‘It’s impossible not to smile’: a quintet of UK educators on dealing with ‘‘sixseven’ in the educational setting

Around the UK, learners have been shouting out the expression ““67” during classes in the newest internet-inspired trend to spread through classrooms.

Whereas some educators have chosen to stoically ignore the trend, different educators have accepted it. A group of teachers describe how they’re managing.

‘I thought I had said something rude’

Earlier in September, I had been addressing my year 11 tutor group about studying for their GCSE exams in June. I don’t recall specifically what it was in reference to, but I said a phrase resembling “ … if you’re targeting grades six, seven …” and the entire group burst out laughing. It surprised me totally off guard.

My first thought was that I’d made an hint at something rude, or that they perceived an element of my accent that appeared amusing. A bit annoyed – but truly interested and aware that they weren’t mean – I asked them to clarify. Honestly, the description they then gave failed to create significant clarification – I continued to have little comprehension.

What could have made it particularly humorous was the weighing-up motion I had performed during speaking. Subsequently I learned that this typically pairs with ““sixseven”: My purpose was it to assist in expressing the action of me thinking aloud.

To eliminate it I try to mention it as frequently as I can. No approach reduces a craze like this more thoroughly than an adult trying to participate.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Understanding it assists so that you can avoid just unintentionally stating statements like “well, there were 6, 7 million people without work in Germany in 1933”. If the numerical sequence is inevitable, possessing a strong classroom conduct rules and standards on pupil behavior really helps, as you can deal with it as you would any additional disruption, but I’ve not really had to do that. Guidelines are necessary, but if students buy into what the school is doing, they will become better concentrated by the viral phenomena (especially in instructional hours).

With sixseven, I haven’t sacrificed any lesson time, aside from an infrequent quizzical look and commenting ““correct, those are digits, good job”. If you give focus on it, it transforms into a blaze. I treat it in the identical manner I would manage any different disruption.

There was the 9 + 10 = 21 craze a few years ago, and undoubtedly there will emerge a different trend following this. This is typical youth activity. When I was youth, it was performing comedy characters impersonations (honestly outside the learning space).

Young people are unpredictable, and I think it’s the educator’s responsibility to behave in a way that steers them toward the course that will help them toward their academic objectives, which, hopefully, is graduating with qualifications rather than a disciplinary record lengthy for the use of arbitrary digits.

‘Students desire belonging to a community’

The children employ it like a bonding chant in the playground: a pupil shouts it and the other children answer to demonstrate they belong to the same group. It resembles a call-and-response or a stadium slogan – an shared vocabulary they possess. I don’t think it has any specific significance to them; they simply understand it’s a trend to say. Regardless of what the current trend is, they want to feel part of it.

It’s prohibited in my teaching space, though – it results in a caution if they shout it out – identical to any different calling out is. It’s particularly challenging in numeracy instruction. But my pupils at fifth grade are nine to 10-year-olds, so they’re relatively compliant with the guidelines, whereas I recognize that at high school it may be a separate situation.

I have served as a instructor for a decade and a half, and these phenomena continue for a month or so. This trend will diminish shortly – it invariably occurs, especially once their younger siblings begin using it and it stops being cool. Subsequently they will be on to the subsequent trend.

‘You just have to laugh with them’

I first detected it in August, while teaching English at a international school. It was primarily male students repeating it. I educated ages 12 to 18 and it was widespread among the younger pupils. I had no idea its significance at the time, but as a young adult and I recognized it was simply an internet trend akin to when I was a student.

Such phenomena are continuously evolving. ““Skibidi” was a familiar phenomenon during the period when I was at my teacher preparation program, but it didn’t really appear as frequently in the educational setting. Unlike ““sixseven”, ““the skibidi trend” was not scribbled on the board in lessons, so pupils were less able to adopt it.

I typically overlook it, or periodically I will smile with the students if I inadvertently mention it, striving to empathise with them and recognize that it’s merely youth culture. I think they merely seek to experience that feeling of belonging and camaraderie.

‘Humorous repetition has reduced its frequency’

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Gene Short
Gene Short

A seasoned gaming journalist with a passion for slot mechanics and casino trends, bringing over a decade of industry expertise.