Truth be told I cannot really take credit for the above title – its simply far too catchy and appropriate for what I'm writing, given that many of my thoughts will culminate with a discussion of the video from which this title emerged.
With that in mind, there are many takes on the word “leadership” and truth be told, they are not very specific. The Google definition provides the following options:
1) The action of leading a group of people or an organization
2) The state or position of being a leader
3) The leaders of an organization, country, etc
4) The ability to lead skillfully
Most of us have our own concepts of what leadership is and I think the above list of definitions is more vague that what most people think.
I, like many of you, have attended high school. I am now teaching at a high school. High school has a strange dynamic of leadership – with appointed student leaders, students with no position who do the most to inspire others and a natural hierarchy of the various classes. Each of these has aspects of leadership in their own right, but are they momentary characteristics, or are they what make good leaders.
Consider those who are appointed student leaders. Fortunately, they are often elected from a group that sees them worthy for other reasons, not just the title of the position. However, these positions are given to students who are academically accomplished, socially savvy, and to some extent confident. While I would argue that all of these traits have their value and merit, none of them should singularly designate one a leader.
What about the natural hierarchy of a school? Frequently, the upperclassmen are considered the leaders of the school. This however often does not make sense. It's not rare (speaking generally) to find an institution where upperclassmen haze new students as a “rite of passing”. This in turn leads to the same event in future years. Should a leader not be someone who chooses to break that cycle rather than perpetuate it? How about the seniors who have been admitted to college and slack off on their work? No part of that behavior is an inspiration to other members of a community. Sure, there are always individuals in a class who will shine and motivate, but those are who we would call leaders anyway – without ever disguising them with brands of class or position.
If you and one hundred other people sat down to make a list of characteristics that defined a good leader, much of those lists would likely be the same. Some key words might include inspiring, confident, charismatic, selfless, trustworthy, etc. The list goes on. In more specific roles of leadership these keywords might change or vary, but the essence of what they stand for remains the same. I now point you to a very famous video of one who is by many considered among the best leaders ever:
I Have A Dream
There is no doubt that MLKJ is confident. He speaks loudly and clearly, with thoughts that pierce to the heart of the audience. There's no doubt that he is courageous. He never hangs his head, looks away or quivers with anticipation. But most inspiring are the words he chooses and the obviousness at which he believes in everything he says. While all of these features are traits we commonly associate with leaders, they are not the traits that made him the figure he is today. He was willing to stand up alone for a cause and hope others would follow – which they did. While in this clip he was clearly not alone, there had to have been a beginning, and at that time he had to have done something first. That moment is what made him a leader. That moment when he was not a man with followers, but a lone nut preaching ideas. To stand up alone and carry on with the aforementioned characteristics is what makes a leader.
The most determining feature of a leader is the ability to inspire and motivate. It can be for global movements, such as Martin Luther King JR. and the Civil Rights Movement, or it could be a new senior on a varsity team who decides to carry the water instead of making a rookie do it. A leader is one who stands out from what is viewed as normal and does something different to make a change. Below is a regular man, at a regular event that makes a difference:
The Lone Nut
The video voices most of the thoughts by itself. The obvious leader is the man originally dancing on the hill. This is not a major event, and it will not hold any textbook page for history class. But, it was an individual who stood up alone and pursued his beliefs and was later followed. What this video addresses however is more than just the crazy beginning of leadership, but that there is more than one leader in the story. The man who began to follow first, is by necessity going to be as exposed and ridiculous as the person who began. In many ways, they are more at risk because they are following what another believes is fun, taking the chance that it might not be what they themselves enjoy. It is this person that shows the rest it is harmless. It is this person that shows the rest its worth doing. As is said, if you really want to make a difference, you don't always need to put down the foot first and make the trail yourself. It might be more worthwhile to find someone already trying, and show others how to follow them.
This is where the phrase “leadership or lone nut” came from. After watching that video its not even particularly creative (for me to use it). However, I thought it did a terrific job of explaining a side of leadership that is "under appreciated". That draws an end to what I wanted to say about what it takes to be a leader, but before closing there is another side of leadership I wanted to touch on. Remember that leaders create movements, turn tides, and impact lives. When you choose to be a leader, make sure you know where to lead, and lead in a positive direction. Below is another video of another man who was an effective leader:
Hitler's First Speech
I'd like to issue a brief disclaimer that I certainly don't agree with how he lead, but am speaking towards what he did to be an effective leader to the people. Comparing his speech to that of MLKJ, they are both confident, they stand before large crowds, they make themselves one with those to whom they are addressing. They speak about "we" and the their goals not for themselves, but for the future and their countries. They make themselves not above their cause, but a part of it. In looking only at their speeches, the two are both terrific leaders, but history remembers one as a hero and one as a horror.
