Learn Like a Pirate - Part 1

In our staff orientation session before the start of the school year, I mentioned a great book I read over the summer, entitled, "Learn Like a Pirate," by Paul Solarz. Aside from being one of the more thought provoking books I have read in a while, I believe the educational principles he discusses can help every teacher, regardless of the grade they teach. I will spend the next few blog posts, highlighting some of the main ideas he talks about in the book. I highly encourage you to reach out to Paul directly as he loves to collaborate with teachers who find his book useful. The best way to reach him is via Twitter @PaulSolarz

Solarz promotes the notion of a student led classroom, where students make decisions and choices throughout the day without consulting the teacher. Most lessons include a component of teacher led instruction (often a mini lesson in the middle of the period), collaborative work time (with regular feedback from peers and teacher) and time to reflect and synthesize. His method is predicated on 6 concepts:
Peer Collaboration
Improvement Focus vs. Grade Focus
Responsibility
Active Learning
Twenty-First Century Skills
Empowerment

I will spend the next 2-3 posts expanding on how he describes each of these ideas and how he debunks the concerns that some might have about a student led classroom. But before we get to that, it is crucial to point out some underpinnings or assumptions that a teacher must live by if they are to implement a student led classroom.

1. A student led classrooms is only effective if the students feel safe, appreciated, and connected to their teacher. The teacher has to take a genuine interest in their passions.
2. When children are happy and safe at school, they are willing to work hard for their teacher.
3. It is important to show appreciation for any attempt made by a student despite the outcome. This is crucial in encouraging students to continue trying and growing from failure (we will discuss his ideas about failure in future posts as well).

Links to Interesting Articles:

1. The Do's and Don'ts of Classroom Management
2. Five Quick Classroom Management Tips
3. Classroom Management: Resource Roundup
4. Classroom Management Techniques: Videos

Quote of the Day:

1.  15 Things Every Teacher Should Do Next Year
2. The 40 Best Quotes about learning

What Great Teachers Do Differently - Part 3

After receiving some positive feedback on the last posting about "What Great Teachers Do Differently," by Todd Whitaker, I decided to write one last posting on this book. So much of our effectiveness as teachers relies on the relationships that we build, maintain and repair with our students.  Without the relationship, little or no learning will take place. Here are a three more of Whitaker's points:

1. Great Teachers work hard to keep their relationships in good repair to avoid personal hurt and to repair any possible damage. 

In the last blog posting I discussed treating everyone with respect and dignity every day. We all should work towards this goal and the best teachers come close to achieving it. These teachers recognize that once a relationship is damaged, it may never be the same. So their first step is avoiding actions that cause hurt feelings.

But Whitaker discusses that the very best teachers do not engage in behaviours that cause harm to students (no one is perfect all the time). Rather, they focus on complimenting and praising their students. So despite the fact that they seldom need to repair any relationships, they are constantly working to repair them, just in case.  For example, a teacher might come to class one day and say, "Class, I am sorry if I seemed a little impatient yesterday. I wasn't feeling well and I was running late. I want to let you know that I am sorry if I was a little short to any of you."  Meanwhile, the class has no idea what the teacher is apologizing for. The teacher, however is being overly sensitive towards having the best relationship possible with the students.

In Whitaker's boook, "Dealing with Difficult Parents," he uses this strategy to defuse an aggressive parent by saying, "I am sorry that happened."  Regardless of the facts, this is a great statement as you are showing empathy, but you are not accepting or placing blame.

2. Great teachers have the ability to ignore trivial disturbances and the ability to respond to inappropriate behaviour without escalating the situation.

This is not suggesting to be a push over or take real inappropriate comments or behaviour from students, but the best teachers do not automatically react every time a student steps out of line. Students will identify the teacher whose buttons are easily pushed and then they will keep pushing. This requires the ability to pay attention to the students, recognize and praise their achievements, while overlooking minor errors. It is a delicate balancing act; one which the best teachers learn to master.

3. Great Teachers have a plan and purpose for everything they do. If plans don't work out the way they had envisioned, they reflect on what they could have done differently and adjust accordingly. 

There is no such thing as random in the classroom of a great teacher. Everything is planned and has a purpose. A good example would be how the teacher allows for groups to form for group work. One time the teacher might allow students to choose their own partners, giving them more ownership of the process. After seeing groups that do not work together effectively, the teacher will have students pick a partner's name out of a hat for the next collaborative activity, where she can manipulate certain students not ending up working together. Perhaps she will pair students up alphabetically or ask students to choose a partner they have never worked with before. Either way, it is carefully thought through and planned.


