Predictability and novelty in the classroom: you need a balance between the two

As you walk through the corridors of a school, you can observe the classrooms and you will notice many variations in the atmosphere and the levels of interest and enthusiasm. In some classes there is very little energy. Both the students and the teacher are crawling and listless. In other classes, the noise level is high and both the students and the teacher seem a bit unsure about what is supposed to be happening. What is the difference between these rooms? The best classes seem to be those that balance fun and unusual routines and activities.

What should be predictable in your classroom? What students need to feel comfortable in their environment. What do you need to have a proper teaching environment? There are several things that you and your students should be able to trust. They need to know that you are prepared with a worthwhile lesson, that you are in control of the classroom at all times, and that you will not embarrass or humiliate them. You also need to be able to count on certain predictable factors from your students every day. You trust your students to be respectful, cooperative, well-behaved, and willing to do what you ask of them. You know this will be the case because you spent time upfront at the beginning of the year training these behaviors.

Aren’t all those predictable things boring? No. In order for you to present engaging and engaging lessons, everyone must understand your role. Students need to know what you and other students expect of them. The teacher needs to know what the students expect. The lack of predictability in these elements amounts to chaos. Your classroom management system always runs just below the surface of your classroom. This is what allows students to feel safe enough to participate and take risks.

Where does the novelty fit in? Good classroom management allows you to take some risks and have confidence in your students’ ability to meet new challenges. You can totally change your classroom and know that your students will adapt quickly.

With younger children, the novelty can be terrifying (this is why so many little ones cry when they see Santa Claus or a clown), so you should think carefully about the lesson. Make sure they feel safe before throwing them around a corner with something new. You will also need to spend time framing the activity so they are prepared.

Teens, on the other hand, crave novelty. One of the reasons they get bored with school is that they are lulled by the routine and predictable nature of many of their classes. Doing something unexpected or very different from your usual style will get your attention. Remember that you cannot be novel all the time. If novelty exists all the time, it is no longer novelty!

Ideally, your classroom should be a mix of the expected and the unexpected. If there is too much predictability, students will get bored. If there is too much unpredictability, students will not be able to relax and chaos can ensue. To think of new ideas, think like a student when looking at your lesson plan. If you were a student in this class, what kinds of things would you expect the teacher to do? What would make it fun for you? Thinking like a kid can help you create amazing lesson plans! Often it is just in the presentation.

Talking about the Roman Colosseum, I took my class to the athletic field. I told them the measurements of that field and the height of the stands. Then I gave them the dimensions of the Colosseum and we put people in different areas to show the size. This had several benefits. The students did some exercise that increases their cognitive functioning. They were doing something different when they came out. They were able to visualize how big the Colosseum really was by looking at the size compared to the track field. This is not a momentous activity, but it qualifies as novel.

Novelty just means doing something different from time to time. Something that will catch children off guard. If they never really know what to do next, they will pay a lot more attention in class. Predictability for safety, novelty for fun and excitement. As Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing!”