Lesson+structure

Lessons should have a routine format that enables students to predict the structure and outcomes of the lesson. This provides for the fundamental need of safety and security for the students (see Maslow's triangle etc.). While it is hoped that a strong relationship with the teacher fulfils these needs for the students, it can not be assumed even if the class has been successfully engaging in previous lessons as events outside can and frequently do unsettle them.

A short settling routine at the beginning of the class can be established that can minimise external effects on the students’ learning in class.

· Learning outcomes/lesson plan on the board. · Greeting students using names and making personal connections such as sharing news etc. - being prepared before students arrive in class so that the teacher's focus is on the students as they enter. · Coaching to get books, pencils etc out on arrival. Install habits. · Being prompt and efficient with paperwork - rolls, permission slips, homework checking etc · Having backups – pencils, paper, routine activities · Routine starter activity (5-10 minutes). Spelling test, math quiz, comprehension questions on three paragraphs of text, sample exam question, multi choice quiz, LINGO, still life (scientific line) drawing,. · Praise, praise, praise, praise, praise (5 positives for every negative) to be continued throughout the lesson

For the unsettled class: · Set seating arrangements - separate cliques or disruptive students · Games to build relationships between students. Group activities that expand tolerance - impersonal, task orientated activities. · Longer settling time. Strong routine. Introduce new types of activities gradually. · Praise, praise, praise, praise, praise x 6 (30 positives for every negative) continued throughout the lesson

Establishing control It is important to establish boundaries and to have the ability to keep students to them. This is a fundamental responsibility of adults in charge of children. But the stricter the boundaries, the more work it takes to maintain them. Increasingly, students do not have routine or consistent boundaries in their home lives and school needs to be more structured to compensate. Transient, frequently truant or otherwise absent students will need support to settle.

A firm but fair approach to relationships with students works best. Fun is optional. Be consistent. Be clear of your expectations and set them a level you are able to maintain.

Authority in subject matter

Keep your cool - be responsive but not reactive. Maintain decorum and a sense of humour. Know when not to engage. Tactical ignoring.

Transitions To orchestrate learning during the lesson, it is necessary to gather all students up for instructions for the next activity. Even if this only happens at the start and the end of the lesson, transitions need to be clearly signalled and effectively conducted.
 * 1) Gain students attention. Clap, clap, clap. Hands empty, looking this way, listening. 1,2,3, look at me. Hands in the air, we’re waiting.
 * 2) Conclude previous activity.
 * 3) Explain next activity.
 * 4) Write steps for next activity. Repeat first thing to be done.
 * 5) Say go.

Ideally, we could write a whole lesson plan on the board and students would be able to work through the list at their pace with support from a cruising teacher. This is reliant on the students’ ability to follow instructions – to have both the will and the way to learn independently- and on the complexity of the subject and its suitability for independent learning. If each step makes sense, then a student should be willing to follow a line of reasoning to its logical conclusion but if a leap of faith is needed to reach understanding of a concept then more instruction will be needed. For some students every new concept is challenging and they require faith that the effort to learn is worthwhile. Intrinsic learning occurs when students have faith in gaining a positive benefit from their efforts in learning. When it is easy for a student to learn, there is less risk of losing an investment of time and effort. When it is easy to fail, the student may not only lose the positive benefits but they risk gaining negative punishments as well. We need to provide opportunities to succeed and protect students from failure until they gain an appreciation of the wider benefits of learning and are willing to take risks. A strong student/teacher relationship is the basis of learning as it makes it easier for the student to trust the teacher to provide challenges that the student can surmount, albeit with effort.

The choice of activities we make in our lessons is therefore dictated by the amount of trust the teacher has in the students to follow instructions and the amount of trust the students have in the teacher to provide a learning experience that is worthwhile and achievable. This is assisted by:
 * Clarity of instructions – verbal AND written AND visual instructions; step-by-step; definitions of terms; reiteration.
 * Assessment of common understanding/assumed knowledge/basic skills of numeracy, literacy, scissor use etc
 * Practised, familiar formats – how to write answers in exercise book, following rules of a game, rules of co-operative work, debate and discussion, how to feed back a group’s decision when you don’t necessarily agree with it
 * Explicit explanation of vocabulary and repeated use of new terms in context. NOT word searches. Videos, audio books, readings, games.
 * Clear goals and expectations of behaviour, learning outcomes and achievements.
 * Context-based: related to common experiences/meaningful, local and/or familiar situations/rich contexts
 * Connections and links made between topics, current events, student interests and home, school and community.

Where students are unable or unwilling to learn independently, activities need to be chunked into smaller tasks. This is usually more manageable if the whole class moves at the same pace with clear transitions between tasks but this does limit the students’ development of independent learning skills, which are one of the ultimate aims of education. This defines one of the major challenges of teaching as the delivery of content and the development of independent learning skills are often not complementary. If we take seriously the curriculum’s vision of creating lifelong learners we need to take the long term view that when we instil a love of learning in our students and equip them with the skills to learn independently then they will learn far more content over their lifetimes than they ever would being taught durin their school years.

Teachers need to be mobile – constantly assessing where a student is at and what their next step is and discussing this with students. Available. Approachable. Responsive to requests. Adaptable to take advantage of teachable moments.

Teachers need to be well resourced –
 * Have good content knowledge that is current and revised before a unit.
 * Have a surplus of stock activities such as vocal exercises, instructions for activities such as debating, carousels, experiments, using equipment, safety considerations, analysing newspaper articles etc etc etc
 * Relevant video and recordings.
 * Excellent textbooks
 * Templates/instructions for literacy and numeracy in their subject and practice exercises. Exam questions and model answers, exemplars.

Conclusion – the lesson’s conclusion is essentially the final transition. A routine of tidying up and putting materials away needs to be established and upheld. Students are not to leave until the classroom is in order.

The effect of disruptive behaviour on the learning of others is often exacerbated by attention from the teacher so we exercise tactical ignoring or we direct the student to stay behind after class. Follow-up discipline is then administered in private and when the teacher is able to attend to the matter with undivided attention. This supports maintaining a relationship with the student, which is of primary importance in supporting learning. If direct discipline is needed during class, there is a need to rebuild relationships, which should also occur after class. Using ‘I’ statements (‘I am disappointed…) and clearly expressing expected behaviour and explaining concerns for the learning of the student and fellow students without drama or blame is usually the most constructive and productive approach.