Sage on the Stage

Dear Ed Inquiry,

I am a fairly new teacher who is finally comfortable with the content I am teaching.  Now, I am looking to increase engagement in my classroom. Until now, I have stuck with the traditional “sage on the stage” approach because it gives me more control.

Relinquishing this control and trusting that my students can handle a more interactive, student-driven setting is a scary thought for me. I teach the bottom 25% of our population, and behavior is often an issue. I am wondering if giving them more chances to interact with one another will increase or decrease issues.

Any advice? 

Sage on the Stage

Dear Sage on the Stage,

I feel your pain.  For the first year of my teaching career, I was absolutely terrified to move those desks from their perfectly lined rows, all facing front.  In fact, my principal at the time preferred that mode of operation. And, who was I to question that?

Then, I got my first Intensive Reading classes, one of which was a daily double block. That’s right; these kids were in my room 90 minutes every single day.  My rows were now shorter and angled, but they were rows nonetheless.  As I watched my students moping down the long hallway to my classroom as if it were their last mile, I knew something had to change.

So, into groups they went. After a brief period of direct instruction, they travelled from center to center (I now call them stations) doing different tasks. I made them help each other. I made them discuss the tasks and questions and defend their conclusions.  

They were horrible at it in the beginning. It was loud, messy, and frustrating at times.  But after a lot of feedback from me, they got it. I mean, they really got it.  Their discussions began to dig deeper and deeper. They questioned each other (respectfully, I might add). They questioned themselves.  They began to question authors. And, behavior issues decreased because they were interested in what they were doing (as opposed to doing nothing and listening to me drone on). 

This was the turning point in my professional thinking.  I became a facilitator. They became the teachers.  And, to this day, my kids come up with things I would have never thought of. They amaze and surprise me. But, more importantly, they amaze and surprise themselves. 

These student-driven and focused discussions serve as a valuable formative assessment tool. You will learn so much more about misconceptions and understandings from eavesdropping than you would from a multiple choice quiz.  

Hey, you might even find the conversation so titillating that you’re tempted to join in.  You can ask a few guiding questions if needed, but resist the temptation to put in your two cents.  Remember, the one doing the talking is the one learning. And, don’t you already know enough? Wink. Wink.

Sincerely,

Ed Inquiry