[etni] In defence of the unseen
- From: David Graniewitz <davidzalman@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:02:14 +0200
*In defence of the Unseen*
After participating in the HOTS course and having been present at a number
of meetings for coordinators in which the rationale behind the new programme
has been explained (the most recent being in Jerusalem this week), it has
become apparent to me that the same mantra-like explanation is being given
for the need for change. This goes something like ?HOTS based literature
teaching -- good; unseens practice ? bad.?
Firstly, it must be stated that it was the Inspectorate?s decision to change
the format of the Bagrut. We all dutifully complied, took the required NBA
course and began teaching according to the new specifications. At first,
there was some confusion, but eventually we got the hang of things when it
became evident that the new exam was as much an IQ test as it was an English
one. This led to a plethora of practice books being brought out by the
various publishers as teachers realised that they would not be able to
succeed at their job of getting their pupils through the new exam without
sufficient practice. Practice books began to surpass course books as the
main weapon in the teachers? armoury, and course books even began to
resemble practice books in some cases (e.g. the ECB ?results? series.)
Say what you will, it seems to have worked though, as the thousands of
students who have already taken and passed 4 and 5 point Bagrut exams will
testify. But is it teaching is the question, or point to the point, is it
teaching English?
Consider, if you will, the following points:
1. Pupils in Israeli schools are under tremendous pressure. They have
to sit through many exams throughout the year and can study two or more
majors at school. Their attitude to English is ambivalent. On one hand, it
is a prestigious subject, one which they will need not just in order to get
a decent Bagrut certificate, but also in their future lives. On the other,
many of them have a good command of the language by the time they
reach 11thgrade. Because the Bagrut exam, in its present form, is
basically a ?pop
quiz?, they see very little connection between the lessons and the exam. To
keep them in class, we have to resort to artificial methods the main one
being the yearly grade, which we constantly use as a stick to beat them with
when they step out of line. Let?s face it; the pupils learn to be practical.
They come to class not because they feel obligated to do so, but because
they feel that they will lose out on something if they don?t. Constant
unseen practice ensures attendance as the pupils know that they will forfeit
grades if they miss out on tests.
2. An unseen practice lesson is not a waste of a lesson. It is a
learning experience on various levels.
a) The pupils have to sit and apply themselves for a whole hour or so.
Today, when pupils, even those who haven?t been diagnosed as ADD, find it
hard to concentrate for more than a few consecutive minutes in a regular
lesson, unseen practice keeps their backsides stuck to chairs for a whole
period at least. They learn to be focused on a task. I love standing back
and watching pupils who are normally antsy, with their heads down and
applying themselves to completing an assignment. This is hard to do in a
regular lesson. Simply telling them ?Open your books to page 55, read the
text and answer the questions,? even after a pre-reading activity doesn?t
have the same effect of getting an entire class to do the work.
b) I never sit back and drink coffee while my pupils are sweating away
over a reading comprehension test. Apart from having to read to pupils with
accommodations, I do umpteen circuits of the classroom, peering over their
shoulders, answering questions and generally making a nuisance of myself. If
I see that several pupils have missed the point a particular question, I
stop the class and point out the problem without giving away the answer. In
this way, the pupils will be better equipped to deal with similar questions,
should they arise on future passages. I also find out if there are any
particular issues that need dealing with in lessons. In addition, this is an
invaluable opportunity for me to get to know the pupils I find out how they
work individually.
c) Dictionary skills can be learnt practically, rather than in theory.
Almost every time, I am faced with a pupil who claims that a certain word
does not appear in the dictionary. This is an opportunity for me to go over
and help him/her and find out what the problem is. There is no substitute
for ?trial and error?. A mistake made once is rarely repeated.
d) Let?s not forget that especially for the weaker pupils, an unseen
practice lesson is an hour in which they are reading English. How much
English would they be reading otherwise in a lesson without the threat of a
grade hanging over them? They learn to stick with texts that are sometime
hard and frequently boring. The more they read, the easier reading English
becomes.
e) I have found that the major problem of most pupils is confidence.
The first time I give an unseen in class, all pandemonium breaks loose. I
am, however, prepared for this. All I do is keep order, shut up the noisier
kids and tell everyone to get on with it. I tell them that at first, the
grade is not that important. What I am looking for is their willingness to
complete the task at hand. Eventually they get down to it and in time they
realise that they can cope. More often than not, my answer to a question is
?Go back and read the question and/or the text.? I tell pupils that I won?t
be there to hold their hands on the day of the Bagrut and they have to trust
their own intuition. Surprisingly, this works. They go back and read the
passage again and suddenly let out a gasp of relief when they realise that
they have managed to work out things on their own. This is a great
confidence builder in my opinion.
Whether or not HOTs teaching will do away with the need for unseens practice
remains to be seen. The problem is that I am expected to believe the
findings of others over my own experience in a classroom, which has been
more than backed up by the results of the pupils I have taught and the
experience of many of my colleagues who have found the same thing. What I do
object to is the insinuation that we haven?t been doing our jobs properly if
we have placed some emphasis on unseens practice. I know that it ain?t
pretty, but it does seem to be working.
Have a good day,
David Graniewitz
Jerusalem
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