So, remember 2 things if you find yourself in the position of a leader. First, lead in the correct direction. Second, if you're a leader, you are a role model and people will look up to you. As a friend and colleague once said, "We fall much harder than we rise." Leading is hard and it can often be tiresome. If you're a leader, and a good one, you will be a leader always. Be a good leader and don't take breaks from it. Its a long and steep downhill from there.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Why we Learn – Why we Teach
As the summer ended and the school year began, one of the things I was thinking about was NOT why we (as a collective of people) attend school. It was not a curiosity that I developed on my own – but rather something a number of people brought to my attention. It is however a question I find myself believing to be increasingly as important. After all, being that I am a teacher, I really should know why I teach.
When I ask, “why do I teach,” I do not mean why did I decide to become a teacher over an engineer. I also do not mean “why do I enjoy the work that I do”. My question is directed at the wonder of what greater purpose does education have. Much of what we learn we never actively use, and many more things we forget. Does a requirement to learn benefit the individual so much to require it of everyone? Am I only teaching to improve the lives of the individuals who gain something concrete from my classes and use it?
My first reaction to this is a belief I have held since I switched majors in college (it actually took some convincing after that switch to mathematics but I am now convinced). My academic love is mathematics. It’s a series of patterns and relationships that can describe so much of the world around us. I find that the more I explore, the more patterns I find. The more I find, the more questions arise. But in school why is math so important? Lots of reasons! We use mathematics every day in mundane tasks such as “do I really want to pay this much for something”. Some jobs need it more than others – see engineers and architects – but artists use ratios and fractions and writers often need to speak on statistics. So perhaps we learn mathematics (as a sample of schooling) to prepare us for specific professions that we will engage in.
This is not fully what I became convinced of in college (and I will continue to use mathematics as my example but I believe it holds true for other subjects as well). What I came to believe is that math is not about recognizing angles, or solving for x. Mathematics is about solving problems. When looking at algebra and solving for x, you are not taught the single correct and perfect way to find it. Order of operations doesn't make every question the same. Rather, we as individuals develop tools, techniques and methods to approach problems that might look quite different than what we’re used to. Sure, the ability to work with numbers, or have a larger vocabulary, or know when different wars took place are necessary at times, but facts from all subjects are recorded and can be looked up. But you can't gain the skills of doing by only looking up facts.
So perhaps we learn and we teach to provide students (be those students kids or adults) with more tools with which they can use to approach the world. But to what end? Many of us see school as a stepping stone to college, or grad school, or a job. Yet, as a high school teacher I cannot convince myself that I am here solely to get my students to college. A few weeks ago the following clip from the movie Good Will Hunting was brought to my attention:
Good Will Hunting - Bar Scene
This raises a number of questions about what education is. Is it a string of facts – something that anyone with good retention and reading skills can pick up out of a book in a library? Or is education measured by a degree and a rank that we can flaunt to others until we're hired. Both of these concepts have merit, but I feel that the purpose of education cannot be either. Facts with no relationships to the world are abstract and useless. A degree with no knowledge leads to dysfunctional programs and companies. So ideally we seek a hybrid of the two. Yes, I do want all my students to go to college and get a degree. Not because the degree is so important but rather because societies have moved to a place where many jobs will demand proof that an individual has attained a minimum level of skills and information. By contrast, so long as the degree does require a show of both skill and knowledge, than it is not a hollow gesture.
But education cannot just be something you're told. It cannot always be something you're shown. Many times, education is something experienced. I will once again refer to Good Will Hunting:
Good Will Hunting - Park Scene
This brings an interesting twist to the education game. The man who brought this to my attention asked “How often have you been told – ‘You'll understand when you're older’.” I know I have. And I don't know if I'd take away from this movie clip as much as I would have had I not recently had a moment when I did understand. It was a strange experience, and about something I never knew I didn't understand. However, I could stand where I was in life and look back to a slew of mistakes and tell my past self “If only you knew what you know now.” Education is never completed, no matter how much schooling an individual has. In fact, the true joy of education is when you find a subject of interest that actually inspires you to keep searching for knowledge. As long as a person keeps observing, a person will keep learning – and many of the things you learn through experience are things that you could never be taught.
