Attention, Feedback, and Other Creatures of Habit - Blog Post #6

 Attention is a tricky beast. It can be gratifying at times, and embarrassing in others - at once something craved and avoided. Sometimes you offer it with the best of intentions, yet what the other person sees is a rabid animal that snaps their mouth shut, widens their eyes, and slaps them with the pressure of losing face in front of all their peers. 

Failing socially is truly a thing to be feared in the high school classroom; honestly, that fear is a tough one to shake even as a “real adult.” No one wants to sound or feel stupid, or overly praised for doing a simple task. However, it is easy to fall into the trap of giving that kind of feedback to students for one reason or another. A student who participates minimally decides to openly share with the class and you to gush over their success. A student is on their phone and you harp on them all hour because they only put it away when you are near. A student turns in mediocre work and your tired brain can only strain to say “good job.” These are knee-jerk reactions - bad habits that are simply not effective in a classroom.

Breaking out of these well-worn paths can be a struggle, but Sprick offers some key advice for managing the feedback and attention we give our students. They begin Chapter 8 of Discipline in the Secondary Classroom: A Positive Approach to Behavior Management by discussing the importance of non-contingent attention (259). Giving students interactions that do not rely on their success as a student is a significant step to building a relationship that shows them you care. Let them know it is about their success as a person that matters. Greet them at the door, know their name, and ask about their interests. Treat them like people! 

Another idea that stuck out to me in Sprick’s text is giving feedback effectively. A simple “good job” only goes so far (I know I use it too often) and, while it can somewhat boost their morale, it does not tell them what they did well. What job did they do that deserves praise? I think answering that question helps bring us to specific terms, such as appreciating their participation, their succinct analysis, or a particularly insightful connection between the text and their life. Furthermore, feedback that is dependent upon your own opinion is something that should be avoided because “that initial phrase may inadvertently be taken by the student to mean that he or she should behave to please you” (262). 

Combining the advice of Sprick’s text and my own classroom experience, I think I would benefit from adopting a class-wide system both for managing attention and improving my relationships with students. For instance, all of my classes need support in getting their work turned in. To help motivate them, I have promised to reduce their workload for their final project and have time to watch the newest performance of Macbeth at the end of our unit. While I have yet to see how that will impact their behavior, I have been practicing granting students attention when they are on task and the 3-to-1 ratio Sprick discusses. I saw an instant improvement with a table group that normally checks out during class! One student in particular, who has not turned in a single assignment in all semester, gave me his completed work that day. And he was not the only one! I got to put in scores today instead of zeros, and I cannot understate my happiness for their success. 

Needless to say, this Sprick guy knows what he’s talking about. I can’t wait to see how my classroom changes by using his ideas on attention to my advantage. 

Sprick, Randall S. Discipline in the Secondary Classroom: A Positive Approach to Behavior Management. 3rd ed., Jossey-Bass, 2013.