Be Fair
Paul Bress, UK
Paul Bress works both in the fields of personal growth and TEFL and has published very widely in both areas. His particular skill is an ability to see the ‘big picture’ and to help others to take practical steps to solve their professional and personal problems. Paul is a life-long, non-stop, learner – he learns more from everyday experience than from formal research. E-mail: paulbress@talktalk.net
Fairness is a concept that is drummed into the minds of most children from enlightened parents all over the world. As the children from such families grow older they sometimes feel that life isn’t at all fair (as they see the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer). And yet such a lack of fairness often sticks in a person’s throat. That’s probably why the citizens of the most highly developed societies (such as the USA) consider themselves to be much less happy than their counterparts in the 1950s.
Research (Shermer, 2008) also suggests that the desire for fairness something which is innately human. In a fascinating experiment, in which a sample of two subjects were asked to divide $100, neither person said they would be happy with (a free!) $20 if they knew that the other one was to have the remaining $80. This quest for fairness isn’t noticeable, say, when lions, hyenas, and vultures are fighting over a wildebeest’s corpse.
Although teachers have to be prepared to teach students from a vast array of backgrounds and cultures, I think it’s reasonable to say that all these students will resent any teacher who would seem to be behaving unfairly in class. In fact, teachers need to be aware of the fact that they may sometimes be role models, especially for younger students. By endeavouring to be as fair as possible in class, teachers will satisfy the perquisite for creating good conditions for learning.
Let’s now turn our attention to your own degree of fairness in class. I imagine that most teachers would consider themselves to be completely fair all the time – and proud of it! But look at the table below. It describes two types of teachers – the ‘unfair’ teacher and the ‘fair’ teacher. Then please think carefully about the descriptions in each row – and tick the one you think applies to you. If you aren’t really sure, write a question mark on the right.
| The unfair teacher |
The fair teacher |
| Gives preferential treatment to particular students |
Treats each student the same |
| Only communicates with one or a selected group of students |
Spends an equal amount of time talking to each student |
| Asks students to do things they can’t do (linguistically) |
Asks students to do only things that they are capable of (linguistically) |
| Embarrasses the students by talking about inappropriate subjects |
Gets students to talk only about appropriate subjects |
| Tells students off when they mean no harm |
Respects the opinions/behaviour of students from a different culture |
| Doesn’t prepare or teach conscientiously |
Prepares conscientiously and teaches according to the plan |
| Doesn’t carry out the things he/she says he/she will (e.g. research) |
Carries out all promises made to students |
Do you have any ticks in the left hand column – or perhaps question marks? If so, I think it’s advisable to monitor your behaviour in the future. Look at the bullet points below and find the piece of advice that applies to you. Then try to increase your awareness and modify your behaviour – until you’re teaching your students in a much fairer way.
- Be aware of whether you’re treating students differently – and make amendments.
- Be aware of students who are struggling with the tasks you have set them – and set them less difficult tasks next time.
- Be aware of the times students clam up when discussing certain topics – and make a note of no-go topics/situations (and avoid them in the future).
- Be aware of the feelings of anger you have when you hear students expressing certain opinions. Stay professional and level-headed.
- Be aware of any lack of organisation in your lessons, and prepare a more cohesive plan if necessary.
- Make a written note of any promises you make to students in class. Make sure you carry out those promises.
I am always aware of the increasingly large burden on teachers’ shoulders these days. There is new technology, burgeoning administration, and more and more exacting quality control. Sometimes such pressures stop us from seeing some of the most important aspects of teaching – such as fairness. If a teacher is perceived as being unfair, this is likely to cause both resentment and anger among students, and the learning atmosphere may be very badly affected. But if students think that their teacher is behaving fairly, they will feel able to work alongside him/her much more easily.
Reference
Shermer M. (2008) Why people believe weird things about money Los Angeles Times
Please check the Expert Teacher course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Skills of Teacher Training course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Building Positive Group Dynamics course at Pilgrims website.
|
