A secondary school in Nottinghamshire, England, has officially banned the use of traditional hand-raising as a method for students to respond to a teacher’s questions. As The Telegraph reports, the school’s principal Barry Found feels strongly that this method of teaching is antiquated and “does not challenge and support the learning of all.”
The Telegraph obtained a letter the principal wrote earlier this week, which further explained the decision:
“From Monday, November 28, hands will only be raised in the academy to establish silence for listening (the students are very used to this practice and are brilliant at it.)
“We will use a variety of other techniques to ensure that every student is challenged and developed in class through our questioning and that every student has opportunities to contribute and participate.”
As a former educator myself, I can actually understand the criticisms of hand-raising, even if it still remains the traditional method of teacher-student interaction. It was originally established as a way to prevent kids from shouting out answers all at once. However, as many teachers know, often the same kids repeatedly raise their hands, sometimes with such earnestness that they are metaphorically shouting out the answer anyway. And other kids who are shy or less likely to draw attention to themselves may slink back into their seats, hoping to avoid attention.
I know, because I was one of those over-zealous kids. And I’m pretty sure my own kids are the first to shoot their hands in the air on a daily basis, too. However, any good teacher will look past the five hands waving in her face every time she asks a question and seek opportunities to draw quieter kids in. She may also tell certain students who’ve had several chances to respond that they need to take a break and not raise their hands for a period of time, giving shier kids a chance to shine.
Change itself is not a bad thing. And sometimes it is necessary, especially in education. In fact, I believe that one of the greatest disservices teachers do to their students is get stuck in their ways, and refuse to modify their practices as new kids come into the classroom. I am thankful practices such as corporal punishment are becoming less common in schools. I also see the value in differentiated instruction — something that was not standard practice years ago. So yes, change can be good.
However, I do think this could have been approached differently. Certainly encouraging teachers to utilize other means of engaging students is effective. But rather than outright ban this practice, Principal Found could have asked teachers to curb their use of hand-raising and offer suggestions and/or training on other types of teaching. For example, kids may benefit from brainstorming in small groups, and coming up with and presenting an answer to a difficult question together. Or teachers can give students a heads-up that they will be calling on them at random with regards to a specific topic, so they have time to prepare. For some students, having a teacher call on them and demand an answer without warning can be terrifying. Hand-raising gives kids the choice of whether to answer or not.
Furthermore, as an educator I also cringe when I hear of sweeping school-wide changes implemented by a principal or superintendent. I wonder if the teachers were consulted before this decision was made. It is crucial for educators to maintain some semblance of autonomy in their classrooms. They know their kids and what works and what doesn’t. Also, most teachers do use a variety of methods to properly teach and assess student comprehension. For many, hand-raising is only one of those methods, so to outright ban it sends a negative message to teachers that they cannot be trusted to run their own classrooms, and it damages morale.
As The Telegraph reports, critics of this decision include the National Union of Teachers (NUT), stating that a school-wide change like this is disrespectful to teachers. Michael McKeever, who was head of the Trinity School in Aspley, Nottingham, says this move is a “step backwards” and that good teachers ensure all kids are engaged in the lesson, regardless of who raises his/her hand.
Many __parents were also none too pleased by the new rule. As Lucinda King shared online: “My son told me about this last week and he is disappointed about it as he fears being chosen randomly if he doesn’t know the answer but equally won’t get the opportunity to raise his hand when he does know the answer. I guess it’s different for each child depending on their confidence levels.”
Another parent, Angela Osborne, added, “Unfortunately this school is getting more and more bizarre. When my eldest started I couldn’t praise the school enough — a kind caring atmosphere where the teachers really knew their students and were passionate about their progress and success.”
During my own teaching career, I taught at several high schools all over the United States. I will say that I was at my best when working under a supportive principal. When trusted to run my classroom as I saw fit, I was more motivated to work harder for my kids. When treated as untrustworthy and incapable of my own classroom management, I was angry and less inspired to go to work every day. Everyone wins — students and faculty alike — when a principal works alongside his teachers making school-wide decisions together.
An email was sent to Principal Found for comment, but a response has yet to be received.