What Administrators Want Teachers To Know

Antwuan Stinson, Ed. [email protected]

(334) 377-0537 (Google voice)

mailto:[email protected]

Experience 14 Years K-12

Assistant Principal

Math and Science Teacher

Teacher of the Year – Birmingham City Schools 2002

School Representative for District Leadership Team

School Teacher Mentor

7 Years Higher Education Assistant Certification Officer

Assistant Professor, Curriculum & Instruction

Teacher Leader Program Coordinator

Field and Clinical Experience Livetext Coordinator

Technology Implementation Committee

Chair, NCATE Standard 3, Field and Clinical Experiences

Pedagogical Content KnowledgePlanning, Pedagogy, Reflection

Credentials Doctorate, Educational Leadership, Policy & Law

Professional Administrator (P-12)

Professional Teacher (Secondary Chemistry, General Science, and Mathematics)


ObjectivesWe will discuss:

Developing classroom routines

Planning Content and Pedagogy

The learning process

Instructional strategies

Classroom organization

Motivating students


Superintendent

High SchoolsMiddle Schools

Elementary Schools

Central Office

School Responsibilities Athletics

Band

Fund raisers

P.T.O.

Discipline behaviors

Special Ed Services

Yearbook

Testing (ACT Aspire, Classworks, Screenr)

Teacher Evaluations

Field Trips (Informal Learning Opportunities)

Budgets

Lunch program

Professional Development

Honor Roll each 9-weeks

Safety Plan

aCIP


OverviewMy 1st year as an assistant principal was charged with responsibilities from the moment I stepped on campus. I went into the position expecting to learn what things teachers needed to do in order to improve their practice and classroom performance. This presentation will give participants to see from my lens what it takes to stay on track to help students reach their full potential during instruction.


What I saw during the 1st semester Lack of planning by most teachers; not just the 1st year

teachers

Inconsistent practices

Lack of routines for common class behavior Going to the restroom

Walking in the halls

Establish restroom breaks/passes

Not communicating expectations

Students had no idea of the agenda

Lack of collaboration


What I saw during the 1st semester Using office referrals as discipline

No consequences of repeated violations

Keep rooms clutter-free

Flu season affects everyone in the classroom

Establish a procedure where students clean where their seating area

Monitor students to and from lunch

Keep enforcing dress-code violations

Establish behavior buddies for minor disruptions


Successful Schools Zero-tolerance schools are demonstrating that

students who are engaged in deeper learning are more motivated and take ownership of their education

Impact schools are teaching students knowledge and to recall facts, but also how to apply what they know to real-world situations.

Effective classrooms have procedures that are enforced with structure.


A passion for young adolescents

Is it best for the students?8th Grade

Montpelier, Vermont

1946

8th Grade

Essex, Vermont

2007

Challenges within the job We teach a variety of students. Some whose presence is

only to exist in the classroom because their parents make them. The overarching problem is that we must find a way to make lesson plans come to life where they spark something within those students.


Developing Classroom Routines Creating close reading and cloze activities

Create a restroom log to determine frequency of each student

Make a log of discipline behaviors

Have a log for progress reports and report cards

Plan as if you will not be in the classroom

Structure the instruction

Have substitute folders check

Weekly/Monthly parent contact log


Developing Classroom Routines How do you want your room to function if you are absent

Plan for instruction for two days

Have Before-activity assignments posted in the class

Make sure to grade each assignment

Move the desk to the door and sometimes sit at the door

Post attendance

Have enough challenging assignments that require students to work to the end of the bell

You dismiss your class not the bell


Planning Content and PedagogyYes, But….

The content is rigorous but students aren’t mastering it

YesContent is rigorous and

students are mastering it.

NoThe content isn’t rigorous and the

students aren’t mastering it

Yes, But….Students are mastering the content but it’s not rigorous

High Rigor

Low Rigor

Low Mastery High Mastery

Adopted from Teaching as Leadership, Steven Farr (2010)

Plan what to teach What are you teaching?

Whom are you teaching?

How are you teaching?

How are you planning to manage the learning environment?

When are you planning to assess learning?

The 3 R’s: Relationship, Rigor, Relevance


When A Teacher Switches Schools In the data-driven results-oriented educational

culture, curricular knowledge, high expectations, culturally relevant pedagogy, and other learnable skills

vs

The rapport, trust, and safety of a classroom and the localized knowledge of knowing the school culture

http://www.urbanedjournal.org/archive/volume-12-issue-2-fall-2015/voice-field-when-teacher-switches-schools


http://www.urbanedjournal.org/archive/volume-12-issue-2-fall-2015/voice-field-when-teacher-switches-schools

Reality of teaching Sometimes, the most effective teachers at a school are the

ones who have been there the longest, even with the same years of teaching experience as the others.

localized knowledge of knowing the school culture at times outweighs pedagogical skill and content knowledge.

Your ability to engage, motivate, and push students will improve with each day when communicate trust

Lastly, the only implicit message to students that the teacher who returns each year is a teacher worthy of a little of trust so they give their lessons, activities, and personality a more attention


Effective Strategies Communicate and reinforce classroom expectations

Integrate experiences with what was done in the classroom in a clear and logical explanation

Share examples of resources and reflection in dealing with experiences

Discuss ways and means of demonstrating respect for students


Suggestions for Motivating Students Images and/or Cartoons

Use real-life examples to explain

Have former students speak to your classes


Personal Experiences I found that addressing a problem in the College is an

opportunity for growth: improving Praxis II passing rates, assisting other with embedding technology, helping committees with no vested interest

No……it is not easy….finding resources, making them available for students, encouraging others to make use the resources, learning how to develop online platforms to reach adult learners, spending countless hours of working when no one knows how it is done other than when they see it.


The Learning Process I have learned that I have a lot to do with students’ and

teachers’ intrinsic motivational level. A student may arrive in class with a certain degree of motivation. Our initial contact, the structure of the course, the nature of the assignments and informal interactions with students all have a large effect on student motivation.


Developing the classroom environment Focus on building relationships with your students

from day one. Don’t worry about your content at first, you most likely just spent the last four years of your life learning about it.

Find time during your off period to go observe other classrooms in your building, even if the content and/or age group are different.


Developing the classroom environment Don’t play favorites. Just like in the classroom,

playing favorites isn’t cool!

Have a syllabus, brochure or newsletter that is easy for you to follow

Have a way of dealing with discipline 1st rather than sending class 1 offenses to the administrator


Data Indicate how the SAT favors rich, educated families by The Washington Post

Students from families earning more than $200,000 a year average a combined score of 1,714, while students from families earning under $20,000 a year average a combined score of 1,326.

A student with a parent with a graduate degree, for example, on average scores 300 points higher on their SATs compared to a student with a parent with only a high school degree.


The reason is….. This almost certainly reflects the fact that schools in

wealthier communities do a better job of preparing students for standardized testing by offering tests (ex. PSAT).


End of Presentation

Contact InformationAntwuan Stinson

[email protected]

(334) 377-0537 (Google voice)

Continue to Instructional Strategies

mailto:[email protected]