The government’s Guidance on Full Opening - Schools was released on Thursday 2 July. As a teacher, I found my eye being caught by the section on measures in the classroom.
Among other advice, it says:
It is strong public health advice that staff in secondary schools maintain distance from their pupils, staying at the front of the class, and away from their colleagues where possible.
In particular, they should avoid close face-to-face contact and minimise time spent within 1 metre of anyone.
Schools should make small adaptations to the classroom to support distancing where possible. That should include seating pupils side by side and facing forwards, rather than face to face or side on.
On first reading, my thought was that this wasn’t going to change very much for me, compared with a more child-led classroom teacher (for whom the guidance will be a huge change).
Coronavirus: September return
I already have my pupils in rows as I find that, global pandemics aside, it offers all kinds of benefits, such as pupils not needing to crane their necks to see the board and allowing me to see the facial expressions of those I’m teaching.
This, I thought, was going to be far more of an issue for those teaching in rooms with fixed tables, like many science labs. It also seems odd advice for a host of subjects that rarely use desks at all.
Likewise, the other advice didn’t suggest any immediate changes. I already teach from the front of the class and have always found the suggestion that teachers wander the room as they are teaching somewhat strange, leading to split attention and making it more difficult for pupils to concentrate on what is being said as they try to follow their teacher weaving in and out of the desks.
However, then the implications hit me.
Big changes ahead?
While I may teach from the front of the room, that may only be for 5 - 10 minutes at a time. Once I have explained what I needed to explain, modelled what I need to model and engaged in whole-class discussion and questioning, my pupils are working and then I am no longer tethered to the front of the room.
How can we close the learning gap when pupils return? Mark explains how he is approaching it below
Instead, I am walking around it, sitting with pupils to talk about their work, looking over their shoulders to monitor their work and sharing examples of good work as I come across it.
I am certainly not “avoiding close face-to-face contact”. My classroom thrives on face-to-face content.
So I will need a new plan of action. This is what I have so far:
1. Explain things really well
A lot of the time I spend face to face with pupils during a lesson is picking up on misconceptions in their work or helping those who haven’t fully grasped what they needed to do. If I make sure that my explanation is crystal clear I should need to spend a lot less time doing this.
2. Use written supports
Often, I have to go over to a pupil because they have forgotten elements of an instruction, especially as they move from one task to another. It will help if they have clear written instructions of what they need to do that also includes things like probable mistakes and common misconceptions. Maybe sentence starters, key vocabulary and hints. In other words, the long demonised worksheet may be back in fashion.
3. Pupils will need to read their work
Checking on how pupils are doing with a particular task is going to be more difficult if we are keeping two meters away. We will need to have a supportive classroom environment where pupils are confident to read their work out in class and receive praise and feedback in front of their peers. A visualiser could also be useful here with pupils coming up to place their work under it.
4. We may also want new ways to check not how they are doing with their work but what they are learning as well
If we want to avoid reading over their shoulders or talking to them one-to-one during a lesson (my preferred methods of quickly establishing understanding) we could move to quizzes using platforms like Google Forms. It will also help if pupils can upload work straight to a virtual learning environment. Once again, the technology available to pupils will make a difference here.
5. There will need to be a quiet environment
If I am going to stay a couple of meters from pupils, I am going to need to be able to hear them and communicate with them at that distance. This isn’t going to work if the room is noisy and chaotic. It will be more important than ever that there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in the room. I can achieve this by setting my expectations clearly and also modelling it through my own talk and mannerisms.
The guidance issued by the government is going to lead to greater changes for some teachers more than others. It turns out that much of what I do just happens to already suit a global pandemic, which is handy.
However, even a fan of direct instruction is going to have to make some adaptations in these unusual times and these changes will need some careful thought if we are to ensure that pupils aren’t only back in school as a form of childcare but are back to enjoy their education and the benefits that will bring.
Mark Enser is head of geography and research lead at Heathfield Community College. His book Teach Like Nobody’s Watching is out now. He tweets @EnserMark
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