Play 2
Means of participation (MOP)
What is it?
Means of participation (MOP) is a Teach Like a Champion (TLAC) technique referring to ‘a set of consistent procedures that describe clearly to students how they should participate in class at any given moment’ (TLAC).
Why is it important?
Antecedent for correct behaviours: it eliminates ‘sins of enthusiasm’ from students, like calling out before you’ve picked a student to answer a question. Instead, it facilitates smoother transitions where students understand exactly what is expected of them when completing a task.
Sets them up for success: when we don’t make MOP clear, students will decide for themselves. This leads to the teacher backtracking to make it clearer, which can waste time. Or becoming frustrated and sanctioning students when in fact the MOP was not clear in the first place. Conversely, when students know exactly what is expected of them, eg. to complete the task in silence or to raise their hand to answer a question, they are more likely to succeed in our lessons. They are more likely to receive praise, merits and Golden Tickets. All because the use of MOP has made how to achieve success in a task explicitly clear.
What to do:
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Call for SLANT When you require 100% attention from your students, stand in swivel and call for SLANT in a strong voice. Expect 100% compliance. Use a combination of least invasive strategies to achieve this: I’m just waiting for two more people… |
Brighten lines Make your transitions between activities crisp and clear: When I say go and not before, you will [instruction with means of participation]... Ready? Go! |
Means of participation
Make your instruction precise and concise by ensuring your students know how you want them to complete the task. An easy way to make MOP clear is through mentioning task, condition and time: Complete question 1-10 (task), in complete silence (condition). You have 15 minutes (time). |
Ready? [Pause] Go!
Adjust your volume and intonation to inject energy into your instruction to brighten lines. When they move in unison, it makes correct behaviours visible to all. |
3:30:30 3: Remain at swivel for 3 minutes so they see you watching. 30: Go to your first student for 30 seconds and live mark. 30: Look up to check all are on task. Repeat in 30 second bursts. |