Links to Interesting Articles:
1. How to Teach Empathy
2. The Power of Keeping Your Cool
3. Online Teacher Book Clubs: Promoting a Culture of Professional Development

Links to Interesting Web Tools:
1. Three Excellent iPad Apps for Vocabulary Learning
2. Using Google Forms and Docs

Quote of the Day:
1. If You Assign a Project...
2. What Do You Want Leaders to Do with Technology?

What Great Teachers Do Differently (con't)

The atmosphere of the school is a crucial component in how a school runs and how everyone feels about coming to school every day; for both teachers and students. Today's posting will focus on two more elements from Todd Whitaker's book, "What Great Teachers Do Differently," and they focus on creating a positive atmosphere in the school and in our classroom. These points raise great points for conversation.

1. Great teachers create a positive atmosphere in their classrooms and schools. They treat every person with respect. In particular, they understand the power of praise. You might thinking that it is obvious and should not be necessary to tell people to treat everyone with respect. However, the real challenge is to treat everyone with respect every single day! We can all remember one incident when someone in a leadership role treated us inappropriately. We will never forget that moment, no matter how long ago it might have been. This is so important to remember when speaking to our students and colleagues; one sarcastic or harsh comment will be ingrained with them forever.

On the positive side, the key is to learn to praise effectively. Ben Bissel in his book "The Paradoxical Leader" describes five elements for effective praise: it must be authentic, specific, immediate, clean and private. Most of this is common sense, but a few descriptions will help us understand these elements. "Authentic" means that the praise is genuine, praising for something that is true. "Clean" means that the praise cannot include the word "but." Most students receive praise better when it is done "privately." This point might not be true for everyone, but it is important to realize that teachers do not always fully appreciate the social dynamic in the class and then we will not understand how each student will take public praise. When in doubt, do it privately.

2. Great teachers consistently filter out the negatives that don't matter and share a positive attitude. The teachers behaviour sets the tone in the class. If your students overhear you complaining or whining about something, everyone will hear about it no matter how minor an issue it might have been.

Consider how you respond to the question, "How is your day going?" You can respond in a positive manner or you can focus on some student or parent who has been annoying you. How you respond will affect everyone around you. There is a saying that "when the teacher sneezes, the whole class catches a cold." I think this this is true of your students and your colleagues.

Consider the conversation in the teacher's lounge. Are we fostering positive conversation about the school? Are we encouraging complaints and negativity? We all have to realize that every comment matters and can make a real impact on those around us.


Links to Interesting Articles:
1. Five Amazing Ways to Collaborate with Another Class
2. 12 Ways to Get Your Students Thinking and Listening
3. 5 Fun Alternatives to Think-Pair-Share

Links to Interesting Web Tools:
1. Using Skitch in Kindergarden
2. 7 Apps for Student Creators
3. HALB EdTech Tools Website - I build this site last year with my Edtech team

Quote of the Day:
1. No Significant Learning Can Occur.....
2. Provide an Uncommon Experience....
3. The First to Apologize....

The First Day of School

Today is the first day of school at Netivot HaTorah Day School! As educators preparing for the new school year, we have so many elements to focus on in the classroom. Let's focus today on a few of the ideas that Tom Whitaker talks about in his book, "What Great Teachers Do Differently."

1. Great teachers never forget that it is people, not programs that determine the quality of the school. Despite all the new curricula and programs that we incorporate into our schools, it is the quality of our teachers that make the difference. Great teachers make the school great.

2. Great teachers establish clear expectations at the start of the year and follow them consistently as the year progresses. The best teachers focus on expectations, not on rules. By the end of the first day  of school, your students should know exactly what behaviour is expected of them and any consequences that are attached to their actions. Consistency is the key!

3. Great teachers manage their classrooms thoughtfully. When they say something, they mean it. Don't depend on the commanding presence and booming voice to manage your classroom. Rather, students will respect authority when teachers express their expectations clearly and then follow through consistently.

4. Great teachers have high expectations for students, but have even higher expectations for themselves. If you find yourself in a situation where a student is not engaged, rather than assuming the student needs to change something (which he might have to), ask yourself if you need to try something new to engage him.

5. Great teachers know that they are the variable in the classroom. Good teacher consistently strive to improve, and they focus on something they can control; their own performance. The more effective teachers accept responsibility for everything going on in their classrooms and tend not to blame things on the students or others.

Links to Interesting Articles:
1. The Importance of Greeting Your Students Every Day
2. Five Critical Skills to Empower Students in the Digital Age
3. 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Giving an Assessment

Links to Interesting Web Tools:

1. Cybrary Man's Back to School Page
2. Online Badge Maker

Quote of the Day:
1. What if.....
2. The Role of a creative leader...