What use is the Scale?

In what ways is the scale useful? What do teachers say?

The scale is based on the belief that it can be helpful to have some idea, at least in rough terms, where one stands on the continuum of classroom climate, and of the levels to aspire to. The following quotes from some of the interviewees point to the dangers that might stem from teachers not being fully aware of the full breadth of atmospheres possible in terms of classroom climate, and the advantages of becoming aware of the parameters which prevail even within the same institution:

Teacher testimony:

‘It is possible that there are staff here who have neither experienced or seen a level 10 lesson… who think that the norm… or an inevitable fact of life in teaching… at least in this school… is that pupils talk while they are talking.. that they move around and ignore the formal structure of the lesson at some points.’  (Assistant Head)

‘There are some trainees who get despondent, demoralised and on the verge of packing it in because they are struggling to get to the higher levels on the scale. But they’ re actually doing quite well, they’ re getting there. They’ve got to realise that in a school like this, it takes time to get to know the kids. One of the key things is whether things are going in the right direction… are they getting better or worse as the placement goes on?’ (Assistant Head)

‘It is helpful to think that there are lower levels on the scale than the ones I am working at. I have become aware of the massive differences even within this school… the time of day, the weather, the area of the school… some departments have it more sewn up than others.’ (Experienced teacher)

‘I have worked with some teachers who seem perfectly happy with levels around 7 and 8; they don’t seem that bothered about going the extra mile to get the kids really sorted out so that they can just go in there and relax.’ (Head of Year)

‘There’s a stage at which, if you are at level 9 or 10 for a few lessons in a row…  where they get used to it and it becomes “the norm”. They expect the lesson to be OK. There’s a lot of behaviourism in it. They can be conditioned to behave… Not in a fascist, control freak way but just getting them used to things… rituals and routines, being able to have a bit of a laugh and relax at some points in the lesson.’ (Experienced teacher)

‘I worried that talking about, or even acknowledging the lower levels on the scale might increase the trainees’ anxieties about class management. It’s an area that a lot of them are wound up about when they are in the early stages of first placement. But it led to some light hearted discussion of levels which they had encountered when they were pupils and given that none of them were at level 1 with all their classes, they could see that things could be worse…’ (Assistant Head)

It should be stressed that there are many schools where the lower levels on the scale never occur. But it is also worth noting that the outcomes of the surveys described in other sections of the site suggest that there are few schools where there are no ‘deficits’ in the working atmosphere in classrooms; where all classrooms in the school are regularly functioning at levels 9 and 10.

The scale was not designed to judge the class management skills of individual teachers and it is easy to see how its use might be unhelpful and corrosive of teacher morale and solidarity (see Chapter 6) if used as a managerial tool or in an inquisitional way, to make comparisons. The hope is that student and newly qualified teachers might think carefully about the levels they are working at, look outside their own classrooms, and share ideas and strategies for improving the climate in  their classrooms. If professional dialogue about behaviour issues can avoid defensiveness, there is the possibility of collaborative action to explore ways of dealing with disruptive and disengaged pupils.  It can lead to concerted action to support colleagues who are working with particularly difficult teaching groups (see Chapter 6). 

 If you are a teacher or a student teacher who works in a school where all the classes are under the relaxed control of their teachers, and the climate in all classes is such that pupil behaviour is not really an issue, then the scale is not perhaps of any urgent relevance although I hope it might still be of some interest.  I did the research largely because I believe that the working atmosphere in the classroom is an important educational issue, and one that affects the quality of many teachers’ working lives. I also believe that deficits in the working atmosphere in classrooms are one of the major causes of educational underachievement in the UK.