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TEACHERS’ TOOLS BASED ON WHAT GREAT TEACHERS DO DIFFERENTLY BY TODD WHITAKER
DEVELOPED BY YULIYA GOSS
“We can always reap good ideas
from successful educators”
17 THINGS THAT MATTER MOST 1. Great teachers never forget that it is people, not programs, that determine the quality of a school.
2. Great teachers establish clear expectations at the start of the year and follow them consistently as the year progresses.
3. Great teachers manage their classrooms thoughtfully. When they say something, they mean it.
4. When a student misbehaves, great teachers have one goal: to keep that behavior from happening again.
5. Great teachers have high expectations for students, but have even higher expectations for themselves.
6. Great teacher know that they are the variable in the classroom. Good teachers consistently strive to improve, and they focus on something they can control: their own performance.
7. Great teachers us on students first, with a broad vision that keep everything in perspective.
8. Great teachers create positive atmospheres in their classrooms and schools. They treat every person with respect. In particular, they understand the power of praise.
9. Great teachers consistently filter out negatives that don't matter and share a positive attitude.
10. Great teachers work hard to keep their relationships in good repair to avoid personal hurt and to repair any possible damage.
11. Great teachers have the ability to ignore trivial disturbances and the ability to respond to inappropriate behavior without escalating the situation.
12. Great teachers have a plan and purpose for everything they so. If plans don't work out the way they had envisioned, they reflect on what they could have done differently and adjust accordingly.
13. Before making any decision ot attempting to bring about any change, great teachers ask themselves one central question: What will the best people think?
14. Great teachers continually ask themselves who is most comfortable and who is least comfortable with each decision they make. They treat everyone as if they were good.
15. Great teachers have empathy for students and clarity about how others see them.
16. Great teachers keep standardized testing in perspective. They focus on the real issue of student learning.
17. Great teachers care about their students. They understand that their behaviors and beliefs are tied to emotion, and they understand the power of emotion to jumpstart change.
18. BONUS
Click on specific links or proceed through the whole tool by pushing F5. Click on USS Enterprise to return here
IT'S PEOPLE, NOT PROGRAMS
• IT’S NOT WHAT YOU DO, IT’S HOW APPROPRIATELY & EFFECTIVELY YOU DO IT.
• It’s never about programs but about people.
Programs
• Innovations will not necessarily solve problems because no program leads inherently to the solution.
Innovations
• Seeing a teacher succeed using a “programmed” approach, leads many to believe that it is the approach that is great.
Faulty Cause & Effect
• Great teachers try to make best out of the environment they work in.
Environment
• Recognize that there is always room and need for improvement.
Improvement
“If we wait until the second week of school, it’s more likely that we’ll be setting rules” (p.17).
Rules attach consequences to misbehavior. One purpose of the consequences in schools is to encourage other students to
follow rules.
“Great teacher expect good behavior, and generally that’s what they get” (p.14).
Focus on desired behaviors. State the expectations positively: DO… instead of DON’T...
Students are experts at cost-benefit analysis, so there is a negative side to spelling out all the consequences.
Great teachers focus on expectations.
Consequences for misbehavior are secondary.
Great teachers have very clear approach to students’ behavior.
Great teachers establish clear expectations at the beginning of the year & consistently follow them throughout the year.
Great teachers set expectations 1st, then establish relationships with the students, so they want to meet these expectations.
Great teachers focus on the future.
THE POWER OF EXPECTATIONS
Focus on expected
behavior – not consequences of
misbehavior.
Always follow through.
Ignore junk behavior – it is
usually attention-seeking.
Deal with the behavior when you are ready –
after class & privately.
Breathe, keep cool & give
yourself time to think.
Go ahead & call parents if you
need to consult with them,
without informing the
student.
Having a few disruptive
students, it is difficult do go to
zero at once.
IF YOU SAY SOMETHING, MEAN IT
Threat/ punishment
Making exception/
not following through
Loss of credibility
Neither one require a stern tone
It will give you a chance to tell your side of the story & give it a connotation of partnership.
