VIGNETTE

VIGNETTE FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS

Poor Mr Jones! It appears his well-intentioned constructivist approach was poorly implemented, his lesson plan lacked a basic understanding of how to manage group work effectively, and his classroom management strategies were flawed.
According to the first of Gagné’s nine events of instruction, that of gaining attention, (Fetherston, 2006), the lesson was lost before it even began.
Mr. Jones started the lesson without first gaining everyone’s attention. It is stated that the students arrived in a disorderly manner and bought with them a problem or issue originating from outside the classroom. Mr. Jones failed to recognise that the students had an issue and missed the opportunity to deal with it effectively. In fact Mr. Jones could have used this as the very thing to consolidate the group’s interest, gain their attention and help solve a problem all at the same time. Each lesson must begin with something that will engage all students so it is essential for the teacher to find out what their interests are and make sure you have something to engage them.
Vygotsky introduced us to the Zone of Proximal Development-ZDP. Vygotsky said: “Full development of the ZPD depends upon full social interaction. The range of skill that can be developed with adult guidance or peer collaboration exceeds what can be attained alone.”
Social interaction in a classroom is provided by group work. This involves students collaborating in their learning. There are clear guidelines for effective group work. Mr. Jones had opted to use the interactive instruction strategy. It appears he did outline the topic clearly, but failed to communicate a set of specific student learning outcomes and structuring of the tasks to be done. He did not set the amount of discussion time, or specify the order of reporting/presentations, and most essentially the composition of the groups.
The success of the interactive instruction strategy is heavily dependent upon the expertise of the teacher in structuring and developing the dynamics of the group. There was no recognition of the group, as it was stated that students moved across groups and changed groups. Interactive instruction requires the refinement of listening, observation, interpersonal skills and abilities by both teacher and students. In this case what the teacher lacked in
discipline strategies seemed to have a direct correlation to students generally misbehaving (standing on desks) as well as students making fun of each other’s work during the presentations.
If we were to look at Jacob Kounins ideas, he talks about good ‘Lesson Movement’ and ‘withitness’- The ability for the teacher to know what is going on in the classroom at all times. He found that organization and planning were keys to good classroom management, emphasizing the strong relationship between effective management and effective teaching. He said this is maintained through withitness, overlapping- the ability to attend to multiple things at the same time, momentum- the flow of a lesson, smoothness- maintaining direction in the lesson and not losing focus, and group focus.
Kounin also coined a term, the Ripple effect, saying that how a teacher handled misbehaviour of a particular student, influences the other students who were not misbehaving. Mr. Jones’ lesson clearly lacked these vital managerial techniques.
The allocation of resources also seems to have been poorly planned. There was no allowance made for handing out the props in a balanced and orderly way and insufficient quality time was allocated for the play preparation.
Post group reflection and assessment in groups was overlooked, and it appears there was little resolution or conclusion to the lesson at all. This was a missed opportunity for higher order thinking to be exercised and a deep level of learning to occur. Each presentation could have been evaluated, analysed and discussed amongst the groups.
One of the frustrations in-group work is that only some individuals contribute. This is why it is important that you prepare well for group work. The technical word is scaffold learning. Positive interdependence encourages interaction within the group. Mr. Jones really missed this opportunity.
The groups must also be given appropriate space to work. Only groups that have a reliable and trustworthy configuration could be allowed to work outside. Before being given permission to go outside, students need to be given clear directions and time constraints; for example, you can work under the fig tree and you will need to be back in 25 minutes, plus you are able to take these resources. Groups remaining inside could be allocated spaces allowing Mr. Jones to observe and support students in a co-operative and friendly manner. Students exhibiting disruptive behaviours could require more attention. This model of working would allow the teacher to ascertain the student’s motives for disruptive behaviour and apply corrective strategies. Mr. Jones could effectively visit each group and provide oral feedback, recognize and use non-verbal cues, and pose interesting questions. The key to all effective group discussion is framing the question in a manner that encourages participation of all members, and addresses the issues at hand. He may have asked the students to imagine if physical or mental strength was the most important factor in this crisis/rescue situation. He could suggest they include some evidence of both in their presentation.
If we were to apply Bloom’s taxonomy (Marsh 2004) to this lesson plan, Mr Jones’ plan should have included a goal to achieve higher order thinking, with students in the end critiquing each other’s dramatic solutions. Unfortunately, the students only really got as far as “a couple of points were made about not going in the water to help”. Using active listening skills students need to be educated to value all contributions and allow for diversity in responses such that all members are valued.

Mr. Jones was to teach water safety using purely theoretical classroom activities. This lesson could have been experienced in a pool setting, applying ‘authentic learning principles’ (Fetherston, 2006). This would have met the students with a real experience, more suited to the unfolding drama of water rescue. If there was no possibility of this, then there could have been some motivational expectation built into the exercise; for example, if we get this right in the classroom, we’ll be ready to go on our field trip and will not need to repeat the exercise.
The task of the teacher is to motivate all learners such that they enjoy learning experiences and approach learning willingly because they view it as personally significant. This is when deep learning can occur.
Designing a motivating classroom requires specifications facilitating motivation among all learners by firstly finding out what motivates them and then setting up the classroom accordingly. Students must feel safe, respected in their diversity, received in their ability, encouraged in a way that is respectful, and have certain autonomy to achieve their goals. Their work must be purposeful and worthwhile and they need to have a degree of success as well as a feeling that the learning is fun. Although Mr. Jones set up the perimeters for the groups to work within, they could still be allowed autonomy and freedom to come up with creative, dynamic, entertaining ideas for their rescue presentations. They could even work within the genre of comedy to create a presentation on what you must never do, (along the lines of The Bike Lesson of the Berenstain Bears-recommended reading for any teacher!) This lesson could really have been a lot a fun; a quality Glasser tells us is an essential driver among student’s needs.
In conclusion I would say the major concern was the way the lesson began. You only have one chance to make a first impression and given the age of these lively Year 9 students, they can be quite unforgiving if they are not motivated to engage. Groups needed to be clearly allocated and given specific expectations and a detailed sequence of tasks. A reflective conclusion to the lesson is essential, such that students can engage in higher order thinking and link to future directions and activities, in this case the field trip.
Class management requires a range of discipline strategies whereby the teacher is in the lead. In Mr. Jones’ classroom there were several missed opportunities for applying corrective discipline strategies mainly due to lack of organization.

As far as an effective lesson plan, the major factors contributing to Mr. Jones’ dismay were the group's configuration, including indoors vs. outdoors. When grouping in future Mr. Jones may wish to consider gender balance, diversity of participants and the need to group/pair randomly, that is, the teacher choosing the groupings. Mr. Jones fell short on all these vital considerations. Had Mr. Jones been in control, leading the class through active modelling, he could have relaxed and observed the process of the performances being created, and intervened if required.
The class disintegrated into a riot/chaos- a time waster. Effective group learning requires efficient time use. Mr. Jones could have asked himself…what roles will members have? What amount of time will be allocated? How will people be kept on task? What structure will the group take? It is essential for students to have a feedback mechanism for their solution to you the teacher, and their fellow students. It is here that group work begins.



Resources:

Fetherston, T. (2006). Becoming an Effective Teacher. Australia: Thompson

Classroom Discipline and Management Problems: an Australian Perspective John Wiley and Sons Australia Ltd.

Marsh, C. (2004). Becoming a Teacher: Knowledge, skills and issues. Australia: Pearson Education.

Classroom management 2004-http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Kounin,_Jacob
Retrieved June 24th, 2007

Gagne's book, The Conditions of Learning, 1965