Tuesday 21 May 2013

The rhythm of a lesson


Recently I have been watching a lot of lessons, particularly in Music, and also teaching a lot (even Assistant Heads teach a lot of lessons these days) and was thinking the other day about the natural rhythm of a lesson.
A really good lesson has a lot in common with a great piece of music. I was teaching year 10 today about the Cuban Missile Crisis and, as usual, used it as an excuse to play some of my favourite early 60's music - Sam Cooke, Andy Williams, James Brown, Marvin Gaye and a touch of Elvis. The best lessons start with a great opening which grabs the attention, hooks the kids in and maybe even catches them by surprise - think about the opening to Heartbreak Hotel.
There is often then a natural uptempo beat to the early part of the lesson where the teacher introduces the topic, skilfully draws in every single student to speak at least once in the 1st 10 minutes with focused questioning an answering.
As the 1st activity of the lesson kicks in a new louder beat takes over as students work with each other, talk, exchange ideas and settle into the pace of a new activity. This is where he really good teacher is like a songwriter or maybe a conductor - they know the importance of pausing and skipping a beat, introducing the breaks at just the right time to bring the students back to the focus of the lesson and make sure that some groups don't drown out the others.
The next section of the great song/lesson has similarities to he earlier part but is noticeably different. It may be a different voice or instrument - in the lesson it could be working with different students or in a different medium, writing instead of talking, turning ideas into images. In a song the chorus with the hook line or beat kicks in every now and again - in the great lesson the teacher keeps bringing it back to the focus of the lesson, the key question or progress target.
I guess the big difference, and where my increasingly stretched metaphor falls apart, is my belief that just about every lesson should have a period of quiet individual focus where the students work on their own, summarising, creating and making sense of the lesson. Too often I think this is the bit that gets missed out of lessons and yet I believe it is crucially important to check each students own level of understanding.
And what about the end of the lesson? I must admit I have never been a fan of the song which just fades away and I love a big finish. The best lessons I have ever seen finish with something new or surprising - perhaps a hint of what is to come next time.
The other similarity I guess is that great songs stick in your mind and you remember it for years singing to yourself. The great lessons can be just as memorable.
The playlist from today's Cuban Missile Crisis lesson was:
Wonderful World, Sam Cooke (how can I resist a song which starts "Don't know much about History"
Music to watch Girls By, Andy Williams
Chain Gang, Sam Cooke
Stuck on You, Elvis Presley,
Nowhere to Run, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Can I Get A Witness, Marvin Gaye
Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead, The Marvelettes
Hit The Road Jack, Ray Charles,
Trouble, Elvis Presley
James Bond theme, John Barry

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad