Instructional Practices that Need to Disappear (Trial by Fire)

by John R. Walkup, Ph.D.

In my first installment of the "Instructional Practices that Need to Disappear" blog series, I took aim at round-robin reading, an ineffective practice that grinds down student interest in reading. This time, I shift my attention to speech education, or more precisely, the lack of it.

Trial by Fire

We know that the ability to defend one's position is an important component of communication and a much needed 21st-century skill. Except for the rare case, students will not learn to defend their arguments in public from their parents or friends; most of their learning will need to come from their teachers. Therefore, to develop the "whole student," teachers need to spend time in class teaching students to present in public.

Public defense of one's ideas is a learned skill. All too often students are compelled to stand up in public and defend their work under the guise of "practice makes perfect." However, the "practice makes perfect" cliche is a misconception: Practice typically reinforces both the good and the bad. A student who struggles with public speaking is not necessarily going to get better at it by being pushed to the front of the class.

If we are to enhance our student's speaking skills, therefore, we need to embed the activity in a real lesson where students receive instruction and constructive feedback on the lesson content related to public presentation. 

Fresno, CA, 2011

So there I was, sitting in the back of a Southern California middle school classroom watching students writing their solutions to the previous nights' homework on the classroom whiteboard. One by one, each student walked through his or her solution. At the end of each presentation, the students clapped, like any good (albeit trained) audience.

One young girl struggled. In her solution, she had a simple sign error that caused 4-2 to equal 6. The teacher pointed out that her answer was wrong and asked her to find the mistake. Then the students tried to help her. In a cacophony of shouts, the suggestions came from every corner of the classroom.

"Look at the fourth line!"
"It's the 6! Look at the 6!"

For the next excruciating minute (which I am sure felt like an hour to her), she desperately scanned each line of her work, hoping to find the error. As an observer, the experience was excruciating. I broke normal protocol and whispered to the teacher, "She obviously doesn't know where the mistake is." His returning smile floored me.

Mercifully, the bell rang. As I was walking out, the girl remained at the board, still looking for her mistake.

She was also crying.

We talked about the situation with the teacher during his prep time. He remained unbothered by what transpired in his classroom. In his view, he was, by golly, "preparing his students for the real world," where mathematicians and scientists often need to perform under pressure.

Strolling to the next classroom, I told the principal, "That experience won't help her. If she had any plans on being a mathematician or scientist, she doesn't anymore."

A Caution

Public speaking is one of those areas that can induce serious trauma in children. Teaching them to speak in public using a "trial by fire" approach can cause enormous emotional damage, especially if the student is expected to present material with mistakes.

We should also be careful about dragging out the "real world" to excuse ineffective (and often downright cruel) pedagogy. Yes, students need preparation for the trials and tribulations found in future careers, but the training of students in this regard must occur purposefully and, most important, carefully. This holds especially true for young children, but speech anxiety (glossophobia*) is every bit as traumatic for older students.

Next Time

In my next installment of the "Instructional Practices that Need to Disappear" series, I will target a grading practice common in English language arts I call "guard-rail instruction." Stay tuned.

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* Bet you didn't know I knew the term glossophobia. (I didn't. I Googled it.)

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Seeking training at your school or district centered on Cognitive Rigor or Depth of Knowledge?  Call me at (559) 903-4014 or email me at jwalkup@standardsco.com. 

We will discuss ways in which I can help your teachers boost student engagement and deep thinking in their classrooms. I offer workshops, follow-up classroom observation/coaching, and curriculum analysis to anywhere in the country (and even internationally).

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