So, how does all of this relate back to school? Where do teachers fall into the mix? The students? Why don't we just send our kids to the library to learn facts, and then to travel to grow wiser? If they work they'll achieve skills. What is it that makes school different? This answer (and I don’t presume that is is THE answer, but I believe it to be AN answer) came to me through a final video I found just before school started this year. It’s an “Open Letter to Students Returning to School” by John Green in which he addresses the merits of compulsory education – that is, why do we all at some point attend school:
John Green - An Open Letter to Students Returning to School
He rambles for a little bit (which I enjoy) and uses the Mars Curiosity Rover Mission as a catalyst for his ideas (also awesome) but I find what he says at the end to be most important. Education is not about the individual. Yes, we as a society need educated individuals, but very few jobs now are independent. In the professional world there is a tremendous amount of collaboration and we cannot rely solely on our own bank of information. We need each other to succeed and advance, and we need to help all people be as educated as possible. Yes, it will help benefit their lives, but it will also help benefit our own and everybody's. Education is about improving society.
Many of these views were new to me when brought to my attention. I had never really thought much on why education exists, though I (at least recently) have believed in its importance. I look back at these and see reasons and merits all over. Yes a degree is important, but education is so much more than that. And no matter how much school we take, we will continue learning until the day we die (even for those of us who’s grand plan is to just keep going…). But if the question is “Why is learning important?”, then perhaps it really is as simple as making the world a better place – and who doesn't want that?
When I ask, “why do I teach,” I do not mean why did I decide to become a teacher over an engineer. I also do not mean “why do I enjoy the work that I do”. My question is directed at the wonder of what greater purpose does education have. Much of what we learn we never actively use, and many more things we forget. Does a requirement to learn benefit the individual so much to require it of everyone? Am I only teaching to improve the lives of the individuals who gain something concrete from my classes and use it?
My first reaction to this is a belief I have held since I switched majors in college (it actually took some convincing after that switch to mathematics but I am now convinced). My academic love is mathematics. It’s a series of patterns and relationships that can describe so much of the world around us. I find that the more I explore, the more patterns I find. The more I find, the more questions arise. But in school why is math so important? Lots of reasons! We use mathematics every day in mundane tasks such as “do I really want to pay this much for something”. Some jobs need it more than others – see engineers and architects – but artists use ratios and fractions and writers often need to speak on statistics. So perhaps we learn mathematics (as a sample of schooling) to prepare us for specific professions that we will engage in.
This is not fully what I became convinced of in college (and I will continue to use mathematics as my example but I believe it holds true for other subjects as well). What I came to believe is that math is not about recognizing angles, or solving for x. Mathematics is about solving problems. When looking at algebra and solving for x, you are not taught the single correct and perfect way to find it. Order of operations doesn't make every question the same. Rather, we as individuals develop tools, techniques and methods to approach problems that might look quite different than what we’re used to. Sure, the ability to work with numbers, or have a larger vocabulary, or know when different wars took place are necessary at times, but facts from all subjects are recorded and can be looked up. But you can't gain the skills of doing by only looking up facts.
So perhaps we learn and we teach to provide students (be those students kids or adults) with more tools with which they can use to approach the world. But to what end? Many of us see school as a stepping stone to college, or grad school, or a job. Yet, as a high school teacher I cannot convince myself that I am here solely to get my students to college. A few weeks ago the following clip from the movie Good Will Hunting was brought to my attention:
Good Will Hunting - Bar Scene
This raises a number of questions about what education is. Is it a string of facts – something that anyone with good retention and reading skills can pick up out of a book in a library? Or is education measured by a degree and a rank that we can flaunt to others until we're hired. Both of these concepts have merit, but I feel that the purpose of education cannot be either. Facts with no relationships to the world are abstract and useless. A degree with no knowledge leads to dysfunctional programs and companies. So ideally we seek a hybrid of the two. Yes, I do want all my students to go to college and get a degree. Not because the degree is so important but rather because societies have moved to a place where many jobs will demand proof that an individual has attained a minimum level of skills and information. By contrast, so long as the degree does require a show of both skill and knowledge, than it is not a hollow gesture.
But education cannot just be something you're told. It cannot always be something you're shown. Many times, education is something experienced. I will once again refer to Good Will Hunting:
Good Will Hunting - Park Scene
This brings an interesting twist to the education game. The man who brought this to my attention asked “How often have you been told – ‘You'll understand when you're older’.” I know I have. And I don't know if I'd take away from this movie clip as much as I would have had I not recently had a moment when I did understand. It was a strange experience, and about something I never knew I didn't understand. However, I could stand where I was in life and look back to a slew of mistakes and tell my past self “If only you knew what you know now.” Education is never completed, no matter how much schooling an individual has. In fact, the true joy of education is when you find a subject of interest that actually inspires you to keep searching for knowledge. As long as a person keeps observing, a person will keep learning – and many of the things you learn through experience are things that you could never be taught.