Public reprimands can simply set students up
against you
Instead, lower the number by one, starting with the least challenging student positive peer pressure might help reducing the behavior.
Maintaining self-control is a critical skill
Effective Approaches
* Focus on the future
* Keep that behavior from happening again
* We must focus on what we can influence
* The student should be better leaving the principal’s office
-Explain: we do not want them to feel angry and upset
* Quality Matters
* Yelling is never appropriate
* Especially during the times of stress remain professional (e.g., dealing with rude/uncooperative parents)
* Put effort into rebuilding trust after the conflict
Ineffective Reactions
* Hanging on to the past negative situation
* Teacher revenge student
* Angry student
* Wanting student to be upset
* Tempted into yelling at the student who probably has been yelled at already
* Unresolved conflict loss of trust
PREVENTION V. REVENGE
Every teacher has the same tools in their bag of tricks. The difference is how they use them, & how often do they use them. A great teacher reaches in at least twice a day, says Todd Whitaker.
We never win an argument with a student. We’ve lost as soon as it has started. When we deal with misbehaving students in a professional manner, the rest of the students will be on our
“team”
HIGH EXPECTATIONS - FOR WHOM?
• - “Do you mind if we grade papers or read the newspapers while you are speaking?”
• - “I don’t mind at all – as long as you are comfortable with students doing whatever they want to do in your class while you are teaching.”
• Great teachers have high expectations for their students.
• They also have high expectations for themselves.
• Teacher’s expectations for themselves are the variable.
High Expectations and the variable
• Even the worst teachers have high expectations for students – like to be engaged with the content no matter how irrelevant it is; to be respectful no matter how they treat their students
High Expectations
• Focus on your own performance.
• Set even higher expectations for yourself.
Challenge
WHO IS THE VARIABLE?
• “When we center on our own behavior, we feel empowered to make a difference” (p.38).
That’s an essential
difference between effective & less effective teachers, employers, principals – “even parents.”
• Rise to the challenge to make every class your best.
• Do not play “the blame game,” but work with others in order to “be more productive and effective” together.
(p.41).
YOU ARE! Whose behavior can you, the teacher,
control in the classroom?
Your own!
If the majority of your students do poorly on the assignment, whose fault
is that?
Your, teacher's,
fault
Whose performance can
you control?
Your own
The Very Best Teachers &
BREADTH of Vision
Is this the best thing for your
students?
How will the change/ event
affect the whole school?
Resist to socialize when
you should to be supervising.
Teaching makes a difference. It matters every
day, & that makes it difficult.
No griping with Negative Nancy
and Downing Don.
How does each of us fit in with the big picture?
FOCUS ON STUDENTS FIRST • “I have found that the greatest
challenge is to get everyone – or almost everyone – on board. It might seem that simple logic would prevail”(p.43).
Like in “The Hotel California,” “You can check out any time
you like / but you can never leave”
Focus on the colleagues
second
Remember what matters
Some teachers are limited by classroom walls and selves: their students, their teaching practices, their routines, without seeing a bigger picture.
For whose sake is the challenge?
Students’
TEN DAYS OUT OF TEN
5 Strategies That Make
Praise Work
Authenticity. Recognizing smth that is true. For
something genuine, there is no “too much.”
Specificity.
That is, praise the behavior. Identify
what has been done well &
acknowledge it.
Immediacy.
Recognize positive beh. quickly. Give
immediate feedback.
Cleanness.
1. Authentically compliment.
2. It cannot include the word
“but.”
Privacy.
Many students just prefer private
praise.
“If everyone in the school is treated with respect and dignity, you may still have nothing special. However, if everyone in a school is not treated with respect and dignity, you will never have anything special. Of that I am sure” (p.56).
• Create a positive atmosphere
Take positive approach day after day
• Our behaviors are much more obvious than our beliefs.
• Although respect is earned, it is a mutual process.
It’s a challenge to treat everyone with respect every day.
• If you don’t act as if you like them, they will think you do not care about them.
• And if you act as if you like them, then your true feelings are irrelevant.
You do not have to like the students. Neither will all of them will like you
The lounge or faculty room should be a place where
teachers socialize, relax, & do work.
