Ask any teacher about a “bad lesson” and they are likely to recall how despite careful preparation, sometimes things did not go to plan.
When this happens – and it will happen – it can be hard to take. Julian Stanley, chief executive at the Education Support Partnership, says that teachers “tend to report feelings of disappointment, sometimes failure and concerns about whether they would be able to manage a class again after a difficult lesson”.
There are many reasons why a lesson can go badly. Technology can break down, it might be behaviour, or you might just inherit difficulties from a previous lesson, so the class may arrive in a challenging mood. Or if you yourself have just had a challenging lesson you could inadvertently pass on your own emotions.
When these things happen, it is important to learn from the experience and then bounce back. Kathryn Lovewell, founder of the Teacher Sanctuary, believes that high-quality lessons occur “when the relationship between teacher and student is healthy – when there is mutual respect and trust”. She added: “When genuine listening and clear communication breaks down, so too will effective teaching and learning.”
A challenging lesson doesn’t have to be a “bad” experience and lessons can be learned that can actually enhance the quality of teaching and learning: “The word ‘bad’ is a most unhelpful term when it comes to teaching,” Ms Lovewell continued. “Be clear that students and teachers are not ‘bad’ – defining them as such is destructive and lacks a progressive, constructive mindset. One must clarify that behaviour may need adjustment, and teaching skills may need improvement.”
Meanwhile, Mr Stanley emphasises that one difficult lesson (or day) does not equal failure. Rather than aiming for the ideal lesson, he advises teachers “not to punish yourselves, but take time out to reflect on what worked well and what did not work, and learn lessons from that experience”.
After a difficult lesson it can be tempting, particularly for beginning teachers, to rely more on rigid lesson plans and to give out more hand-outs. However, Mr Stanley recommends that teachers should “give themselves permission to deviate from rigid plans and to go with the flow of a lesson”.
If a teacher is feeling frustrated, either with themselves or the class, they should “slow down, breathe and take a moment to consider what to do next, such as throwing out the lesson plan, or changing the energy of the room by getting students to work in small groups”, he adds.
Kiri Tunks, a secondary school teacher based in Tower Hamlets, east London, agrees – rather than being hamstrung by planning, “sometimes there is joy in responding to the moment and trying something different in the classroom”. Having back-up activities – “an emergency pack of strategies to pull out” – is helpful for teachers if a lesson isn’t going to plan or if technology isn’t working, she added.
And if the internet is down, or other aspects of the lesson are going wrong, it helps to acknowledge those mistakes with the class, rather trying to pretend all is going to plan. “If you try and present yourself as perfect you’re setting yourself up to be laughed at. It’s good to teach children that making mistakes is okay – it’s all part of the learning process,” Ms Tunks continued.
Feedback is a helpful way to enhance the learning of both teachers and students after a lesson. Mr Stanley suggests that if teachers know a class well that organising student mini-focus groups or whole-group reflection can help when looking at what worked well and what could be done differently. But in order to have the ability to obtain feedback from students, teachers need to build strong relationships with their classes.
Ms Lovewell explained: “Work at developing respect and trust. Learn about what lights up your students – know their hierarchy of values and tap into these to inspire learning.”
However, while teachers can use these different strategies to learn from a difficult lesson, when students are being disruptive, behaviour management is crucial to getting a lesson “back on track”. This may involve taking a pause if there a low-level disruption and reasserting classroom management strategies and school policies. What is important is to be consistent, says Ms Tunks: “Don’t be afraid to recognise a problem and to take steps to get back on an even keel.”
Dealing with a difficult lesson
- Take time to reflect on what worked well and what did not work; learn from that experience.
- Acknowledge mistakes with the class, rather than pretending all is going to plan. Teach children that making mistakes is part of the learning process.
- Organising student mini-focus groups can help when looking at what worked well and what could be done differently.
- Build strong relationships with classes and understand what activities work for them.
- Even if a lesson feels like it is going wrong, try to enjoy it, because with every lesson there is always something new to learn that you could use again.
- Kathy Oxtoby is a freelance journalist and former secondary teacher.
Further information
- The Education Support Partnership provides independent, confidential support to help teachers deal with a range of issues. Visit www.educationsupportpartnership.org.uk
- The Teacher Sanctuary provides advice on teachers’ wellbeing: http://theteachersanctuary.com
NQT Special Edition: Free download
This article was published in SecEd as part of our November 2016 eight-page NQT Special Edition. The Special Edition, which was published with support from the NASUWT, offers best practice advice and guidance ranging from classroom practice and wellbeing to workload and your rights and entitlements as an NQT. You can download the entire NQT Special Edition as a free 8-page pdf via http://bit.ly/2fAp3q0