Editorial
All proceeds from the book have been donated to the disaster relief fund for the Tohoku area of Japan which was devastated in the earthquake of 2011.
Teaching in Pursuit of WOW! by Tim Murphey
reviewed by Nick Michelioudakis, Greece
Menu
The moving bench
The book
WOW! Psychology!
Central ideas
A dangerous man
Would you recommend the book?
References
Picture a bench sitting dutifully on the pavement where it was originally placed. At some point it decides it could do with a suntan. Having made up its mind that its location is not optimal, it moves a few paces to make sure it stays in a well-lit spot. Then it does it again and again, until it rests smack in the middle of the road! Now add two people to the bench, blithely chatting to each other enjoying the warmth of the setting sun. One of them is Dr Tim Murphey and this is just one of the weird and wonderful images one can find in ‘Teaching in Pursuit of WOW!’ (p. 62)
This small book is a collection of 22 articles published over a period of twenty years. They range from simple musings triggered by everyday events (e.g. Ch. 3) to discussions which help clarify rather profound concepts (e.g. Ch. 17). *
Structure
The articles are divided into three parts. Roughly speaking, the first part looks at the most important element in the classroom – the learners (the individuals, the groups, the teacher’s relation with the students). The second part examines some ways in which the teacher can help students make the most of their learning potential. The third one looks at broader educational issues, such as the role of the exams and assessment.
Style
Tim Murphey writes in his very own trademark style – straightforward and simple, yet never simplistic. While he never talks down to the reader, he has a knack for explaining difficult concepts so that people can reflect on their essence instead of floundering about mired in jargon (e.g. pp 68 – 70).
Target Audience
One of the best things about the book in my view is that it is not addressed to EL teachers alone, but rather to Educators in general – regardless of experience. The focus is squarely on the big questions: ‘How can we discover what is special about our learners?’ ‘How can we move from teaching to facilitating learning?’ ‘What are the things about the Educational System that hold us back?’ And the insights Dr Murphey provides are firmly grounded on Psychology...
Despite the simplicity of the style, the various articles show a profound understanding of human Psychology (which is only to be expected from someone who has co-authored ‘Group Dynamics’ with Professor Zoltan Dornyei). Here are some examples [NB: These are not references given in the book]:
Essentialism
Reading ‘Spirit Clothes’ (Ch. 2) is an amazing experience and I would not want to spoil it for the readers. But the central idea is ‘Essentialism’ – one that Paul Bloom has explored experimentally (e.g. YouTube: Paul Bloom ‘The Origins of Pleasure’ [3:32]). Quite simply, there is a vast difference between looking at a copy of the ‘Mona Lisa’ and looking at the original – because of the story behind the latter. The implications here are innumerable; for instance we can completely alter our students’ experience when reading a poem or a short story by investing a few minutes to tell them about its background...
Social proof
NPRM (‘Near Peer Role Models’) is a term which crops up again and again in the book (e.g. Ch. 9). This is one of the most straightforward and easy-to-adopt ideas from the field of Social Psychology. Instead of telling students what to do, just show them what others are doing. The greater the similarity between these people and the students (hence the ‘P’ in NPRM), the greater the influence. Cialdini has explored this in some fantastic experiments (e.g. Cialdini 2001 – Ch. 4; see also YouTube: ‘Psychology and ELT – Social Proof’)
Consistency
The importance of students taking charge of their own learning is illustrated perfectly on p. 37. Many learners refrain from taking action until they have the perfect ‘Learning Plan’, but action is important in and of itself; what really matters about moving towards achieving our learning objectives is that we are then more likely to use our past actions as guidelines for future behaviour! (Sutherland 1992 – p. 69) Having taken a small step in a certain direction, we then ‘line up behind ourselves!’
The IKEA Effect
Chapter 10 is on student-produced artifacts. Their motivational power is immense. Ariely has dubbed this ‘The IKEA Effect’; the idea is simple yet profound: although there are many motivational activities, the ones where students actually complete something tangible have far greater motivational potential (Ariely 2010, Ch. 4) The effect is even more powerful if these artifacts are on display for others to see (Ariely 2010, Ch. 2)
Our ‘Hivish’ Tendencies
J. Haidt (2012 – p. 223) says that humans are 90% chimpanzee and 10% bee. This is a very powerful insight; it explains our need to belong to ‘the hive’, something larger than ourselves (see also A. Maslow’s pyramid) and it also explains why being excluded from the group can register in the brain as strongly as physical pain. Dr Murphey is aware of the dangers of this (e.g. racism, xenophobia etc.) but he is also aware of the empowering potential of harnessing this natural desire and fostering group cohesion (p. 64) **
As I see it, there are three central ideas running through the book: a) The role of the educator is far greater than that of language provider or even classroom manager or learning coach. The ultimate goal of any educator is to ‘lead people out’ as Miss Brodie says in Muriel Spark’s justly famous book. b) Learning is far more than what goes on inside the classroom; the more students realise that, the better they will be (even if that means calling each other on the phone and speaking in the L2! – p. 26) c) There are good teachers and there are better teachers. Good teachers do their job well – better teachers are educators all the time. Better teachers are good spotters; they look at life all around them, all the while asking themselves ‘What can this teach me?’ (e.g. Ch. 3 and 22)
Reading ‘WOW!’ the image one forms of the writer is that of a sensitive educator in the best humanistic tradition, a teacher who knows that ‘happiness comes from between’ (Haidt 2006 – Ch 10) and who looks at the world with keen eyes always in anticipation of the next incident and what it might reveal. Accurate though such a depiction might be, it would be wrong not to add that Dr Murphey is also a dangerous man. This book should come with a warning: ‘Ideas like student autonomy, transferring power to the students (e.g. Ch. 15) and removing ‘Exams’ from the Pantheon (Ch. 17) can seriously undermine the Educational Establishment’! If there was such a thing as an FBI department for subversive teachers I am sure they would be keeping tabs on him...
Looking back to the experience of reading ‘WOW!’ I think that if I had to liken it to something, it would be a dessert. Not in the sense that it is not substantial enough to be a ‘main course’ but that one needs to have time to savour it. Fortunately, as the chapters are so short this is possible even in these hectic days. So, yes I would recommend it. I also look forward to seeing Professor Murphey himself in action sometime. I sincerely hope he might come to one of our TESOL Greece Conventions. I am certainly going to be there for his talk. And I will make sure I tell my colleagues to weld the benches to the floor... Just in case...
* Lest it be thought that the book is simply a collection of reflections, I hasten to clarify that this is not the case; Dr Murphy has brought together the wisdom of many other experts in the field and there are five pages full of references at the back for people who would like to read further.
** This is the idea behind the ‘moving bench’; the whole is more than the sum of its parts; two people are a group and together they can do things they would never dream of doing alone!
Ariely, D. “The Upside of Irrationality” HarperCollins 2010
Bloom, P. “The Origins of Pleasure” TED Talk, YouTube 2011
Cialdini, R. “Influence – Science and Practice”, Allyn & Bacon 2001
Haidt, J. “The Happiness Hypothesis” Arrow Books 2006
Haidt, J. “The Righteous Mind” Allen Lane 2012
Sutherland, S. “Irrationality” Constable and Company 1992
Please check the How to be a Teacher Trainer course at Pilgrims website.
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