Every day students come in with expectations for us to
set the tone.
Great teachers establish an effective filter between personal lives & their
classrooms.
The great teachers don’t add to the chant of
complaints. Instead, they filter them out.
“When the teacher sneezes, the whole class
catches a cold” (p.58). This is just what happens.
Our behavior sets the tone
If we approach things positively, that is what our
students reflect
“[t]he best way to alter perceptions is to provide
other perceptions” “we can filter out the negative energy that makes students feel we’re just there to do our job.” A young teacher once said that he preferred to “keep everyone in the loop” & just say that it’s one of those days, which students can do too.
BE THE FILTER
Have good credibility and good relationships. Students will want to be on the same page withy you. We are pleased when our students do well.
Students will match the tone that we set.
“By consistently filtering out the
negatives that don’t matter and sharing a positive attitude, we
can create a much more successful setting” (p.63). “[T]he students are on their best
behavior the first day of school”… & “hand us respect on a platter” (p.59).
DON'T NEED TO REPAIR - ALWAYS DO REPAIR
• By teaching students how to handle conflict, you help building a “more peaceful world.”
• When you erupt like a volcano here and there, although being nice 90% of the time, you may never know the damage you’ve caused. And, although “we may get over it, our targets may not” (p.65).
Some Never Need to Repair – But Always Do
Effective educators are sensitive to every statement they make or “action they take.”
Avoid actions that have a potential to hurt feelings.
“The best teachers consistently compliment and praise students” (p.66).
The best educators strive to keep their relationships in good repair.
The best teachers always repair, just in case.
Take advantage of teachable moments to teach students behaviors that repair the situation instead of escalating it.
The “I Am Sorry That Happened” Phrase
Helps to defuse aggressive parents.
Just because you are saying “I Am Sorry That Happened,” doesn’t imply it is your fault. You are just empathetic.
It’s a powerful technique. Not only for working with parents, of course.
Regardless of the circumstances, you should be able to say it “professionally and with empathy.”
In your brain, you can be anything you want. As a professional, you can never be sarcastic or demeaning.
Control yourself – that’s what teachers do.
Teaching “people skills”
We can help not only students to develop “people skills.” Some colleagues can benefit from it too. You can serve as
an important role model.
In addition to modeling, you may also need to teach it.
Focus on prevention!
“Why must I give Johnny the word-for-word language? Because he may not have it himself” (p.70).
“And you know that [your] goal in being nice is selfish.” But your job will be easier.
“Introduce and strengthen skills of conflict resolution.”
Ignore minor errors! –
behavioral & in students’
work.
Model self-control. Your management
ability is in your ability to manage yourself.
Understand the high
achievers Respond to
inappropriate behavior without
escalating the situation.
Great teachers don’t
automatically react when a student steps
out of line.
Awareness of almost
everything that happens
in the classroom.
Fast-paced & delicate balancing
act
Great teachers have an
amazing ability to ignore
behaviors, ¬ their students.
Pay attention to students: recognize & praise their
achievements.
“High achievers hold themselves to lofty standards” (p.76).
They “emotionally deflate” when someone else points out their shortcomings.
Criticism, no matter how minor, is difficult for them because they put so much of themselves in what they do.
They do not stop being judgmental of themselves.
They do not want to settle for something less than their best.
They expect to succeed in everything they do.
THE ABILITY TO IGNORE
“We are often our own worst critics. Although we may think that when others criticize us we try harder, at some point, when it happens too frequently, we are likely to quit” (p. 75).
RANDOM OR PLANDOM?
Great teachers have a plan & purpose for everything they do.
Great teachers reflect & adjust. AND they take responsibility.
Great teachers focus on prevention.
“Great teachers intentionally arrange,
rearrange, alter, & adjust the structures
that frame their teaching” (p.81).
“These alterations do not involve
power struggle.” They often look
random but there is a reason behind
them.
Project your teacher-rays (“T-rays”), so your presence is felt. At the assembly, sit by your students – especially those who are the most likely to misbehave.
Less effective – blame things on others & keep
pushing their line.
