Say What Now?
For our macaronic students, we want to ensure they are not complete bumfuzzled on the first day of school. We know there are going to be the taradiddles who might unwittingly cause collywobbles and a bit of perspiring of the oxters. As for the abibliophiles, no doubt they will leave our librarian feeling wabbit after just the first week, but we encourage all students to follow their lead.
Hmmm…confused? If so, you might be experiencing how I – as non-US teacher – felt at my first meeting in an international school with over 95% North Americans. As the facilitator talked of bells schedules, freshmen, proctoring, advisory, PowerSchool, electives, and GPAs, I spiralled into a pattern that looked like this…
….and an inner monologue that sounded like this:
If I listen a bit more, I’ll understand…what is that..they schedule bells?…Oh, I get it – it’s a timetable! Eh…that word she just said…what’s a power school…is that like a special program for advanced kids… oh, what was the word I was trying to figure out? Oh..there’s another one. Write it down…how’s it spelt…Argh! I’ve forgotten the words. Did she just say ‘proctoring’?! Is that something to do with a proctologist? Why are we talking about doing that with students?…I am SO confused…what…the meeting is over?…what am I supposed to do???
Absolute Empathy
Never in my life had I felt such strong empathy for confused students. I didn’t just understand it on an intellectual level, but could feel how disempowering it was. By ‘disempowering’ I really mean paralysing. Although I’m usually pretty vocal in meetings, my lack of understanding meant I was utterly silenced. Because I had no idea what instructions had just been given, I could not take the next step to do what was expected of me. On that particular day, I was lucky that a kind-hearted colleague with experience in the UK education system noticed my perplexed expression and stayed behind to explain the unfamiliar terms. I think was most relieved to find out that ‘proctoring’ was about supervising students during assessments rather than anything more medically-focused! (And just like that kind-hearted colleague did for me, here are the terms from above.)
While that was a deeply uncomfortable experience, I’m glad I had it because it taught me to assume nothing, especially in a culturally-diverse situation.
Fortunately for me, that same school was big into protocols – again, another word I had to learn in this context. But what are protocols, and how can they decrease confusion while increasing equity in the classroom?
The Power of Protocols
Protocols are basically a structure or routine you use in any kind of team setting. They can be used for meetings, but of course we are more interested in how they are used in the classroom with students. The one we will start with today is simple yet powerful and you may have heard of it: Think-Pair-Share. It is illustrated below.
You will want to tailor how you first introduce any protocol according to the age and understanding of your students, but remember to always include:
- the name of the protocol – this will enable students to know what’s expected when they hear the name again, and get started quicker;
- the protocol steps – it is always a good idea to display them for at least the first couple of times they are used;
- the rationale for using the protocol e.g. I want you to have the chance to ask questions and clarify your thinking before sharing with a wider group;
- time for students to ask clarifying questions about the steps;
- time for students to ask clarifying questions about the purpose.
Want a student-facing poster for this protocol with all the work done? Just enter your email below!
Make It Yours
This protocol has been around for a long time. When it comes to such protocols and routines, I encourage you to tweak them and make them yours. For example, my tweaks include:
- using a timer so students are clear about how much time they have for each stage of the protocol;
- having students not just think, but also jot down notes as they think – this provides a support for the ensuing discussion;
- at the end of the protocol, I might have students complete the sentence ‘I used to think…. but now I think’ so they can see how the discussion has extended or challenged their previous thinking.
However you use the protocol – as is or with your own tweaks – why not let us know how it goes in the comments or in our Facebook group to which you are warmly invited.
