Professional development course for
Friendly & Fair Teaching
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Anyone working in education, wants to enjoy it, otherwise teaching cannot be sustained. The Friendly and Fair Teaching (FFT) course offers five perspectives on how to provide a positive learning environment with less disruptions. Disruptions can always occur. With FFT, teachers address disruptions friendly and fair.
‘Reflecting on your teaching‘ is the starting point for creating a positive learning environment.
1 Formulating the goal
During the course, coach and student examine which perspectives and modules can help the student in the future. First the coach asks the student to choose one of the five perspectives, then the coach asks the student to choose a module. The student first indicates how he or she deals with this and only then does the coach, drawing on his or her own experience and referring to ‘Reflecting on your teaching‘, gives the student advice. In this way, the student determines the course’s direction. With this approach the course is an adventure for both the student and the coach.
2 Duration and guidance
You follow the course with a maximum of two people. The course lasts four hours, followed by half a year of guidance by email.
3 Target Group
The course is intended for anyone working in education and aims at both students, teachers in primary and secondary education.
4 Participation
Order our course through our online store:
In the online store you find a description of the products and our conditions.
5 Introduction video
The film below shows how to lead a group successfully by combining being ‘Friendly and ‘Clear’. No kindness without clarity (= permissive) and no clarity without kindness (=strict), but the combination of both aspects: kind and clear.
FFT defines the art of teaching as ‘Friendly and Fair’. You are fair if you adhere to the framework (Friendly and Fair). Only when you give a good example, you can ask your students to be friendly and fair as well.
6 Body language
During the Friendly & Fair Teaching course, the coach introduces a number of gestures and asks what they might mean. Some of the gestures used by FFT appear to be immediately clear even without explanation.
7 Role play
During the course, the coach first demonstrates how you reinforce positive behaviour if a student interrupts your explanations. You play the student who interrupts, then we reverse roles. This role play reveals the effect of your (unconsious) bodylanguage.
Using this ‘Cheat sheet’, you resolve a disruptions in a specific order.
Cheat sheet when teaching the whole class
What to do if a student interrupts your lesson?
- Interrupt your explanation, stand still, look straight at the disrupting student in a relaxed manner (wait a moment).
- If the student stops interrupting, nod of your head and continue your explanation.
- If not, take one step toward the student and join the other leg (wait a moment). When the student stops interrupting, nod of your head and continue your explanation.
- If not, make these gestures: attention and stop. If the student stops, then thank them with the thumb up gesture. You continue your explanation.
- If not, move the abacus one image forward, grab the ‘Tip book ‘ and walk to the student. With a normal voice you give a ‘Tip’: “please pay attention” and write the Name and Tip in your Tip book. When the student stops interrupting, nod of your head and continue your explanation.
- Only after the second Tip: Hand out a ‘Future behaviour letter‘ with Compassion: I unfortunately have to give you this letter, please put the assignment in your bag. Indicate when the student turns in the assignment. Nod of your head and continue your explanation.
- If a student protests, you say, “You can stop this behaviour now, or I will unfortunately have to give you a bigger assignment.”
8 Testimonials
Teachers tutors and supervisors in primary education, secondary education, Secondary vocational education, Higher professional education and teachers who teach a special subject in primary school have applied Friendly & Fair Teaching successfully.
With Friendly & Fair Teaching, teachers reinforce positive behaviour in a friendly way. As a result, they stay connected with their students. In addition, they create a challenging learning environment in which talents come into their own. Course participants describe on this site what Friendly & Fair Teaching means to them (Testimonials).
The peace and reflection behind the approach of Friendly & Fair Teaching is good for the children and for me. We are not yet where I want to be but I am already much less tired“.
