Whilst researching classroom dynamics, I found myself grappling with a mountain of words - from journals, books, articles, and blogs - to say nothing of the growing piles of data from notes, questionnaires, surveys, and interviews. It can feel overwhelming.
To bring some clarity and structure, I created a simple template—a space to hold ideas and organise working hypotheses. It offered direction when things became too diffuse.
At its most basic, this framework - what I’ve come to call The Elusive Formula, a phrase borrowed from an old friend, Bill McGill - is made up of four straight lines forming a box, intersected by two curved sectors. These elements suggest three dimensions.
The phrase itself acknowledges a creative tension: the desire to impose structure on something that resists it. Interactions in classrooms are inherently complex - so any attempt to frame them risks oversimplification. The Elusive Formula embraces this ambiguity. It offers a way to think, without claiming to fully define.
While it appears as a 2D model on the surface, in reality, the terrain of classroom life is multi-dimensional. The constant interplay between the learning agenda and the social agenda is what draws my attention.
So I began the task of sketching in the elements.
Predictably, the teacher and students are the key players. They populate two of the diagonal corners.
I then use a set of brief terms to highlight the contrasts in this domain. They’re not definitive - just familiar entry points that prompt reflection, professional dialogue, and even debate.
In a recent post, I shared my conclusion that control is illusory. And yet, I strongly believe the teacher must be in charge.
Mere semantics? Perhaps. But perhaps not.
What Say You?