So, how does all of this relate back to school? Where do teachers fall into the mix? The students? Why don't we just send our kids to the library to learn facts, and then to travel to grow wiser? If they work they'll achieve skills. What is it that makes school different? This answer (and I don’t presume that is is THE answer, but I believe it to be AN answer) came to me through a final video I found just before school started this year. It’s an “Open Letter to Students Returning to School” by John Green in which he addresses the merits of compulsory education – that is, why do we all at some point attend school:
John Green - An Open Letter to Students Returning to School
He rambles for a little bit (which I enjoy) and uses the Mars Curiosity Rover Mission as a catalyst for his ideas (also awesome) but I find what he says at the end to be most important. Education is not about the individual. Yes, we as a society need educated individuals, but very few jobs now are independent. In the professional world there is a tremendous amount of collaboration and we cannot rely solely on our own bank of information. We need each other to succeed and advance, and we need to help all people be as educated as possible. Yes, it will help benefit their lives, but it will also help benefit our own and everybody's. Education is about improving society.
Many of these views were new to me when brought to my attention. I had never really thought much on why education exists, though I (at least recently) have believed in its importance. I look back at these and see reasons and merits all over. Yes a degree is important, but education is so much more than that. And no matter how much school we take, we will continue learning until the day we die (even for those of us who’s grand plan is to just keep going…). But if the question is “Why is learning important?”, then perhaps it really is as simple as making the world a better place – and who doesn't want that?
Monday, September 17, 2012
Big Ideas and Very Small Rocks
Sculpting a Seminar: - Based on a "seminar on seminars" presented to me by a colleague:
Whenever one of us (teachers that is) sits down to write a class, there are some important questions we need (and hopefully do)to ask ourselves. Some of these are more obvious than others:
“What am I teaching today?”
“What will the homework be?”
“Do my students have the background for this?”
Maybe even – “Will my students enjoy the class?”
But there are also a handful of questions that are not as frequently asked (or at least addressed);
“Am I seeking mastery of this topic? An introduction? Is it review?”
“When I leave class, how will I know if my students understood?”
“Am I actively engaging my students in the class? How so? What are they doing?”
Today I want to write about one particular set of questions. Who is speaking in my class? How are they speaking, and to what purpose? Why? Much of how I run class varies by subject, but in all of them I try to have my students doing work, answering questions and discussing ideas. However, I’d never thought about it anymore in depth than that. That is until I attended this short talk on how to run a seminar. While none of my classes are seminar based, I found lots to think about and improve upon.
I was preliminarily asked “when do I want my students speaking in class?” And, “when my students do speak in class, how do I know if the conversation has gone well?” Much of these answers, in their details, fall upon the particular subject that one teaches. I will not address my specific answers, as I am choosing to write about the universal ideas, but rather the themes that seemed to appear in answers throughout the room.
There are two common ways of assessing the success of a conversation in a class. That is, we can seek a quantity of participation, or a quality of ideas. Some, in fact many, conversations are considered a success if a critical mass of one’s students have shared thoughts and ideas. By contrast, success can be measured by the depth of knowledge presented in a student’s answers. Are their questions clarifying or probing? Does a student debate rise out of conflicting ideas? Neither of these is a more true measure of success than another, but as a teacher you must have an awareness of which of these is your goal. That is to say, where on the spectrum between these two do you choose to fall?
So let’s suppose that we have established what we (speaking as a unified being) desire in our classroom conversation. What can we do to help promote that success? Do we give our class a prompt and hope for the best? It’s unlikely. First, it takes confidence to speak out in front of one’s peers. We have an obligation to make the classroom a safe environment to take risks in. Even then things can be challenging. But, as students begin to present their ideas, encourage repetition. When you emphasize a student’s comment you give them confidence in what they are saying. Similarly, draw in a quiet student. Be excited about a point and ask a new student to repeat it. This does two things. First, it keeps your class alert and aware as perhaps you’ll call on someone else. Secondly, the quiet student now knows that this information is important; it is safe. Since there’s no risk in the idea (you said to repeat it), you cannot be ridiculed for what you say. Lastly, a conversation flows. It does not have a source and it is not trying to end. Do not let a conversation be ping-pong between you and your students. Do whatever you can to get them speaking to each other; then just direct.