• Attention getter/ anticipatory set •Objective(s) written in form of essential questions (for checking understanding). •Creating & planning for transitions. •Engage your students with the material = limit direct instruction. •Closure •Summary. Students should summarize. P.s. Do not wait for volunteers, tell students the # of volunteers you need and wait until hands go up, then proceed.
BASE EVERY DECISION ON THE BEST PEOPLE
• If we teach to the middle, that’s where the majority of our students will remain.
• Great teachers aim high.
What is the purpose?
Will this actually
accomplish the purpose?
What will the best people
think?
GUIDELINES FOR DECISIONS
Better than asking “What is the
reason?”
Decision-Making
We treat all students with
the best students in
mind.
Ask yourself what will the best of your
students think
If it is only “fine,” it is not “great” anymore.
“Nurture the superstar
students you have, and work to cultivate others”
Differentiate
Positive peer pressure can help to manage
your classroom “like a well-run business”
(p.86).
Be careful to not put your best
students in the position that earns
them the “teacher’s pet” title!
Dear Parents & Guardians! Thank you for your cooperation in ____________
Treat Everyone as if They Were Good
When posing a question, phrase it in a positive
manner.
Sending memos to families, address positive things, thus reinforcing
good behavior.
Uncomfortable Feelings Make
People Change – One Way or Another
“…make the people who do the right thing, feel
comfortable“
Hostile people [especially] love to argue. It’s their niche”
(p.93).
You teach people appropriate ways to behave.
•Not refine inappropriate skills.
Ask “best people” what they think
Involve students before making a decision.
Their opinion matters, right?
* The book asks to “ask input from our most capable
students and colleagues, [then] we are much more
likely to make the right choices” (p.95).
IN EVERY SITUATION, ASK WHO IS MOST COMFORTABLE AND
WHO IS LEAST COMFORTABLE
Hi! How’s your day going? Can I help you?
Although about do’s, don’t imply that they’ve done something bad just because it’s “expected” of them by others.
Students you are most tempted to yell at, probably get yelled at often.
PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES
Student social skills
Self worth
Behavior
Responsibility
Involvement in school
+ test scores
WHAT ABOUT THESE DARN STANDARDIZED TESTS?
Staff motivation
Teacher morale
School culture climate
Student behavior
There are many things that teachers,
administrators, parents, board
members, students, community
representatives agree on.
Variety of personal beliefs. Teachers, too, have variety of personal beliefs.
We have to achieve success in the little circle, otherwise it will become the big circle, & no one wants that.
Core issues
Effective educators “spend human resources carefully, aware of the limited value of many mandates from on high” (p.103).
“success [brings your school] greater autonomy to do what [the school believes] is best for the students” (p.107).
(p.108).
Focus of effective
principals & teachers.
Are you helping your students
develop skills they need?
• Behaviors & beliefs are tied to emotions.
• Until you connect with the student on the emotional
level, you may never be able to affect their mind.
• If you care, you will have less students who just “easily fall through the
cracks.”
• “… and they care deeply”: about learning,
teacher, each other.
•(Research states that
adolescents are more emotional than children & adults.)
• Create a school-wide environment that supports
& reinforces treating everyone with respect & dignity, taking a positive approach, remembering
that people matter.
Focus on doing what is right.
“Students care, …”
Touch the Heart, Then Teach the
Child.
Learn off of good teachers.
Teachers should share things with
each other.
There are students who feel & think that their teachers don’t like them.
because
•Students care about great
teachers
•Great teachers care
about students
CLARIFY YOUR CORE
Beliefs in your core guide you
Outside influences
pressure us
Adhere to your values
Focus on what’s right
for your students
With the core, you feel confident &
secure, so do your students
Leave time & energy for
what matters
You are an architect, &
this is a blueprint
“Every teacher has an impact. Great teachers make a
difference” (p.121).
Assessment is never punishment!
When presenting, give your audience something to do.
You plan for learning, not teaching.
Create a culture where failure is acceptable and ok.
Teach your students relaxation techniques. Give them a
minute to tune in before the test.