David Rock s4548585

Ineffective Middle Years Practice- Mini Case 1

As part of a recent placement, I had to teach a group of twelve year 10 students Japanese Noh theatre over a
four-week period. The four weeks culminated with the students having to perform a Noh theatre play to showcase
their learning.
Although this case study is describing a lesson I implemented, the task was developed by the mentor teacher. In
focusing on this example as one of ineffective teaching practice I am looking at how teaching was difficult because
the overall concept of Noh theatre is very dry. The task I believe needed other components to enable the topic to
be interesting and engaging for the students.
The stories in Noh theatre are quite simple. They usually consist of someone encountering a spirit who regales a
story of their past through dance. To begin with, I broke the students into groups and had each group research
different elements of the Noh theatre style. Next, we then studied some Noh plays. These plays can be hard to
watch as they are very slow moving and extremely minimalist. Fearing the students were becoming restless and
disinterested, I decided to try a different tact to pique their interest. As the students now knew the conventions and
traditions, I asked them to come up with their own Noh theatre story. This was a great idea in that the students
instantly showed enthusiasm and engaged with the exercise.
The ideas that the students came up with were inspired. Their concepts included someone encountering the spirit
of Michael Jackson, David Bowie or Heath Ledger. Taking these scripts to my mentor, I asked if the students could
use them for their performance. I was told one of the traditional Japanese plays from the lesson plan had to be
used.
The play the students had to present was only to be seen by the rest of the class and my mentor. The conventions
could still have been followed, the students would have been more engaged, with the overall experience being
more relevant and interesting to them.
I believe the students presenting an original play, in the style of Noh theatre would have been better for them to
understand and apply the concepts of the style, whilst engaging in the production of a piece. As part of my lesson
the class brainstormed how they could apply the style and conventions of Noh theatre to modern stories. In this
way the students were at least able to relate a little better to the overall exercise. I believe my mentor
underestimated the capabilities of his students and that a vital learning experience was sadly missed out on.

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Ineffective Middle Years Practice- Mini Case 2

This issue arose while observing a Yr8 class earlier this year, whereby a young girl who we shall name Melissa, who
has had a history of sexual abuse, reacted badly to what was being presented in class. This had a roll-on effect with
her other subjects, culminating with counsellors and the principal having to get involved.
It was an English class of twenty students who were being shown how to do an assignment on persuasive text.
The teacher explained that each student had to choose a news article either from a newspaper or the web. With
this article they would give reasons as to why they agreed or disagreed with the report and put their argument
forward. The teacher then went online and as an example used that days headline which was of a rapist who may
be allowed a retrial. The teacher then got one of the students to read the article out to the class. Melissa instantly
looked uncomfortable and wouldnt participate.
I was quite shocked that the teacher put that article up to begin with, knowing Melissas situation. Arriving at the
school weeks before and upon hearing that I would be in Melissas class, the school counsellor informed me of her
sensitive situation. The class teacher knew of Melissas issues so why use that article? While the students got to
work I asked him why he used it. His response was, it was a good example and its just an article. They know that
this sort of stuff happens so why shield them from it? I was reluctant to bring up Melissa as they were his students
and had been for almost a year, so I figured he knew what was what.
I believe this was poor teaching practice on the teachers behalf. Also, although its a P-9 school, it is also a primary
school set-up whereby the students have every class in the same room with the same teacher, which in my view
only exacerbated the problem. Melissa was visibly upset and uncooperative and this got worse as the day went on
as Im sure she felt stuck in the situation. Further, when they moved on to the next subject Melissa tried to move
seats to sit with other students. As she had not fully participated in the English class, the teacher asked her to
move back to her original seat which just inflamed things. He then asked Melissa to step outside and told her if her
behavior didnt improve, she would be sent to the principals office. Needless to say, by 1pm, the teacher had
gotten the the counsellor and the principal involved to talk to Melissa about her conduct.

David Rock s4548585

Effective Middle Years Practice- Mini Case 1

One of the best practices I observed was during a Yr9 English class. The teacher had eighteen students and they
were to pair up and do a review of a movie. This involved both a short presentation and a written paper. Overall
this was a great exercise, although there were components of the way the teacher delivered this exercise that
highlighted particular effective teaching practices.
To outline this task to the students, the teacher had two component exercises. One was the explanation of the
task and the other, two contrasting examples of a written review of a film. As part of his presenting this to the
students he appeared to be aiming to engage the students in a process of thinking about and describing film. His
method was to ask the students to re-describe or re-word something in the two examples. Put simply, an exercise
in thesaurus substitution. The effect though was to engage the students, asking them for another way to say this
or describe that. Give me another word for picture the teacher asked and the students replied visualise.
This teacher, over the course of the lesson, asked each and every student (by name!) to participate in some way. I
was very impressed with the effect this had over the course of the task in terms of student engagement and
classroom management.
There was also the component of the lesson where students worked in pairs to discuss the film they had chosen,
working on explaining parts they liked and/or disliked about it. This teacher moved among the groups and
continued to ask prompting questions to enable each group to come up with points and descriptions of what they
liked/disliked and why. During this part of the lesson I was also impressed with his enthusiasm (constantly
encouraging and complimenting progress) and support of the thinking process he had begun with the whole class
from the beginning.
The class ended with a talk about where they are headed in the subject and then an overview of what they had
learned today.

