How to be a FABulous teacher
“If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it”
For the past 70 years, Blooms Taxonomy has become the standard classification of classroom based learning, categorising educational objectives based on complexity and specificity. At Coteam, we routinely build programme and learning objectives based on this model.
But what about when it comes to the practice of teaching itself? Many secondary and tertiary school teachers have studied elements of psychology and human behaviour, but in a world where the education system is on the brink of massive disruption, how do we evolve the way in which we teach?
At our core, we are a learning and development company. We have a deep-rooted desire to build learning interventions that shape and change behaviour in the long-term. So how can we apply what we’ve learned on the practices of school education?
Our FAB model has gained popularity as a management framework, but has foundations in the world of education. In this article, we’ll specifically examine it as a classroom teaching model, inline with the 70:20:10 principles of learning.
This model involves three different “modes” a teacher can be in at any given moment: Forward, Alongside and Behind. Identifying and labelling these modes forces the teacher to think about what will provide the most value to students in any situation. Let’s explore each further, and discuss how they can be applied in a classroom setting.
Forward
This is what you’d traditionally classify as “front of the classroom” teaching. This is most associated with traditional teaching practices, of imparting information on students. Many school teachers are skilled already in this area, but let’s focus on one specific area for improving Forward teaching; storytelling.
Kenneth Blanchard famously said “the best way to teach people something is by telling a story”, and chances are, if you think about some of the best teachers you’ve experienced, they were amazing storytellers.
Let’s introduce a simple storytelling framework that’s easy to remember and to use:
S.T.O.R.Y.
S = Set up (tell us the main characters and the situation)
T = Tension (what was the main issue that needed to be solved)
O = Overcome (how was is solved)
R = Results (what was learned)
Y = Yee-hah (what’s the main takeaway from this story)
Let’s try applying it to a teaching situation.
Let me tell you a story about a teacher who was trying to improve their craft (set up). They knew they needed to find better ways to connect with their students (tension). Searching on the internet, they came across an article that introduced the power of storytelling (overcome). With some practice, they were able to start applying this immediately in their next class (results). Not only was this fun to experiment with, it completely changed the way in which they were able to engross and inspire their students (yee-hah).
Meta. We know.
Like many frameworks, it will take some cognitive effort at first, but after time it will become second nature. Think about a specific topic you are teaching and see how you can apply the framework for yourself.
Alongside
In the leadership sense, Alongside refers to a manager's ability to sit side-by-side with their reports and coach them through a particular problem. Translated into a classroom setting, this is the ability of the teacher to guide a student to an answer, without specifically giving them the answer.
Effective coaching typically involves two methodologies: stimulus and provocation.
Stimulus
This is the way in which the teacher can provide relevant examples and information to help unlock someones thinking.
Drawing on relevant experiences and expertise, good stimulus statements start with “when I was trying to solve this I…” or “have you considered…”
It’s important to not overwhelm the student with too many examples, but rather choose ones that are topical and relevant to the problem at hand. Remember, the goal here is to help the student learn from past experiences, without them necessarily becoming the blueprint for the exact solution required.
Provocation
This is the ability to use active questioning, to encourage the student to frame the problem in a different way. Good provocation is about trying to tease an answer through investigative questioning.
“How might you…” or “why do you think that is the case” are useful prompts to help draw out thinking. Similarly, using techniques such as 5 Whys can really help drill down into the cause and effect of a specific problem. This method involves asking the question "Why?" five times to better understand the root cause.
With provocation, it’s important to try and keep your line of questioning as “open” as possible. Anything that is going to elicit a closed response (yes/no) isn’t going to challenge thinking. When using provocation, understanding the answer to the question is less important than the technique of asking questions.
Behind
Possibly the most valuable yet under-utilised teaching modes, Behind infers to being at the back of the room, silently yet actively observing students at work. This does not mean being on your phone, but rather using all of your senses to be as present and aware of what’s happening.
When in Behind mode, the temptation is to regularly interject, but if guardrails have been erected effectively using the other two teaching modes, then there is a lot to be gained by letting students work in their own time.
Active observation during groupwork involves listening into conversations that are taking place, and making mental notes on these without interjecting. It also includes observing body language, or if specific students are disengaging from the work.
Behind is a powerful mode for teachers to be in, if done correctly.
On the flipside of active observation, is the ability to give timely, data-driven feedback. This can be either written or verbal, but the ability to provide both positive and constructive feedback on a student’s work is of course, one of the pillars of teaching. This is a separate topic which deserves it’s own article, but worth considering within the context of FAB
In conclusion
So thinking through these three different teaching “modes”, it may not immediately be clear when to utilise each. But by forcing yourself to ask the question, within a specific situation, will help you to better dissect which approach fits that moment. There is frequently a temptation to always revert to what you know, which means Forward will likely be a default for many teachers. But hopefully understanding the roles and values of each mode will force the individual to ask the question in the moment.
And like many things, creating a shared idea among teachers about these three different modes will help build the collective spirit. It provides a common language to signpost and support each other in the classroom. And fundamentally delivers the best results to the most important people in the room, the students.