Building Peace in the Classroom

by
Colin Hannaford
European School, Culham
and
10 Marlborough Court, Oxford OX2 0QT
tel.: 00 44 (0)1865 793752
democracy@maths90.freeserve.co.uk
www.gardenofdemocracy.org

 

Dear Teachers, Students, and Parents,

    A very common response to a first explanation of the Socratic Methodology has always been: 'But that's what I always do to learn anything properly!' One lady once added: "Possibly because I'm a bit dyslexic."
    Possibly, from time to time, everyone is a bit dyslexic. These are times when we need to focus our attention a little better, to engage more of our faculties, to get our minds really to understand the real meaning of the words we read.
    Often we do this simply by reading aloud. This is how we naturally reinforce our capacity to understand, but it is also how to learn to listen to others with more care and more respect. And this is how to build peace in a classroom.
    Our own experience should have led long ago to understand why children need to be encouraged to do this frequently. In primary schools most learning is achieved through animated comment and discussion. The language theorist Noam Chomsky thinks this is how language first evolved. Language has to build on innate foundations in the brain to create ever more complex - and useful - connections.
    In secondary school this hugely important practice is often forgotten, even deliberately suppressed - and then we are surprised when children start to fail!
    Their failure can be very largely prevented simply by continuing the best practice of primary school in secondary schools. In this way we can rescue many children from that intellectual desert in which the language they trust most is force.
    It is most effective to use their mathematics textbooks as the basis for discussion. Mathematics, fundamentally, is all argument. Its first forms were originally developed in democratic debate. What could be more practical, or more useful? Pupils soon find that they can continue to learn alone. The Socrates workbook tells pupils why and how to learn like this. Now in six languages, including Arabic, copies can be downloaded free from www.gardenofdemocracy.org.
    But there is still a need for more detailed instruction, and this is what I shall try to produce now. Since I do not know whether you are working with 9 or with 19 year olds, nor where you are in your syllabus, this must be a kind of primer that you will add to and modify according to your own experience.
    First I can explain more precisely why you should teach like this - and why your pupils should definitely want to learn like this. Then I can tell you how to conduct successful and enjoyable lessons. In addition to their shared enjoyment, you will notice that children will begin to listen more attentively and even more sympathetically to one another. This is laying the natural foundation of peace.

Why?

Every teacher should know the statistics below. They represent the capacity of the average child to retain knowledge after different kinds of activity.

1. Listening 5%
2. Reading 10%
3. Audio-visual 20%
4. Demonstrations 30%
5. Discussion 50%
6. Practice by doing 75%
7. Explaining to others 90%

    Many people still believe that 'proper' teaching must mainly emphasise the first three of these activities. Whole classes are expected to learn by listening or reading (silently), by watching their teacher writing or drawing diagrams on a board and (silently) copying. Of course such lessons seem impressive. The teacher seems totally in control, the class to be totally occupied. Everyone - supposedly - is busy.
    But how many are learning? The hard fact is that the first activities are up to twenty times less effective than the last. In simple terms: teachers who use the first three exclusively are wasting most of the time of most of the children in their class.
    In most classes there will always be a few who find it difficult to understand the meaning of a single sentence. Most, of course, can read, silently or aloud. Most can recognise the words. Most can pronounce them.
    The crucial fact is, however, that many will not comprehend what the words actually mean. By the end of a single paragraph, their attention may be lost.
    We blame children for being inattentive, for being bored, disruptive, even destructive. They often are. But in truth their situation is really terrifying. They sit through lesson after lesson in a daze. They may act as if they understand. They may have learnt to do what is praised, but it is very often without the slightest idea of why it is praised. Many come to school with almost no experience of thoughtful conversation, of the need for tolerance of mistakes, for patience in constructing comprehension and achieving agreement.
    This is not their fault. Almost certainly they did not choose to be like this. Nor do they want to fail. But unless they are taught to understand, they will fail. It is inevitable and it is terrible to watch. It is also entirely possible to prevent it.
    The most effective lessons are those in which children are asked to read a text aloud, to show their comprehension by attempting - in their own words - to explain what it means, to discuss their ideas with others, and then to use these ideas.
    Knowledge is associations. The brain best remembers whatever has caused it to create the most associations. Sitting silently whilst listening and watching a teacher - however talented the teacher - does not do this. Reading and listening, reading aloud, discussing the meaning, searching for a better explanation, giving examples, explaining to others: all use far more energy; involve many more functions of the brain; create many more associations. How many more? Up to twenty times more. This is why reading text aloud - and then discussing what it means - makes it far more certain that your pupils will learn - and remember.

