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Around the UK, learners have been exclaiming the phrase “sixseven” during instruction in the newest viral phenomenon to take over classrooms.

Although some educators have opted to patiently overlook the craze, others have embraced it. A group of educators share how they’re dealing.

‘I believed I’d made an inappropriate comment’

Back in September, I had been talking to my year 11 students about studying for their qualification tests in June. It escapes me specifically what it was in connection with, but I said something like “ … if you’re targeting marks six, seven …” and the whole class burst out laughing. It caught me entirely unexpectedly.

My initial reaction was that I’d made an reference to an offensive subject, or that they’d heard a quality in my speech pattern that appeared amusing. Somewhat exasperated – but truly interested and conscious that they weren’t mean – I asked them to elaborate. To be honest, the description they provided didn’t make greater understanding – I still had little comprehension.

What possibly made it especially amusing was the weighing-up gesture I had executed while speaking. I have since found out that this typically pairs with “six-seven”: I had intended it to help convey the action of me thinking aloud.

To end the trend I aim to reference it as much as I can. No approach reduces a craze like this more thoroughly than an teacher trying to get involved.

‘Feeding the trend creates a blaze’

Knowing about it assists so that you can prevent just unintentionally stating remarks like “indeed, there were 6, 7 million jobless individuals in Germany in 1933”. In cases where the number combination is inevitable, having a strong student discipline system and requirements on learner demeanor proves beneficial, as you can address it as you would any additional disruption, but I rarely been required to take that action. Policies are important, but if students buy into what the learning environment is practicing, they’ll be less distracted by the internet crazes (at least in class periods).

Regarding six-seven, I haven’t sacrificed any lesson time, except for an periodic quizzical look and saying ““indeed, those are numerals, excellent”. When you provide oxygen to it, then it becomes a blaze. I treat it in the equivalent fashion I would handle any different disruption.

Previously existed the 9 + 10 = 21 phenomenon a previous period, and certainly there will appear a new phenomenon after this. It’s what kids do. Back when I was childhood, it was performing television personalities impressions (truthfully outside the classroom).

Young people are unforeseeable, and I believe it falls to the teacher to react in a manner that redirects them in the direction of the direction that will get them where they need to go, which, hopefully, is graduating with qualifications rather than a behaviour list lengthy for the utilization of arbitrary digits.

‘They want to feel a part of a group’

Students utilize it like a connecting expression in the schoolyard: one says it and the others respond to demonstrate they belong to the same group. It’s similar to a verbal exchange or a football chant – an shared vocabulary they share. I believe it has any particular meaning to them; they merely recognize it’s a phenomenon to say. Whatever the newest phenomenon is, they want to be included in it.

It’s forbidden in my learning environment, though – it results in a caution if they exclaim it – just like any different calling out is. It’s notably challenging in maths lessons. But my class at year 5 are pre-teens, so they’re quite adherent to the regulations, while I understand that at high school it may be a separate situation.

I have served as a instructor for fifteen years, and these phenomena continue for a few weeks. This craze will diminish soon – they always do, notably once their junior family members start saying it and it ceases to be trendy. Then they’ll be focused on the next thing.

‘Sometimes joining the laughter is necessary’

I started noticing it in August, while teaching English at a foreign language school. It was mainly boys saying it. I taught teenagers and it was widespread within the less experienced learners. I had no idea its significance at the time, but being twenty-four and I recognized it was simply an internet trend akin to when I was at school.

The crazes are continuously evolving. ““Toilet meme” was a familiar phenomenon at the time when I was at my educational institute, but it didn’t particularly occur as often in the learning environment. Differing from “six-seven”, “skibidi toilet” was never written on the board in class, so students were less equipped to embrace it.

I simply disregard it, or sometimes I will laugh with them if I accidentally say it, striving to empathise with them and understand that it is just contemporary trends. In my opinion they merely seek to feel that sense of togetherness and camaraderie.

‘Lighthearted usage has diminished its occurrence’

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