Paint the Gray Areas Black and White
In a previous article I told you the story of an EL student who was both truant and failing her afternoon English class. She was falling behind because she could not keep up with the instruction and her classmates.
My colleague was perplexed because she was excelling in his class but seemed to have given up on her English class? As I explained, English was her afternoon class, directly following his class, the end of a long day navigating the EL Labyrinth. However, there was another troubling reason why she was truant in her class, she was being bullied.
While chatting with my colleague I probed further about this situation. His student had shared that during her English class there were often moments when she, and the class, had nothing to do. For example, minutes passed with a lull between when the bell rang and when class started. Additionally, sprinkled throughout class, there were other gaps between finishing one activity and moving on to the next. It was also common to end class early, before students were excused, when students would “hang out” until the bell rang to dismiss them.
Gray Areas
I call these lulls, or gaps in lesson plans, “Gray Areas”. For some students these undefined times go unnoticed. But for many students, these gray areas are where they get lost. In particular this is true for students for whom English is a second language, as well as students with learning differences. Students thrive in predictable learning routines, not ambiguity. We can learn from Chip Heath and Dan Heath in their book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard,
“Ambiguity is the enemy. Any successful change requires a translation of ambiguous goals into concrete behavior. In short to make a switch, you must script the critical moves.”
When Bullying Is Allowed To Happen
She went on to confide in my colleague that during these “breaks”, the students near her would make fun of her. However, she also explained that when the class was engaged academically, she felt safe. I must admit, I was also perplexed. This particular English teacher was one of the most charismatic and beloved teachers on campus. How could bullying be occurring daily in her class?
At the time I was chair of my department and felt responsible to explore this further. I asked this teacher if I could observe her afternoon class. I am glad I did. She was friendly, passionate, funny, excited, engaging, and knowledgeable. Her classroom felt like a warm and welcoming space. She embodied so many of the qualities of an effective educator. But when class started, just as this student had shared with my colleague, there was a gap between when the bell rang and when she engaged with the class. During these few minutes most students were getting ready and chatting with their neighbors. But not all of the students…
I was another adult in the room and had eyes on a few students who clearly would have demonstrated “off-task” behavior. Could these be the students who were bullying her? Interestingly, as soon as this teacher officially started class, everyone was on task. Every student was engaged.
The gray areas in our lessons, those moments left undefined, are:
- Where classroom management issues breed.
- When students can feel unsafe.
- A huge waste of learning time.
For the sake of our students, it is our responsibility to paint the gray areas black and white.
Paint the Gray Areas Black and White
When we define the gray areas in our lessons, when we paint the gray areas black and white, we turn ambiguity into predictability. We turn off-task behavior into academic engagement. We create safer learning environments and we utilize every second of class time for teaching and learning. I appreciate how Steve Farr says it in his book Teaching as Leadership,
“Highly effective teachers use procedures and systems to maximize the value of each minute of learning…To be clear, these highly effective teachers sweat the details not because they are obsessed with control but because they see that this attention to detail translates into student learning.”
Please take a moment each day to review your lesson through this lens. Are there any moments, even a minute or two, that are left undefined? Better yet, invite a trusted colleague to observe your classes with an eye for any gray areas.
We can use these precious moments to engage students and create safer learning environments.
Be well,
Mitch