How?

    Whatever their age, they deserve to hear much of the explanation you have just read. It has convinced you. You should be able to convince them. The first time I dared begin this practice with a senior class, I did not do this. Within minutes, one angry young woman slammed her book shut. "We're not supposed to read this rubbish - and understand it!" she shouted. "You're supposed to teach us!"
"Listen," I replied as calmly as I could: "Within another two years you will be sitting alone in a study bedroom in some university."
I paused whilst the others contemplated this actual possibility. "With you there will be a pile of books; and unless you can pick up those books, read and understand them, you might as well stay at home. Now pick up the book, and read."
    The lesson continued successfully: as did their final year and a half.
    It is not strictly necessary for everyone to have their own text-book. They can share. It is sensible to keep a list of who have read already, and to try to ensure that everyone has a turn. You will soon discover that some read fluently; some awkwardly; some are too slow; others are too fast. An additional advantage of this approach, of course, is that the slower readers will be helped by following the text and listening to others read aloud. Praise clear, steady, lively reading. It must attract emotion as well as thought. You can demonstrate this by reading a really boring text as if you are King Lear - or Joan of Arc. The point is to make any text memorable.
    A pupil's reading should never be too long. Although everything may be obvious to you, sometimes just a few words may require an explanation. Be sensitive to text that is irrelevant, poorly written, or just plain boring - and, when it is, say so. You are not there to defend a text, only to help your class understand what it is supposed to mean. If a text is really bad, correct it; but ask the class for suggestions as to how they would correct it. They must learn that writers also are fallible.
    I cannot emphasise enough how important it is not to show any surprise when the first person, or the next, or anyone you ask, "What does it mean?" answers: "I don't know." This is entirely natural. Say so: before asking the same reader, or anyone else who catches your eye: "Please, read it to us again."
    You will never show amusement, ridicule, frustration, impatience, disbelief, or anger. There must be only a relaxed and interested exploration of the text. If someone is disruptive, ask that person to read or explain.
    Your own example is vital. Everyone is also learning from you. That you, the authority over them, will listen peacefully, and interject helpfully, whilst they help each other to reach an agreed conclusion, even if only temporary, gives them a powerful social example. They experience the difficulty of achieving agreement. They are learning to value critical, constructive and receptive discourse. They will become more cautious of dogmatism. They will notice that it is not always the cleverest in the class who makes the most useful contribution. Occasionally it may be some shy soul who has never before got anything right. When they make the contribution that everyone agrees is useful, those persons' view of themselves will have changed for the rest of their lives.
    Finally, once examples of practical work have been read and explained, let them decide which exercises they will do, both in class and at home, and let them get on with it, where necessary helping one another. The noise level may be high, but most of it will be useful noise.
    Of course there will be the occasional failure. This is normal too, and when they happen, you can always revert to the time-honoured activities - numbered one to three in our list. As we have seen, they are not very effective, but all classes are used to them, and therefore well understand the discipline that they require. You can therefore always create more order whenever you wish.
    So, now I think you know almost as much I did when I began. Try it. Find out with your pupils what it is like really to participate in learning.

    And realise - all the time - that you are helping them to learn to live in peace.

Copyright 2003 by Colin Hannaford, who hereby asserts his right to be identified as the author.

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