ABSTRACT
Learning is an invisible process which occurs inside children’s heads; you can only get access to it indirectly, by asking questions or looking at written work. It is also impossible, with a class of average size, for you to monitor continuously what each child is doing, whether you are trying to teach the whole class or individuals. You cannot force children to learn; you can only persuade them that the work they have to do is a more attractive alternative to the other ways they could spend their time, such as checking their pens or fingernails, discussing last night’s video with their friends or seeing how far they can tip their chair without overbalancing. With some classes, some children, or some of the subject-matter you have to teach the best you may be able to do is to make the consequences of these alternatives sufficiently unpleasant that the work is done merely because it is the least of a choice of evils. However, this is at best a wearing strategy, demanding constant vigilance and offering little satisfaction. Arousing the class’s interest is far preferable, both practically and intellectually, if it can be achieved.
