PDK_97_2_Kelleher_21_Art_554x350pxStudents and teachers will benefit from a true sense of urgency about the value of learning — right now!

The idea of urgency is gaining momentum in education. We’re seeing short timelines for implementing many reforms. More urgency comes from comparisons of performance of students on international exams with students from top-performing countries. Critics of our public school system call for immediate, comprehensive educational reforms that will allow every child to achieve his potential. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has spoken of a sense of urgency about U.S. education in general and universal preK, the importance of getting a college education, and locking in interest rates on college loans.

Much like the abstract sense of urgency that drives education policy, another kind of urgency is evident in productive classrooms. This type of urgency is not a race (to the top or anywhere else); it is a manner of practice. While reformers call for urgent action, our best teachers are already engaging students in authentic and relevant learning experiences, conveying the message that what they’re learning is both urgent and important.

Urgency defined

Harvard professor John P. Kotter, who specializes in organizational change, said a sense of urgency is a highly positive and highly focused energy, driven by the belief that the world contains both great opportunities and great hazards, and one must be determined to act now on critical issues, making true progress every single day (2008). Those who write about a sense of urgency in the classroom recognize that it begins with a mindset and accompanying practices that convey to students high expectations of academic performance. In public schools, charter schools, and higher education, teachers and administrators are beginning to identify a sense of urgency as a set of characteristics that motivate and inspire children to learn. High school principal Ben Johnson (2013) explains, “This sense of urgency emanates from the teacher’s attitude, demeanor, spark in their eyes, and the bounce in their step. It is the unmistakable message, though unspoken, that what we are learning is important, and we have to do it in a hurry!”  Johnson (2008) asserts that “we have to be on fire before we will kindle any fire in our students.”

It turns out that our best teachers are already engaging students in authentic and relevant learning experiences, conveying the message that what they are learning is both urgent and important.

Teachers who teach with a sense of urgency instill that same set of values in their students. Sixth-grade teacher Alex Piedra (2013) tells his students that even as they are moving through everyday classroom routines such as entering the room, taking materials out from their book bag, grabbing a sharpened pencil, going to the bathroom, or leaving at the end of class, he expects them to do so with a sense of urgency.

What it is not

A sense of urgency is not moving so fast that only the top students can keep up; it is not skipping important topics in the curriculum in order to move ahead; and it is not continuously practicing for high-stakes assessments. Urgency does not mean that faster is better or that a classroom should become a pressure cooker. Rather, urgency sends a message to students that their work is important and worthwhile today and in the long-term.

Establishing a sense of urgency

Petra Claflin (2013) of the Yes Prep Academy in Houston recognizes the importance of developing a sense of urgency in the classroom. However, she acknowledges that its dependence upon a confluence of components contributes to its ephemeral nature — like a flame that needs a steady supply of oxygen to burn brightly. Practitioners in the field have identified the optimal use of time and purposeful planning as factors that help promote and maintain a sense of urgency.

Time — In Teach Like a Champion, Doug Lemov tells us that in the classroom, “time is water in the desert, a teacher’s most precious resource: to be husbanded, guarded, and conserved. Every minute matters” (2010, p. 230). Effective teachers know that time is sacred; the highest-performing teachers never waste a minute of class time (Cunningham & Allington, 2007).

One way to manage time is by using efficient classroom routines. When students enter the room, they know what supplies and materials they should have with them, where to pick up the necessary materials, what they are expected to do once they are seated, and how much time they have to complete the task. Once the lesson is underway, students follow established routines for moving from place to place, from activity to activity, and for leaving the room. In addition to protecting instructional time, these routines let students develop autonomy and help them make decisions that support their learning.

A sense of urgency is not the idea that faster is better or that a classroom should become a pressure cooker.

Another way to manage time in lessons is through pacing — creating the perception that you are moving quickly. However, using time efficiently does not always mean moving at a quick pace. Lemov acknowledges that effective teaching can employ “slow, steady reflection” as well as “bracing, energetic speed” (Lemov, 2010, p. 225). Students like to think they’re doing something new more frequently than you can afford to change the topic of their learning, and pacing taps into that desire. When you create the illusion of speed by varying activities for the same topic, students feel that the lesson is moving along rather than being stalled on the same worksheet for the whole lesson; students perceive that they are making progress, and they anticipate what will come next. Successful pacing can ensure that “students do not feel rushed in their work, nor does time drag while some students are completing their work” (Danielson, 2007, p. 84).

It is not uncommon for students to need extra time to complete their assignments. As always, decisions about pacing are based on knowledge of students’ needs and level of proficiency, and generalities about pacing for groups of students should be avoided.  In the words of Augustus Caesar, make haste slowly.

In the classrooms where teachers value time — theirs and students’ — you will observe the following:

  • Students arrive on time and begin working on some type of “do now” activity or anticipatory set;
  • Time-saving routines are in place;
  • Every minute of instructional time is used;
  • Time limits are placed on activities and shared with students;
  • A variety of activities occur during instruction;
  • Transitions between activities are seamless; and
  • Teacher praises students’ efficient use of time.

