Don't Teach English from the Platform!

In Japanese, becoming a teacher is often described as 「教壇に立つ」 or "standing on the platform." But honestly, I'm not very fond of the concept of a platform. It elevates the teacher physically above the students, which seems to symbolize a hierarchical relationship between the teacher and students, which I dislike.

I once removed the platform from my homeroom classroom. This led to a situation where some teachers and students couldn't reach the upper part of the blackboard, making me realize the practical meaning of the platform. Indeed, if the blackboard were positioned lower, students at the back of the classroom would struggle to see over the heads of those in front. The platform is necessary to ensure the blackboard is visible to all students.

While I understand its necessity now, I still don't like the platform. During classes, I make a conscious effort to step down from it as much as possible. Let's consider the benefits and scenarios where a teacher steps down from the platform.

Benefits of Teaching Off the Platform

First, the advantages of walking between desks are obvious. It allows teachers to increase student focus and provide individual support as needed. Addressing students' problems and questions timely and directly enhances learning effectiveness and allows for more accurate assessment through direct observation.

Being off the teaching platform and close to the students allows you to pick up on even the slightest murmur from the students. You can adjust the content of your lessons according to student reactions and encourage students to participate more actively in class.

There are times when the teacher takes on the role of facilitator by eliciting comments from the students. In such cases, it is also effective for the teacher to step down from the platform and maintain as close a viewpoint as possible with the students in order to facilitate the discussion. This removes the image of the teacher controlling the classroom from a higher level and allows the students to take the initiative in discussion.

When analyzing a lesson, one might analyze the ratio of the amount of speech of the teacher and students, or the ratio of Japanese to English in the teacher's speech. In the same way, I think it is also meaningful to analyze the ratio of time the teacher spends on the teaching platform.

Reflecting on my classes, I consider how much time I spent on the platform versus off it. A class that didn't go well often correlates with spending too much time on the platform. Conversely, more successful classes tend to be those where I spent most of the time away from it.

Therefore, when planning lessons, I aim for a plan that minimizes time spent on the platform, seeing it as an indicator of a good lesson.

How to Teach Off the Platform

Here are some ways to reduce platform time: 

1. Pair Work & Group Work

Incorporating activities like pair and group work reduces the time teachers need to speak from the platform. It doesn't necessarily have to be a structured activity; I frequently encourage students to have opportunities to speak up by saying "Talk with your neighbors." 

2. Streamlining Lecture Content

Select lecture content to minimize explanation time. It can be effective to simply offer hints or approaches and allow students to explain concepts to each other. Aim to keep unilateral teaching to a maximum of 10 minutes.

Encouraging Student Presentations

Depending on the lesson content, having students present or explain from the platform can be beneficial. Teachers should aim for such lesson plans that allow for student presentations and explanations. 

Speaking Off the Platform

Even if you are giving a lecture-style presentation, consider speaking while moving between desks rather than speaking from the platform. You will not be able to write on the blackboard if you are off the platform, but you can control PowerPoint slides remotely.

It would be ideal to wirelessly connect a tablet to the screen for remote slide navigation, which would allow you to walk around the classroom and control the slides at the same time, but wireless HDMI cables are currently extremely expensive and aren't easily affordable. If there's another way to project a tablet wirelessly to a screen, please let me know.

For remote control of digital textbooks or presentations, a 'ring mouse' may be sufficient. I have one myself, but it's not very handy, so I rarely use it.

Don't Teach from the Platform! 

Of course, I don't mean to say all lectures are bad. Short, effective, and efficient lectures are essential for conveying learning material. However, minimizing one-way lecture time in middle and high school English classes is desirable.

Don't study English at your desk all the time! This is a quote from Tetsuya Yasukochi, but if I were to adapt it for teachers, it would be:

Don't teach English from the platform all the time!

（This is an English version of my previous post, Don't Teach English from the Teacher's Platform! 「英語は教壇で教えるな！」.)