The 1970s brought about a wave of groovy and brightly colored ideas and innovations. Some, like the floppy disk, were great in the day but have been replaced by more innovative variations of the same concept. Some 1970s trends, like maxi skirts, come and go in different variations throughout the years. There are some 1970s fads, like that interesting orange and red shag carpet, that hopefully will not make a comeback any time soon.
Classroom practices are also subject to changing trends. However, there is one tried and true teacher classroom management skill, formally named in the 1970s, that is still just as relevant today. With-It-Ness.
The phrase “With-It-Ness” was coined by Jacob Kounin in 1970. That is not to say the concept didn’t exist before then, because it did, but Kounin was the one smart enough to give it a name. Kounin was an educational psychologist who was best known for his work regarding proactive behavior management.
Here is a classroom conversation scenario that best exemplifies the meaning of With-It-Ness:
Bobby: “How did Ms. James even know I was doing that? She must have eyes in the back of her head.”
Susie: “Sometimes I wonder if she has eyes on the sides of her head too.”
Bobby: “It is like she has some magical sense of what is going on in every part of the room at any given time. Do you think she has cameras and microphones placed somewhere that we don’t know about?
Ms. James: (patiently but firmly from across the room) “Bobby and Susie, even though I am working with a reading group I know you two are talking at the center. Please get back to work. And, no, I don’t need cameras because magical powers run in my family.” (insert mischievous smile here)
When a teacher possesses with-it-ness, he/she has a keen sense or awareness about what is going on with all of their students, at any given time. The teacher can be standing in one section of the room but knows what is going on in all of their classroom spaces. They may be attending to one student but still have a sense of awareness as to what the other students are doing. To make this concept in practice even more effective, the students have to KNOW that the teacher is aware. This will make the students less likely to misbehave.
With-it-ness is not something teachers are born with. In addition, it develops at different rates in teachers. Some teachers find this an easy skill to master, while others struggle with it, as complete classroom awareness does not come naturally to them.
We have been in classrooms all over the world, and have not found a single excellent teacher who does not have a well-developed sense of with-it-ness. These teachers make management look so easy, but if you watch closely, you will see that they have mastered with-it-ness just like an artist who has mastered a craft.
How is your sense of with-it-ness developing? Have you made a concerted effort to increase your with-it-ness level? If not, is it time for you do start working on this?
We offer the following tips to grow in your with-it-ness ability:
Frequently scan the room with your eyes.
Learn to multi-task so that you can be doing one thing while quickly scanning the room with your eyes frequently. When you get truly efficient at with-it-ness, you will barely have to even look up from what you are doing to address something happening on the other side of the room.
Position yourself so you can see all of the students at once.
Whenever you sit to work with a student, ask yourself, “What would be the best way to position myself so that I can see all students just by averting my eyes while working with this student?”
Interrupt your instruction as little as possible.
Find ways to cue the students into your awareness with as little distraction as possible. Develop the fine art of brow raising or give students the “teacher eye.” If you have to address a behavior that is occurring across the room, be sure to tell the student(s) you are currently working with to continue their work.
Make comments so the students know you are aware of all classroom activities at any given moment.
The comments can be general or specific to a student. “I need everyone at the table in the corner to be collaboratively working” can be just as effective as stating, “Johnny and Ellen are working so well together. I hope to see that from all partners in the next 3 minutes.”
Having awareness is something that requires practice.
Start small. Pick one class in which you want to practice your with-it-ness skills. Increase it to two classes as your skill becomes more advanced.
The more awareness you gain of what is occurring in the various aspects of your classroom, the more you will be able to anticipate problems before they occur and address those issues that do occur without interrupting instruction.
We think with-it-ness is one of the grooviest educational phrases of the last 50 years. It is also one of the most effective classroom management practices. We think you will agree.
Can you dig it?
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