6.2 Overview

On this page

  1. Poster Friendly and Fair Teaching
  2. Zoom in on ‘Reflecting on teaching’ – top of poster – The first four perspectives
  3. Zoom out on ‘Learning Environment’ – bottom of poster
    3.1 Framework + Behaviour management strategies
    3.2 Alternate approaches to teaching
    3.3 Learning objectives
  4. Frequency: How often do you use the different steps of the Ladder of action?
  5. Summary
  6. Credits

In one images an “Overview” of Friendly and Fair Teaching (FFT) along with directions on how to read this overview.

I use the overview of‘ Friendly and Fair Teaching’ as a starting point to reflect on my teaching and to draw up a plan of action.

1 Poster Friendly and Fair Teaching

Image: Poster Friendly and Fair Teaching

Top part of poster

‘Reflecting on teaching’ with the first four perspectives: Establishing a friendly tone, Establishing fairness, Lesson content and Observing.

Bottom part of poster

Positive ‘Learning environment’ with the fifth perspective: Behaviour management strategies, with which you address student(s) on behaviour and effort.

2 Zoom in on ‘Reflecting on teaching’ – top of poster – The first four perspectives

Image: Reflecting on teaching – Zooming in on the first four perspectives

At the top right of the poster you see an thumbs up image with the five perspectives of FFT. This image starts with ‘Establishing a friendly tone’ at the bottom because a friendliness forms the basis of a positive learning environment.

Before you start teaching, you ‘Reflect on your teaching’. In the upper blue part of the poster you see the first four perspectives: Establishing a friendly tone, Establishing fairness, Lesson content and Observing learning. With these four perspectives you reflect on you teach. You add elements of FFT to your own teaching practice as you choose. The more successful your teaching is, the less time and attention you spend on addressing students’ behaviour and commitment. With ‘Reflecting on teaching’ you build a positive learning environment.

3 Zoom out on ‘Learning environment’ – bottom of poster

Here you see a positive learning environment if possible shown in visual language. The ‘Student’ is in the middle:

Image: Zoom out – positive learning environment

3.1 Framework + Behaviour management strategies

Addressing a student’s behaviour or commitment (Behaviour management strategies) is the fifth perspective of FFT.

Image: Framework – Behaviour management strategies

Reflecting on teaching starts with hanging the framework on the wall of the classroom: Friendly + Fair. This indicates that everyone is expected to behave in a friendly and fair manner.
Because a disruption to the lesson can always occur, no matter how well you teach, ‘Behaviour management strategies’ are part of a positive learning environment. The first steps you take when a students’ behaviour or commitment remains within the specified boundaries. If a student exceeds the boundary, you ask the student to write you a letter (Next steps – outside the specified boundaries).

3.2 Alternate approaches to teaching

In the learning environment that you create, you alternate teaching the entire class and working independently:

Image: Alternating teaching the entire class and working independently

  1. When teaching the entire class, you inspire your students or lead a class discussion. You adopt an expressive attitude. When teaching the entire class, you indicate with the triangle (blue image) what you expect from your students: Please pay attention.
  2. When students are working independently, you give them some freedom to decide for themselves what they do.
    While they are working independently, you behave as quiet as possible in order not to disturb the students who are working. With the triangle (green image) you indicate what you expect from your students when they are working independently: Please get to work.

3.3 Learning objectives

Image: Learning objectives

The abstract shapes represent the structure of your lessons:

  1. CHUNKING: Alternating approaches to teaching.
  2. KNOWLEDGE AND INSPIRATION: Transferring knowledge and inspiring students.
  3. COACHING AND OBSERVING: Coaching and observing students are they are working independently.

and the abstract shapes represent learning objectives you choose per lesson.

See also the website of Stichting Rapucation.

4 Frequency: How often do you use the different steps of the Ladder of action?

The following percentages are based on three years of working with Tips and ‘Letter on Future Behaviour’ by Johan ‘t Hart as a music teacher at the Pieter Nieuwland College (2014-2017). Teachers who participated in the Friendly Order Keeping course indicate even lower percentages.

If you apply ‘Behaviour management strategies’:

  1. In all your lessons you use body language to address students’ behaviour and commitment.
  2. In 80 percent of the lessons you use Tips.
  3. In 19 percent of your lessons you ask a student to write you a ‘Future Behaviour letter’. Most students hand in this letter to at the appointed time. A few students (especially in the beginning) do not hand in the letter to the teacher and then do hand it in to a member of staff.
  4. In 1 percent of the lessons you will interrupt teaching the entire class or working independently.

When writing down Tips for frontal teaching and independent work, two profiles of students emerge:

  • A student who has difficulty accepting authority will mainly be disruptive during your explanation.
  • A student who has difficulty working independently will mainly receive Tips during independent work.

It is less common for students to receive Tips during both frontal teaching and independent work. If several teachers in a class keep these lists and you compare them, these profiles can be quickly recognised.

5 Summary

Friendly and Fair Teaching advises to first ‘Reflect on your teaching’ and then shape your positive learning environment. In this learning environment’ it is hardly necessary to adress students on behaviour and commitment. First u use gestures, then you give Tips. Next you ask a student to write a ‘Future behaviour letter’. When teaching the entire class you transfer knowledge and inspire your students. You let them work independently and guide your students in a coaching manner. Students with talent are given individual recommendations.

6 Credits

Sam van Dijk – Student at the Hogeschool Arnhem Nijmegen (HAN)

Sam contacted FFT and indicated that he wanted to create a final product for his studies where you could see at a glance how FFT works. His initiative was also carried out by FFT itself. This overview is the result. The following people contributed to this overview:
Jan Wolters, Enero Moestalam, Ellen van Kooten, Jose Caballero, Ruben van den Broek, Anne Jellema and Wietske Tijssen, Nick Sorensen.

Nick Sorensen, Emeritus Professor of Education Bath Spa University

Al names used in this overview are being translated by Nick Sorensen. Nick also suggested to show all five perspectives with large black letters and suggested to make the ‘Reinforcing positive behaviour’ first steps’ green and ‘Reinforcing positive behaviour: next steps’  red.

With these changes the lower part of the ‘Ladder of action’ clearly shows the colours of a traffic light. Nick also suggested to start at the bottom of the overview with ‘Reflecting on teaching‘.