Have you ever heard of textbook walls? Textbook walls were something that I didn’t know existed for the first nine or ten years of my life. I had never seen them in the schools that I had previously attended. They were unique features that were erected only in the Caribbean classroom that I found myself for the first time in my life. These structures were broken down and built several times on a daily basis.
These walls were built on each student’s desk and provided needed protection around the exercise book of the child. These walls were constructed by the little hands of the ten years of the classroom but were not very sturdy by nature. Of course they couldn’t be since the three-sided structures were not held together by cement but their flimsy walls were carefully balanced and supported by the non-writing hand of the each student. Naturally the open side of the structure allowed the student to lean carefully over her work while mindfully guarding the contents that she was writing, from any prying eyes.
Now these walls made of books were not always in existence on the desks of the classroom. Oh no! These textbook walls that guarded the student’s work from others would appear as if by magic! They would appear when the teacher uttered specific phrases such as, “Okay, begin your work!” Or “Start your work”. Then in one fell swoop you would see the walls fly up around each child’s work and heads disappear behind them.
Every now and then one, two or three walls would collapse sending little hands scampering to rebuild the vital walls. Forget the fact that it often hindered the student’s train of thought or act of writing. The most important task was hide, hide, hide your work! Don’t let anyone see your work. They will just copy. All eyes turn away! Turn away now!
Needless to say, along with the textbook walls that obscured their precious work from the intrusive eyes of others also came the pleas to the teacher. “Miss, she’s looking at my work!” “Miss, she’s cheating!” “Miss, she’s copying from me!” And the teacher would form an alliance with the pleading child by firmly stating, “No copying. Do your own work!”
Think about this scenario. Ask yourself a few questions. Why would an instruction to begin written work be interpreted by the students as an instruction to build textbook walls around their work? What message was sent to the students that made them believe that anyone looking at their work was cheating? What message was the teacher sending in allowing the construction of these textbook walls? Why would the teacher view it as important that each child must work alone or it was deemed as copying?
Don’t get me wrong. There are occasions when students must do work alone but it is invariably when students have to take a more traditional type of pencil-paper assessment. Other than that, learning is a gradual process of growth through trial and error; discussions and exploration; analysis and debates; assisting others and being assisted by others. Therefore, doing work in class on a daily basis should include all of these approaches.
If most of the day is spent behind textbook walls how can collaboration and deep learning truly occur?
In many of today’s classrooms we may no longer see textbook walls. However, do textbook walls still exist in our minds? Do we interpret student’s sharing and helping as cheating? Are we approaching written activities as miniature tests rather than practise activities which allow for collaboration?
As teachers we must all be careful of the message we may be subconsciously sending. I hope that I never see those walls again!
Have you ever seen textbook walls?
