Unlock Student Potential: Sybill Trelawney's Unexpected Lessons for Educators

Harry Potter's Divination Teacher, Sybill Trelawney has a lot to teach us about reluctant learners.

No matter what subject you teach, you will have students who struggle. Unfortunately, numeracy and literacy are areas of weakness overall with a very large number of students across the country. And because reading or math is needed in all subjects—well, you get the point. Students struggle everywhere. Not all students, of course, but every teacher is bound to have students that are not ready for the level at which they are required to teach. And the question is this: how do we help a student or a group of students go from struggling to proficient? It's hard, and there are many answers, but here are a few lessons that I learned from my favorite teachers, the professors at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This blog post is one in a series where I take my own professional knowledge and one of the educators in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and bring to light lessons we can be reminded of to become better teachers. Today, I want to focus on the failures and successes of one,

Whether you are a Potterhead or not, keep reading to find out how we can increase student interest and academic success in any subject, even one that students seem to be naturally disposed to dislike. Throughout the Harry Potter series, most students thought that Divination class, taught by Professor Trelawney, was a bore, unnecessary, hard, useless, and downright miserable. Maybe you've heard the same about your class, be it Spanish, band, history, math, ELAR, etc. How do we get students to buy what we are sellin...er, giving away?!

5 Lessons from Sybill Trelawney That We Can Use:

1. Encourage, don't discourage.

   I learned this lesson when Sybill would insult students who had a negative view of her class. Instead of encouraging them that they would be able to master the skill of divination, she would agree with them that they would never have a strong "inner eye." She actually encouraged Hermione, the most studious Hogwarts pupil, to drop her class because of her lack of talent in the subject! How many times have we done something similar? Instead of trying to grow students' growth mindset, we can agree, subtly or outright, that they do lack the skills needed to understand the subject. Look, I get it; it is hard to teach 10th-grade American Literature to students on a 4th-grade reading level, but it's our job to scaffold the instruction so that students get something, not nothing. Let's tell students they can do it, help them, and grow them.

2. Keep your credibility.

   Trelawney also lost credibility repeatedly when she herself seemed to fail at divination. Making wild predictions that didn't come true made students further doubt the credibility of the class. How can this apply to us? We have to be prepared to teach our lessons accurately, minimizing mistakes and incorrect parts. I still remember my 5th-grade teacher coming to a lesson unprepared. We were supposed to be learning "lattice multiplication" (which I haven't seen since I left 5th grade), and she had very little clue how to do it. It may take study, practice, or reaching out to a mentor, but prepare for each lesson. Predict questions that may arise. Now, I know that we can't prepare for every question, and it is perfectly fine to say you don't know but will find out later, but when we are prepared and show passion in our lessons, student buy-in is much greater.

Vague predictive quote by none other than Professor Trelawney herself.

3. Make the work meaningful. 

   Too much of the work that was required in Divination Class was pointless. Students were given homework that didn't mean anything to them, and they didn't understand why or how to do it. This contributed to their feeling of the pointlessness of the entire class. How can you make your work more meaningful? Do students understand the assignment before they are asked to complete it? Have you demonstrated the skill enough? Gradual release is a great way to have students feel prepared for the work you are assigning. If there are a lot of questions from several students, either pull those students to a table and assist them more, or the entire class may need more instruction before they feel ready to take on that essay, word problem, or chapter review questions. Likewise, talk to students about why the skill you are teaching will help them later. If we did this on a regular basis, I can assure you students would complain a lot less and try a lot harder.

4. Be yourself. 

   Sybill Trelawney was nothing if not unique. She did not conform to the ways of others. This authenticity endeared her to some students: the Patil twins, Lavender Brown, and a few others. And that's the thing: your personality may not fit every student, but you will be the favorite of others. Bringing your personality and style to the classroom will be the best thing you can do for some students because they will vibe with you. We all had that quirky teacher who wasn't our cup of tea, but we all had the quirky teacher that we really liked. When students like you, or at least respect you for being yourself, they will like your class just a little more. As a matter of fact, some students will participate and perform better in the class just because they admire you, even if they dislike the subject!

5. Allow students to work together. 

   Another way to scaffold difficult work is by allowing students to work with other students. Whether you assign groups or partners, students like to work with others. (The ones who don't, most of the time should be allowed to work alone.) However, working with a peer does wonders for student buy-in. It is unclear to me if Ron or Harry would have continued their studies if it were not for being able to work together so often in Divination. This format allowed for the two to not only enjoy the class a bit more but also give each other ideas when they were struggling, encourage each other to keep going and tutor one another outside of the class. Peer teaching in your classroom can help pupils understand concepts they are weak in, and they, in turn, can do the same for their classmates. It's amazing how much better students can teach themselves than sometimes the teacher can. Why is this often the case? Because no one understands the mind of a young person like someone who is their own age. Good grief, I can't even understand their jargon most of the time! Me: What do you mean when you say 'sus'? "Probs"? You see, students want to teach and learn from their peers. Let them.

So, there you have it. Even the famously flaky Sybill Trelawney, with all her hazy pronouncements and questionable credibility, offers us some surprisingly solid takeaways for reaching those students who are finding the academic waters a bit choppy. By focusing on encouragement over discouragement, maintaining our own preparedness and trustworthiness, making the work genuinely meaningful, letting our true colors shine, and tapping into the power of peer support, we can create a classroom where even the most resistant learners might just discover their own inner "eye" for success. Just maybe lay off predicting their imminent demise, okay?