The Importance of Patience in Teaching

An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback)

Accompanying podcast episode (audio version of this blog post, read by Richard):

He was a mediocre student for many years: achieving unremarkable grades across the board at IGCSE level. He was reticent, stealthy and seemed somewhat shy. At IB Diploma level, however, things seemed to change. His personality remained somewhat the same as it always had, but his grades were increasing at a surprising rate. He seemed to be ‘getting it’: at least on paper.

In the end, he achieved the highest score in the whole school for his IB Diploma, and was well-above the world average. It was, by everyone’s judgement, a monumental achievement.

How many times has this happened to you as a teacher: a student shows improvement over time and even surprises you with how much progress they make? Sometimes our students just seem to ‘grow’ into achievement. Some grow slowly and steadily like a plant that is regularly fed and watered. Some shoot up in a surprising spurt: defying everyone’s initial predictions.

I believe strongly in the power of patience when working with students. This takes emotional control on the part of the teacher, but the reward is well-worth the wait. By being supportive, referring students to the most helpful resources and allowing each day to offer a ‘fresh start’ for every learner, I’ve found that even my greatest expectations are often exceeded.

Does patience begin and end with ‘waiting’ for our students to succeed? No, I don’t believe so. In fact, I’m convinced that effective teachers use patience as a useful tool for dealing with a number of situations:

  • Patience with ourselves as we approach deadlines and work steadily towards getting everything done (we must be forgiving to ourselves and learn to ‘leave work at work’, where possible).
  • Patience with colleagues when dealing with requests and projects. We’re all busy, and we have to acknowledge that our peers have commitments internally (many of which we may not be aware of) and at-home, or in life generally.
  • Patience with our students, especially when dealing with late homework and ‘waiting’ for progress to happen. I acknowledge that we may have to follow whole-school sanctions systems (e.g. a detention may be mandatory in the case of a late homework). However, where possible, patience should be deployed in my opinion. If a student consistently hands-in work on-time, but fails to bring a piece of homework to you one day, then should that student be sanctioned immediately? The answer to that question will depend on school policy, and your judgement.

Can you think of any other areas in which you would need to use patience as a teacher? Perhaps in waiting for the queue at the photocopier to subside (I’ve been there, many times!). Perhaps it’s in waiting for a re-imbursement for some petty cash you had to spend on school expenses. Perhaps we need more patience when waiting for e-mail replies?

According to Leslie Schwab, a college science and maths professor, patience may be the most important characteristic that all outstanding teachers posses. In her article at schoolofeducators.com, she writes:

There are several characteristics that all good teachers have in common. They are patience; concern for their students; willingness to adapt, and; knowledge of the subject being taught. If these characteristics are lacking, a teacher cannot be an effective educator. Patience may be the most important characteristic of all. It is most important for teachers of subjects in science and mathematics. Some students can comprehend this subject material with minimal effort, while others may require more extensive explanations that may have to be repeated a number of times. As a college professor, I have had more students express anxiety over having to take basic college algebra over any other subject. When questioned about the reasons for this anxiety, the overwhelming response was that their high school math teachers were terrible. Their main critique of math teachers was their inability to explain solutions to math problems in a clear and concise manner. When these students would continue to state their lack of understanding, the teachers would lose their patience, and simply tell them to go home and practice more problems. When some students requested extra help, their teachers informed them they were unavailable for tutoring after class.

Leslie Schwab. Patience may be the most important.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with Leslie’s thoughts on patience?

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Should Every Movie, Series and TV Show be Screened by Teachers Prior to Release?

An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback)

Last night I had the pleasure of watching the latest cinematic rendition of Roald Dahl’s The Witches. Based on one of my favorite childhood books, the movie did a great job of capturing the emotion, suspense and childlike playfulness that the original story invoked within me as a 5-year-old boy.

Not everyone shares my positive appraisal of the movie, however.

The film has been criticized by a number of individuals over its depiction of people with limb impairments. In the movie, the witches are depicted with deformed feet and hands, and are described by one the main characters, the Grandmother, as being “evil”. The criticism has been so expansive, that Warner Bros themselves have issued an apology in which they stated that they were “deeply saddened” that the movie “could upset people with disabilities” [BBC News].

