The Hardest Part (at the moment)

The Hardest Part of teaching for me (at this very moment - because, let's be honest, it changes daily) is the deciphering. Exhibit A:

Student raises hand. "Mrs. Brown, I don't get it."

My deciphering dilemma: Does this student really not get it? I went over it step by step yesterday, I modeled it for them and showed them an example, and I even had students do some other examples with me. Does he really not get it, or is he just playing dumb to waste time and create an excuse for his refusal to do any more work? 

That part is really hard.

Usually, experience with the student is key.

Is this student playing the "I don't get it" card on a repeated basis? If yes - he's faking (but keep an open mind because he/she might really have a learning problem). If no - give him some extra attention and try explaining it in a different way. Try personal contextualization. Something more familiar.

Can the student specifically identify what they do and don't get? If yes - that's a good sign. Cater to that need. If no - pressure them to be more specific. If they say "Any of it" in response to your "What don't you understand?" question, it's a sure fire sign they weren't listening in the first place or that they weren't actively listening.

Can the student remember you explaining the instructions? If yes - awesome. It means they were at least aware of what was going on in class, which is a big deal for some students, and it makes me very proud of them. Usually if I see this situation, I realize that I need to break down my instructions a little bit more into individual steps and give them one at a time. I notice that some students get overwhelmed by a list of instructions given at once, and, as a result, they shut down. However, I feel pressure to give the instructions at once because a vast majority of my students do listen and move through each step much more quickly than those who want it more broken down. So, I'm trying to find a balance here.

If no - figure out what was going on and address that behavior. Don't jump to conclusions though. I totally called a student out on his lack of understanding before I realized that he was absent yesterday (seriously, teachers have to have a super-memory or something!) I apologized and provided some more instruction.

As I have discovered, there are some steps to avoiding this "I don't get any of it" scenario. Here's what I've tried:

- Develop some signals. I like the thumbs up/thumbs down kind of thing because it can be adapted to give all kinds of feedback. I'll ask for thumbs up/thumbs down after I give directions to see the students to whom I may need to provided one-on-one clarification.
- Have them repeat directions back to you. This takes some extra time from your class, but it also provides opportunities for peers to provide help to those who may have missed your instruction (don't say or do anything your students can say or do, right?)
- Develop a procedure where students have to turn to a friend or neighbor first before asking you. Again, this provides peer-to-peer instruction which can be more valuable for both involved (or it could be problematic if the person they chose has no idea either), which allows for students to get a more student-centered point of view of your instructions.
- Put explicit directions on the worksheet and on the screen in addition to your verbal instructions. Students can read them, view them on the screen and hear them at the same time. (I'm probably weakest here, to be honest. I don't like putting explicit instructions on my worksheets, because I find that I don't yet have a great feel for how to make written directions concise and simple. Also, I noticed that students don't read it anyway, so I thought it was a motivation for students to listen to my instructions before charging off to complete the assignment. However, I see the pros and cons to this, and I'm willing to keep trying. Plus, the explicit written instructions make giving work out to students who were absent much more effective.)
- As always, contexualize. Provide examples. Model.

And if all fails, which it does on occasion, pause. Take a deep breath. Then try again.

And if you suspect students of taking advantage of the "I don't get it" excuse . . . well, I'm not sure what to do there. More often than not it comes from my "I hate school so much, it's actually sucking the life out of me" boys. I start by giving them my vote of confidence: "Dude, you've got this. We've done this before!" which usually elicits a response along the lines of "I'm stupid" or "I'm dumb" or "Whatever, I don't care." Which you have to deal with carefully but strictly - I'm still SO NOT a pro at this part yet. It hurts to see them snub their noses at their own potential and at your faith in them, but with a select few, I know it's because they really don't want to work and if they pull the "I don't get it" excuse then they can blame it on you.

[footnote: If this felt like an instructive informational post, please know it was for me! Sometimes when I get a substantial amount of students pulling the "I don't get it," I take a giant step back and start doubting my own instructional abilities. Was I not clear? Did I not make it comprehendible? Did I go to fast? So this is a reminder for me that I know what to do and can simply continue to do more of it.]

As for tonight - grading, grading, grading.