When you optimize the use of time to create a sense of urgency, every second becomes precious to the students (Johnson, 2013).

Purposeful planning

Deliberate planning is essential for creating a sense of urgency. When teachers are clear about their short- and long-term learning objectives for students, they design lessons and activities that allow students to meet those objectives. Providing options for topics, methods, or products can elevate the value of the assignment in the students’ estimation. According to Claflin (2013), incorporating choice into your lessons and assignments “will immediately increase student urgency and investment in their learning.

Other strategies that step up the urgency in the classroom revolve around authentic learning experiences that have real-world applications and cross-curricular connections. Collaborating with an expert in the field can give students an opportunity to analyze real-life problems whose solutions require the application of the desired knowledge (Johnson, 2013). An expert can provide support with student-generated inquiries and technical knowledge as well as guide students in creating realistic products.

Teachers who create a sense of urgency for students also hold themselves accountable for modeling such urgency.

As students become engaged in their learning, having daily goals helps them stay focused and be successful in achieving those goals. A goal for any unit of study is identifying and sharing work with a suitable audience. The Internet offers a plethora of options for creating a digital footprint. When students know their work will be published for a real audience, they have more of a stake in the outcome. Knowing that their work is important and real and has implications beyond the classroom walls creates a sense of urgency; it is work that matters.

These are attributes of lessons that cultivate a sense of urgency:

  • Authentic learning tasks that are important and demand the students’ attention;
  • Collaboration with an expert in the field;
  • Student-generated short- and long-term goals; and
  • An audience for student work.

The combination of authenticity, relevance, and importance creates a sense of urgency that engages students. According to Danielson, “Student engagement is the raison d’etre of schools; it is through active engagement that students learn complex content” (2007, p. 82).

Walking the walk

In addition to planning engaging lessons that optimize time, teachers who create a sense of urgency for students also hold themselves accountable for modeling such urgency through their actions.

Piedra (2013) radiates a sense of urgency in all aspects of his teaching, constantly moving around the room, standing on chairs and desks, and climbing on counters. He rarely sits, and he has removed his stool from the classroom in order to avoid temptation. He makes sure to return assignments in a timely fashion, and he credits his effective plans for smooth transitions in the classroom. Outside the classroom, he moves through the building with a purposeful stride. Johnson agrees that creating a sense of urgency is not a sedentary proposition. Skilled practitioners are “roaming the class, inspiring, pushing, pushing, and extending the learning of their students all the way to the bell.” It goes without saying that in Johnson’s estimation teachers are not sitting at their desks while students are working.

Conclusion

“Teachers are among the most powerful sources of influence on learning . . . teachers need to be directive, influential, caring, and actively engaged in the passion of teaching and learning,” said John Hattie (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012). Teachers who impart urgency to students strive to ignite “the spark of energy students need to engage in the difficult task of acquiring knowledge and skills” (Johnson, 2008).

Teaching with a sense of urgency requires an ongoing commitment. “A true sense of urgency is rare . . . it has to be created and recreated” (Piedra, 2013). Teachers who make this commitment do so because of its effect on students.

Piedra (2013) found that, aside from minimizing lengthy transitions and wasted time, creating a sense of urgency encourages students to be more aware, more alert, and more focused, which keeps them enlivened and engaged. Claflin describes the incentive for teaching with a sense of urgency in this way: “Having that palpable buzz of energetic learning is one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching; when you know your lesson has hit the sweet spot and neurons are firing all over the place.”

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey (1989) suggests that it is only by putting first things first that you can focus on the items that are both urgent and important. Applied to teaching with a sense of urgency, it’s a focus on those concerns that contribute to your mission, your values, and your high-priority goals for students. Teachers who hold high expectations for students and are clear about the desired outcomes for them consider it a matter of necessity to create a sense of urgency in the classroom every day.

 

References

Claflin, P. (2013). 6 ways to step-up sense of urgency in the classroom [Blog post]. http://yesprep.org/theanswer/6-ways-to-step-sense-urgency-classroom#sthash.rcy2tqyB.dpuf

Covey, S. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effective people. New York, NY: Fireside.

Cunningham, P. & Allington, R. (2007). Classrooms that work: They can all read and write. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Danielson, C. (2007). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every school. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Johnson, B. (2008, February 27). The need to breathe: How to develop urgency in the classroom. Edutopia. www.edutopia.org/teacher-influence-student-motivation

Johnson, B. (2013, March 12). Building a sense of urgency in the classroom. Edutopia. www.edutopia.org/blog/building-sense-of-urgency-classroom-ben-johnson

Kotter, J.P. (2008). A sense of urgency. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Lemov, D. (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 techniques that put students on the path to college. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Piedra, A. (2013, August 28). Rule #1 move with a sense of urgency [Blog post]. http://mrpiedrasclassroom.blogspot.com/2013/08/1-move-with-sense-of-urgency.html

 

CITATION: Kelleher, J. (2015). Create a sense of urgency to spark learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 97 (2), 21-26.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Joanne Kelleher

JOANNE KELLEHER is an assistant principal at William T. Rogers Middle School, Kings Park, N.Y.