sam use language they don’t understand, it is our responsibility as teachers and parents to help build their knowledge and bridge the vocabulary gap.

Miss P

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A question I hear all too often. I stop myself before the word vomit of "it's so crazy how overworked and underpaid we are" comes out. We don't want to start on a stereotypical negative note. So, welcome to one of the funny ones that taught me my first valuable lesson in communication.

The What

Most teachers come into their first job bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, dreaming of classroom displays and the lives they are going to change with motivational speeches. Instead, they drag themselves over the finish line of the first holidays, often exhausted and feeling defeated.

So when I survived my first year of teaching with an extremely positive experience, I was elated! Obviously, I had something that others didn't *insert hair flick*. But in reality, I was simply lucky to have worked at a small school with lovely students and very little pressure on staff.

In search of adventure and excitement, I moved abroad. As I said goodbye, my school principal wished me luck. "Teachers really earn their stripes in London," his eyes twinkled with a mischievous wisdom. I thanked him politely with an internal eye roll and went on my way.

Soon, I found myself working in an inner-city school, and earn my stripes I sure did. A humbling few weeks of long hours, marking, raised voices (mainly mine), planning, more raised voices, and let's be honest - some tears - passed.

"But I've never met this student, what do you expect me to say?" I whispered while sitting in an extremely uncomfortable chair in the cold sports hall for parents' evening. "Just tell them you're excited to welcome Sam back into the classroom," hurriedly replied the Assistant Headteacher while smiling and waving over two parents. What followed was an awkward conversation where two desperate parents pleaded with me to ignore what I might have heard about Sam. Their behaviour had improved now, and they had high hopes for Sam in my class. Naively, I assured them everything would be fine.

When Sam first walked into my classroom, I was immediately intimidated by the way they stared me down. A week later, Sam threw a chair in frustration during my lesson. A week after that, Sam swore in my face and squared up to me. I was completely out of my depth. Then, as if someone had flicked a switch, everything settled. Sam was the success of our intervention system! Look at the positive change in every lesson!

Was the reason for this change communicated with teachers? No. Did I attempt to actively keep an open line of communication with home? Also, no.

As a reward for good behaviour, Sam was allowed to attend a school trip to the British Museum. What could possibly go wrong? Insert poor communication between the school and home, insert fasting and not taking their medication. Hello, Sam punching a hole in the wall of the British Museum.

And so, the teacher became the student once more. A very confrontational lesson on the importance of open communication.

The How

Often when I'm mentoring early careers teachers, they express feeling anxious at the thought of picking up the phone and speaking to parents/carers or calling them in for a meeting at school. This is understandable. Most teachers can share a negative experience or two of being yelled at or blamed for something.

Therefore, training staff in this area is key.

A few tips to keep in mind:

1. Start with the positive: initiate a positive phone call or send an email/letter/achievement point to set up a positive rapport with parents/carers.

2. Early communication: contact home as soon as low-level concerns arise, so parents/carers are aware before the concerns grow and can support the school. Avoid "Why haven't I heard of this before".

3. Ensure any concerns are discussed factually and with supportive evidence: if it's an academic concern, ensure you have data/examples to support it. If it's pastoral, ensure you have completed a factual investigation first.

4. Root your concerns in school policies/ethos wherever possible: parents/carers might have a different base line than the school does, so it’s important to ground your concern in school policy. Eg. our behaviour policy clearly outlines x, y ,z - therefore this behaviour is unacceptable.

The Why

Importantly, teachers should note that communication is rarely a discrete, individual act but rather occurs within the context of ongoing exchanges (Adler & Rodman, 1994).

A positive rapport and consistent communication can make the biggest difference when working with tricky students. This must form part of our regular teaching practice, benefitting both the student and the teacher.

That hole in the wall of the British Museum was probably avoidable...