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Effective Middle Years Practice- Mini Case 2

Another great example of effective practice I observed was a double period Psychology Class. Here, the teacher
had twenty students and the class was about neuroplasticity, how the brain can reorganise itself by creating new
neural pathways to help keep up with you and your needs.
To begin with the teacher broke the students up into four groups and gave them handouts to read on the subject.
She then involved the students in a ten-minute session of Jigsaw learning. While this was in motion, the teacher
drew on the white board a very simple diagram on how new neural pathways are created, but instead of a brain,
she drew an i-phone broken up into different sections. After the students did their group presentation on what they
had learned from the notes, the teacher then had a student take a photo of the class on her phone and uploaded it
on to her computer. Using this photo and the diagram on the whiteboard she explained how the memory worked
and how the brain could reorganise itself, much like a computer.
Students then participated in an online test on neuroplasticity. While they were undertaking the test, any who were
having problems could write their names on the whiteboard and come and see the teacher one-by-one. The
teacher called this list her helpline. This was a good way to enable the students to have time with the teacher to
discuss both the task at hand and any other concerns the students had within the subject eg: questions about
SACS etc.
This class was great from beginning to end. The teacher related to the students by using the i-phone, had them
laughing from the photos they used, made the class fun and easy to learn and she then made herself available in
the last fifteen minutes of the class for any issues or problems.

Describe

Ineffective Middle Years Practice

Effective Middle Years Practice

The common threads between the two

ineffective teaching practices were that the
teachers didnt listen to the needs of the
students. They didnt recognise and adapt to
improve the situation.
In both instances the students showed signs
of disengagement from the lesson the

With the two effective practices, engagement,

acknowledgement and encouraging student
involvement were the key ingredients here to both
successful classes.

David Rock s4548585

teachers had planned. Rather than altering

the approach, both teachers were somewhat
inflexible and continued with their planned
approach.
Inform

The student(s) became disengaged which

reduced their class participation. In the
example of Melissa and the news article, she
was threatened and quickly withdrew
completely from the class. In the case of the
Noh theatre, having reduced relevance
through not allowing the students original
ideas to be incorporated into the learning, I
think the students found the content boring
and irrelevant to them. They were less able to
connect with the conventions and constructs
of this type of theatre and so in some ways
had to work harder to learn the concepts.

Both teachers knew all the students by name and

by getting the students to work together in small
groups, they did most of the heavy lifting with
their learning. They smiled and complimented
every one of them during the course of the lesson,
not one student was left out. What resulted were
fun and engaging classes that also gave the
students a sense of ownership and empowerment
as they all contributed to the lessons. The control
the teachers had was exceptional. I had seen the
same students in other classes and they were a
little unruly, to say the least.

Confront

The incident with Melissa was to me the most

ineffective teaching I have seen to date. Why,
when there was obvious unease did the
teacher not try and rectify things with her? It
was as if he thought if he ignored it, the
problem would pass, or possibly he completely
failed to recognise there was quite a
significant issue which impacted on both the
students wellbeing and her ability to learn.
Im sure the teacher did not intentionally seek
to make her uncomfortable, but it obviously
caused an issue that I think could have been
avoided.

The teachers classroom management and timing

were both excellent. To me, it had obviously come
down to good lesson planning and setting the tone
with the class from the outset. They also seemed
relaxed and happy to be there which inevitably
rubbed off on the students. They appeared to have
great knowledge of who the students were and
had considered this in the planning of their
lessons. In observing the classes these two
teachers undertook, they appeared to stick to their
lesson plan, without the need to think on their feet
or change much. I think this was due to their
planning and preparation, knowing their students

David Rock s4548585

Reconstruct

In the case of the Noh theatre, the students

and having good rapport.
were somewhat disempowered at a point
where they had potential to take ownership
and apply the concepts of Noh to a relevant
(for them) piece. Changing the plan would
have meant more work for the teaching staff,
but overall could have resulted in better
learning outcomes for the students.
With this case study, I believe my mentor
underestimated the capabilities of his
students and that a vital learning experience
was missed. Opportunities like this may not
appear often and when they arise they should
be encouraged.
If a student can show more interest through increased relevance, this should be taken as feedback
to the teacher and used to improve learning by improving engagement. Yes, a curriculum needs to
be adhered by, but the learning should be where applicable in the hands of the students. This
way they are more involved, more confident, and above all, more engaged with the topic. Through
observing these two instances of ineffective teaching I will aim to be more adaptable and flexible to
ensure student engagement and participation.
The observation involving Melissa highlighted to me that communication and positive involvement
are key components of the student teacher relationship. I need to be open and sensitive to every
students needs both intellectually and emotionally as this can help avoid unnecessary conflict and
is a means for educators and students to better understand each other. This also could have been
an opportunity to improve the student/teacher relationship but the handling of the situation erased
any chance of that occurring.
In contrast, the effective teaching practices showed me that by involving the students and making
them more responsible for their learning, classes can be fun, engaging and enjoyable for all. In
both instances, the teachers were relaxed and had great classroom management. This obviously
came down to good ground work and a good understanding of their students knowing their
shortcomings and what they were capable of. With this solid foundation the teachers could

David Rock s4548585

confidently build lesson plans and teach.
For adolescent students in particular these are the things I will take on board and apply to my
classes. They were by far the best teaching observation experiences I had during the placement
block.

David Rock s4548585

David Rock s4548585