| Basic Skills for Young Teachers | July Classes: Are You Just Trying to Get Through Them?

Recently, there is something I have been reflecting on.

Entering July, the end of the first term is in sight.

At this time of year, the number of things that 'must be finished' inevitably increases.

I want to finish the unit.
I want to finish the tests.
I want to complete the grading.
I want to check the notebooks.
I want to wrap up the first term.

Before I know it, my classes are leaning more and more toward whole-class instruction.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with whole-class instruction.

In fact, whole-class instruction has its strengths.

It allows you to deliver the same content to everyone in a short amount of time.

It allows you to align the flow of learning.

If the teacher explains, the class proceeds quite efficiently.

During a time like July when there is not enough time, I feel grateful for this efficiency.

However, at the same time, I wonder.

Lately, have my classes been leaning too much toward teacher-led instruction?

Have I been cutting back too much on the time for children to think for themselves?

Have I been reducing the time for children to talk to each other too much?

Has the class become too teacher-driven, and has the children's sense of agency weakened?

This is something I want to stop and think about precisely because it is this time of year.

Whole-class instruction is convenient.

Whole-class instruction is convenient.

I think this without any sugarcoating.

You can get everyone facing the same direction.

If the teacher explains, the content can be grasped in a short time.

If you have them copy the blackboard, their notes will be uniform.

If you solve problems together, the progress will be uniform.

It is faster than having them think alone.

It is also easier to manage than having them discuss in groups.

Especially during times when you are pressed for time, like at the end of the semester, the efficiency of whole-class instruction is quite significant.

"I have to finish this by now."

"I have to do this test within this week."

"I have to gather evaluation materials before grading."

When you think that way, it inevitably becomes teacher-led.

I think this is natural.

Therefore, I do not want to deny whole-class instruction.

Rather, whole-class instruction should be used when necessary.

The problem is that it ends up being the only thing you do without realizing it.

The more convenient a class is, the more passive children become.

Whole-class instruction is efficient.

However, the more efficient a class is, the easier it is for children to become passive.

The teacher poses a question.

The teacher explains.

The teacher writes on the board.

The teacher summarizes.

The children listen.

They copy.

They answer.

If this continues, the class seems to be progressing smoothly.

However, whether the children are truly thinking for themselves during this time is a different matter.

Especially in July, the children are tired.

It is hot.

Their concentration drops.

The fatigue of the first term starts to show.

In such a situation, if the class becomes one where the teacher keeps explaining, the children increasingly become passive recipients.

The class ends.

There are notes.

Problems have been solved.

But the feeling of having learned for themselves is unlikely to remain with the children.

This is what is scary.

When you are chased by the need to finish, the subject of the class becomes the teacher.

What you want to be careful about in end-of-term classes is that the subject of the class becomes the teacher.

"I will finish it."

"I explain"

"I proceed"

"I gather the assessment materials"

Of course, a teacher's responsibility is significant.

There is a responsibility to advance the curriculum.

There is also a responsibility to provide assessments.

However, when the subject of the class becomes only the teacher, the children's learning becomes thin.

In reality,

"Children think"

"Children speak"

"Children choose"

"Children try"

"Children reflect"

Time for these activities is necessary.

However, as the end of the term approaches, this time is easily cut.

This is because it is faster for the teacher to proceed.

There is a pitfall here.

A class that finishes quickly is not necessarily a class where deep learning occurs.

If you conduct a whole-class lesson, return the time to the children somewhere.

I believe that if you conduct a whole-class lesson, you need to return that amount of time to the children somewhere else.

For example, if you led the entire hour yourself, incorporate group activities in the next session.

If the lesson involved a lot of explanation, increase the time for students to speak in the next session.

If you did a whole-class review before a test, take time afterward for students to choose their own review methods.

In other words, it is not about eliminating whole-class instruction entirely.

It is about finding a balance.

Time for the teacher to lead is necessary.

But time for students to act on their own is also necessary.

I believe it is important not to lose the balance between these two.

Group activities are not something to do "if there is extra time"

As the end of the term approaches, group activities and discussions are easily pushed to the back burner.

Because there is no time.

Because you want to wrap things up.

Because there is a test.

You say these things and end up cutting them out.

But group activities are not "something to do if there is extra time."

They are a time for students to express their own thoughts.

They are a time to encounter the thoughts of friends.

They are a time to confirm one's own understanding.

There are things you only notice once you put them into words.

There are things you only understand once you explain them to others.

Children's thinking, which is hard to see during whole-class instruction, can sometimes be seen during group activities.

That is why you should consciously include them, especially during busy times.

You don't do group activities because you have time.

You intentionally make time for them to protect the children's learning.

Can you notice when you've talked too much as a teacher today?

What is important is not to teach a perfect lesson.

It is difficult to perfectly realize proactive, interactive, and deep learning in every single class.

There are circumstances in the field.

There is the pace of the curriculum.

There are school events.

There is also assessment.

Therefore, it is okay to have days with whole-class instruction.

However, I think it is important whether or not you can notice that.

I talked too much today.

There was little time for children to talk to each other today.

Teacher-led instruction has been continuing lately.

Just by noticing that, the next class will change.

Include pair talk in the next class.

Include group activities the next day.

Include time at the end of the unit for children to choose what they learn.

Even a small adjustment can change the atmosphere of a class.

July is the time to avoid stifling children's initiative.

In July, teachers feel the pressure too.

Children get tired as well.

The classroom also becomes harder to keep settled.

That is precisely why teachers want to manage everything.

You want to explain everything at once, have them write at once, and have them solve at once.

That is faster.

That looks safer.

But if you stifle children's initiative too much there, the classroom will become increasingly passive.

"Teacher, what do we do next?"

"Teacher, what should I write?"

"Teacher, is this answer okay?"

Those kinds of behaviors will increase.

If you want children to act with initiative, it is also necessary for the teacher not to decide everything.

Delegate a little.

Let them choose a little.

Let them talk a little.

Let them think a little.

Because it is July, I want to be conscious of that breathing room.

I do not deny whole-class instruction. But do not rely on it too much.

Whole-class instruction is necessary.

There are things that need to be grasped by the whole group.

There are also situations where it is easier to understand when the teacher explains.

There is also content that is better organized without taking too much time.

Therefore, there is no need to make whole-class instruction the villain.

However, if you rely on it too much, the class becomes the teacher's.

The time for children to think for themselves decreases.

The time for children to learn from each other decreases.

The time for children to choose decreases.

That is a bit dangerous.

Now, in July, I would like to look back on my own classes.

Lately, have I been leaning too much toward whole-class instruction?

Am I only thinking about finishing the lesson?

Am I leaving enough time for children to act on their own?

Is there a balance between the time the teacher speaks and the time the children think?

Now that the end of the first term is in sight, this is exactly why I want to review this.

Finishing the lesson is also important.

But you must not finish the children's initiative.

Use whole-class instruction.

However, do not rely on it too much.

The teacher leads the way.

But, also create time to give back to the children.

I want to keep this balance in mind in the classroom this July.