The classroom is as much a social place as it is a learning one .......(Part one)
Visualise the first day of the school year and the teacher in the front looking at her class of 25 to 30 students. All sitting at their desks. The teacher is speaking in a friendly but assertive voice setting boundaries and expectations of behaviour and work standards.
I am the boss, don't think of crossing the line or you will face consequences!
In the meantime the kids are not only idling listening and processing the information, they are also assessing the teacher. Does he/she mean what is being said, is the follow through really going to happen? Is the teacher a yeller or is fair? While most of the kids will comply, do their academic best they also want to fit into the social structure of the classroom.
Like adults children are social beings and so getting on is high on the agenda. Being accepted and liked is important! So would you be surprised to hear that each student takes on a specific role in the social setting of the classroom?
The psychological need to belong is very strong.
If you looked closely at the student's behaviours expect to see some social roles adopted by kids in classrooms:
- The leaders, the do gooders who are clever academically and can get their work done easily and quickly.
- The clowns are the kids who crack jokes, make comments at the teacher's expense.
- The princesses who are over social, prissy and precious.
- The athletic sporty kids.
- The wanderers who chat throughout the day organising play during lunch breaks.
- The naughty mischievous kids who sit at the back busily getting up to tricks, some are very bright and bored.
- The nerds who has his/her head buried in a book
- The tricksters who regularly play pranks on classmates and the teacher
It might take a bit of experience to pick up these social roles but they are there. The social network is a strong force, kids band together to work in unison passing notes and finding solutions when for instance a teacher is a 'bad' teacher or when there is too much yelling or unfair punishment.
Or perhaps the note could be about a games for the lunch break! Kids keep us guessing.
On the whole, teachers and parents are not generally clued into the active and complex social student networks in classrooms. That is until they stop and really watch the kids in action.
Cheers and blessings
Just watching my grandchildren I realise what a minefield of relationships they negotiate daily.
Same for us retirees but we have learned at last not to pay attention to those who are bossy and negative!
Yes we have @justjoy. It is such a delight to watch our little grandchildren grow.
Interesting the social structure in the classroom, Angie.
It is redheadpei and most fascinating as well.
Howdy angiemitchell! so it takes some experience to spot what students are what in the social network I assume?
Yes, it is definitely not evident to the parent visitor. Did you have a social role janton?
I don't know, I don't think so. I always stayed mostly to myself, did my homework, got good grades and always thought the rest of my classmates were immature idiots! lol.
I thought you might say the talker, you are very good with communication.
oh but around people I'm very shy and go silent!
Did you sit back and take everything in?
Yes I like to observe and watch people. Airports are great for that!
A place where we tend to spend time in when flights are delayed, lol. Plenty of opportunity to watch the most interesting behaviours in travellers, haha.
I agree, people are utterly fascinating to watch!