Three Heads

While it may seem obvious to us as teachers that cheating isn’t okay, many students need instruction in what, exactly, cheating is and why, exactly, cheating is NOT okay. We’ve also found it helpful when implementing consequences for students who do cheat if we have this conversation to refer back to.

Now, you might be thinking, “Thanks a lot, guys. It’s December. This is not helpful.” If your experience is like ours, cases of cheating skyrocket the closer we get to the end of the semester. We find it to be very helpful and worthwhile to have this important conversation with students at the beginning of both semesters. In fact, we think it resonates more second semester than first. Students have a better idea who we are, what our expectations are for student work, and just how carefully we look at things (read: very carefully).

Consider making a discussion about cheating and plagiarism a part of your second semester kick off.

Let us know in the comments: Do you talk with your students about cheating directly and before it happens, or do you wait and address it as it come up?

A lively, engaging whole class discussion. It’s what the dreams of English teachers everywhere are made of.

We’re sitting perched on a stool, steaming cup of coffee in hand, listening with a smile as our students share thoughtful, relevant insights they worked out themselves and didn’t find on the Internet and pretend we’re their own.

And then reality hits.

A third of the class isn’t participating and we’re beginning to wonder if they read the book. Two students insist on dominating the conversation, but they don’t seem to offer anything remotely close to being right. Your always-can-be-counted-on-super-student is out sick and you need to get these kids to make some sense of this book before Friday, when they’re supposed to write an essay. Your mind wanders as you begin to prepare your defense for when you’re called in by admin to explain your grades.

Please tell us this sounds familiar. It can’t be just us.

We’ve gone through a lot of trial and many errors as we’ve worked to find a strategy for whole class discussion that keeps the nightmare situations at bay. This week on the podcast (link in bio), we’re sharing what we consider to be the three most important factors when looking for a strategy that works for you and providing a glimpse at what works for us. Give it a listen. It’s a quick one!

What wins have you had with class discussion? What leads to the best conversations for you? Let us know in the comments. We can all learn something from each other!