I must admit that this is something that I, in my role as a teacher, didn’t even think about as I slouched in full amusement in front of the big screen. However, upon reflection, I understand the sentiments of Anne Hathaway (who plays the Grand High Witch in the movie) when she stated that “I particularly want to say I’m sorry to kids with limb differences” [BBC News].

Had this have been a movie aimed at adults, then the limb deformities depicted in the movie may not have caused as much indignation as they have done. However, this is a movie based on a children’s story and as a ‘PG’ film it offers an open invitation for children’s viewing. Some children with limb deformities (of which I have taught a significant number in my 15 years as teacher) may feel upset by the in-your-face connections that are made between missing fingers and toes, and the evil actions of the witches.

What’s the solution?

This is not the first time that a movie has caused controversy over it’s suitability for a child audience. Netflix’s Cuties film (2020), for example, received criticism amid claims that it depicted the child actors in a sexualized way [Newsweek]. Are mistakes like these the result of bad taste, or do they represent a serious misunderstanding of what should be deemed ‘age-appropriate’?

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPA) is responsible for age-rating movies within its jurisdiction based on their suitability for certain audiences [Wikipedia]. It would seem, then, that the lion’s share of the outrage over The Witches and Cuties should be directed at them, and not at the movie makers or actors. They were doing their job. Did the MPA do theirs?

Perhaps what’s needed is a panel of top-teachers and experts in pedagogy to screen any movies that are initially rated ‘G’, ‘PG’ or ‘PG-13’ (or their equivalents) by motion picture authorities. Could this be a ‘fluid’ panel, where a range of teachers sign-up for these rolls on a regular basis (like, for example, the role of examiners)? This, I believe, would provide teachers with an optional, and welcome, additional income. It would also provide an additional safeguard against inaccurate, or potentially problematic, ratings in the future.

Bibliography and References

BBC News (2020) The Witches: Backlash over film’s portrayal of limb impairments. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54799930 (Accessed: 8th November 2020)

BBC News (2020) Anne Hathaway apologises for portrayal of limb difference in The Witches Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54838201 (Accessed: 8th November 2020)

Nolan, E. (2020) ‘Cuties’ Netflix Film Causes Outrage for Poster ‘Sexualizing’ Children Available at: https://www.newsweek.com/cuties-netflix-film-poster-children-mignonnes-outrage-petition-1526483 (Accessed: 8th November 2020).

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Can Play-Based Learning Be Used in the Secondary Classroom?

An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback)

Play is a term that is often associated with the teaching of small children, with the
aim being to
maximize spatial experiences so that long term memory, manual
dexterity and skills are developed.

“An AMAZING Book!

The Department of Education for the Government of Western Australia have the following to say about the importance of play:

Play is a powerful and important activity. It has a natural and positive influence on children’s social, physical, emotional and cognitive development. The best learning happens when children play. It is important to let your children play every day.

Department for Education, Government of Western Australia [2020]. Available at https://www.education.wa.edu.au/play-based-learning (accessed 1st November 2020)

Play doesn’t have to be limited to primary school and Early Years, however: teenagers and young adults can also benefit greatly from tasks that include competition and creativity of some kind. Try these ideas:

  • Play learning games with your students on a regular basis. This makes learning a lot of fun and helps to cement concepts firmly in the working memory of each student. Check out this blog post on learning games that require virtually no equipment and can be applied to any subject area.
  • Carry out practical activities related to your subject area (where possible). As a science teacher, this is quite standard for me as I am required to run experiments and laboratory investigations with my students on a regular basis. In other subject areas, anything that gets students moving and using their hands or technology to build, create or interact with something can be a great way to develop working memory (provided that the task being assigned is on-point and very closely related to the learning outcomes of the set curriculum (see my blog post on Cognitive Load Theory for more on this here).3.1-01
  • Get your students to build things. Materials like plastic bottles, bottlecaps, cardboard, coloured paper, plasticine/modelling clay, straws, shoeboxes and old rope can all be used creatively by students to make models of the concepts they are studying. I’ve used this technique across my teaching in Science to get students to create everything from atomic models to makeshift ‘eco gardens’. Here’s a model atom that one of my IGCSE Chemistry students made out of rudimentary materials a few years ago:

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