Module 3 Reflection: Secondary Transcript

Situation: Classroom, 15 x 2-person tables laid out 3×5, with chairs all facing the board. Teacher’s desk is in the corner of the room by the board

(Teacher is standing by the door. Enter pupils. They go to their desks while taking bags and jackets off and being a bit rowdy)

Teacher: (pointing to group of boys shouting and shoving at the front of the room) Boys! Stop mucking around and settle down! This is not a great way to start the lesson.

Callum: (Pointing to group of girls at the back grabbing a phone from each other) What about them?! Why you shouting at us when they’re doing it too?

Teacher: You caught my attention first Callum, I’m just about to. (Looking at group of girls) Girls, please?

(The girls settle into their seats. Everybody is sitting down)

Teacher: Right, today we’re just continuing with what we started yesterday. Let’s do a quick recap. We’re looking at right-angled triangles. Who can remember the acronyms for the different functions?

Stuart: SOH CAH TOA

Teacher: Good! Do you remember what SOH stands for?

Stuart: Sine is opposite over hypotenuse

Teacher: Well remembered! Right let’s look at this first question. Do you know what, we only went over this yesterday, do you fancy just giving it a go?

Pupils: (Some yes, some incoherent mumbling)

Teacher: Great! Get your jotters out and work through the six on the board. If you complete them before I bring us back together, turn to page 150 in your text book and try a few more. Let me know if you need some help.

(Pupils start to get jotter and pens out of bags. Callum starts asking everyone around him for a pencil and then a sharpener)

Teacher: Here Callum (gives pencil and sharpener)

Callum: Thanks (goes to bin)

Rachel: (In a hushed voice to Sarah) I just don’t get it. What’s with the XY? When am I ever going to use this?

Sarah: (In a hushed voice to Rachel) Just try the first one and then I’ll look at it for you.

Teacher: Thank you to the girls at the back for getting into the work so quickly! Callum, come on, surely you’ve finished sharpening the pencil by now? Hurry up!

(Class are working, Rachel is looking puzzled, Sarah has a variety of different coloured pens laid out in front of her and is working, Anna has the left half of her jotter held up and is on her phone which is sitting in the right half of her jotter, Rory has his air pod in and is hovering his pen over the page without actually doing anything while bobbing to his music, Stuart is working away, Callum sits back down and starts annoying the person beside him by peering over his shoulder and talking in his ear)

Teacher: (Hushed to Callum) Callum, I know you’re capable of doing some really good work, write down the first one and give it a go then I’ll come back to check how you’re doing.

(Teacher is moving up and down the rows looking over people’s shoulders)

Teacher: (To Sarah) Oh Sarah, I love your pens, makes your page so colourful

Sarah: (Grinning) Thanks!

Teacher: (To Rachel) Oh come on Rachel! Sarah’s done three and you’ve not done any! Stop staring into space, let’s try get pen to paper!

Sarah: (To Rachel) You can use my pens if you like

(Rachel picks up a pen)

Teacher: (To Stuart) I like the way you’re showing your working there Stuart, I can see you have understood this –  can you work out what on your page is showing me you have understood it?

Stuart: The way I’ve broken down each stage of my working to work out the length?

Teacher: Yes, excellent!  

Stuart: Thanks!

Teacher: (To Callum) See Callum, I can see you have understood this, what do you think is telling me that?

Callum: Because I’ve written the equation and substituted in the right values?

Teacher: Excellent! Try the next one now.

Teacher: (To Anna) Anna, put that phone away and get working on the tasks.

(Anna glares, rolls her eyes and put the phone away)

Teacher: Rory get that earphone out and start working!

Rory: But this is a chune!

(Teacher puts hands on hips and stares at Rory with eyebrows raised)

Rory: Fine… (Puts earphones away)

Teacher: (To Sarah) Ah! You’re on the text book already? I can see you’re working hard, great work Sarah. (To Rachel) Right, where are we with the calculations… Oh, lovely colours in your book as well! Ok, your equations look beautiful, however this one’s wrong as you’ve copied it down wrong, have a look back at it and give it another go.

(Goes back to Callum)

Teacher: Callum, really pleased to see that you’re showing your work, keep going!

(Anna has her phone back out, Rory is working but listening to music)

Teacher: Anna, put the phone away. I know you find this difficult and you’re struggling, show me that you can do these three by the end of the period.

(Turning to Rory)

Teacher: Rory, I told you to take your earphones out!

Rory: But I’m doing it.

Teacher: I’m really pleased to see that you’re doing the work but I asked you not to have your earphones in! I can’t have one rule for you and not for everyone else. So let’s put the earphones away!

(Rory puts the earphones away)

Teacher: (To Callum) You’re on the sixth one already! See Callum, when you focus on the problems you’re able to work through them in a really methodical way. If you behaved more consistently you might show yourself to be really good at maths!

Referring back to what you read in the introduction, can you spot any patterns in the way that the teacher is providing feedback by gender?