And this all allows us address what we want our students to do, and once going, how we can make the environment as ideal as possible. But returning to our preparation of a class, how will we present our material? This can be done in three main ways:
1) Lecture
2) Discussion
3) Conversation
The differences here are key. Know which you are doing and let it be clear. A lecture is what many of us try to avoid. It is not interactive – often referred to as direct instruction. There are times in the year that I have information my students need. Before they can try it, they need to hear it. In those times, I will be speaking, and delivering information to my students. This is a lecture.
A discussion has more variance to it. In a discussion, I can premise a question and open the floor to the students. They can move around in their beliefs and what they say, but as things progress I must correct errors and lead the students in the correct direction. It is important to realize that in the discussion there IS a correct answer. Your job is to help your students lead themselves there, but make sure they get there in the end.
Finally, a conversation. The background has been done. The information is available. The students are left to express their ideas and provide their reasons. In a conversation there is debate, and some arguments are better supported than others, but there is not a correct answer. Much of education is not about right and wrong, but rather support and reason. A conversation lets you hear points of view that might otherwise remain hidden, and might stimulate new thoughts of your own. You never know when or where you’ll hear a new idea.
When this topic was presented to me I was shown at this point the following clip:
Click Here!!!
For those of you who skipped the clip, GO WATCH IT. For those of you who have watched, you likely recognize it as the “Burn the Witch” scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (I don’t actually know the scene title …but sure…). This is a valuable teaching moment, where the knight (or soon to be knight) is the teacher, and the townsfolk are the students. What kind of lesson does he use? Is it a lecture? No; at no point does he deliver information to his students. Is it a discussion? Yes; he lets his students partake in answering questions and debating to help lead them to what he “knows” to be the correct answer.
The method presented is often referred to as the Socratic Method – a tool frequently employed by teachers to help students come to realizations on their own accord. However, while this is a powerful and valuable tool, it must be done correctly. Questions must be carefully crafted to truly initiate thought and discussion. If you re-watch this clip, you’ll notice that there is very little thought put into the student responses. Rather, the questions prompted a barrage of words. This can be referred to as the “magic word game”. Don’t play the magic word game! Students don’t need to think to play it, and if there is only 1 right answer you are left with two likely cases. First, your students don’t know the word and won’t get there – leading to frustration and a loss of confidence. Second, your students get there through guessing, but what do you gain from that? What do they gain from that? Your goal should be to force students to consider ideas and concepts, not throw “very small rocks”.
------------------------------------------
When designing a lesson, know when your students will speak, how you will assess that participation, and what you can do to help generate healthy interactions. How do you want information to be revealed? It can at times be correct to lecture. Try not to do it often or for a long time, but if it were never to be used, then why are we the teachers? Don’t we have the information!? Be careful in separating discussion and conversation. Remember that one has a correct answer and the other does not. Lastly, don’t play the “magic word game”. It takes away from the value of discussion and leads to unhealthy classroom interactions.
---------------------------------------
As a small add-on, Author is asked “who are you that is so wise in the ways of science?” Truthfully, there was no science involved. Given that this was a discussion, there was a known answer already. Science takes an idea, and uses methods to seek the truth. Weighting a woman against a duck to determine her composition to be of wood, on a likely faulty scale is hardly the scientific method that we try to employ in our schools. In many ways, the scientific method is a conversation. Sure, there may be a correct answer, but we – none of us – know it. Science is the presentation of ideas to build support for a belief. That is a conversation.
Whenever one of us (teachers that is) sits down to write a class, there are some important questions we need (and hopefully do)to ask ourselves. Some of these are more obvious than others:
“What am I teaching today?”
“What will the homework be?”
“Do my students have the background for this?”
Maybe even – “Will my students enjoy the class?”
But there are also a handful of questions that are not as frequently asked (or at least addressed);
“Am I seeking mastery of this topic? An introduction? Is it review?”
“When I leave class, how will I know if my students understood?”
“Am I actively engaging my students in the class? How so? What are they doing?”
Today I want to write about one particular set of questions. Who is speaking in my class? How are they speaking, and to what purpose? Why? Much of how I run class varies by subject, but in all of them I try to have my students doing work, answering questions and discussing ideas. However, I’d never thought about it anymore in depth than that. That is until I attended this short talk on how to run a seminar. While none of my classes are seminar based, I found lots to think about and improve upon.
I was preliminarily asked “when do I want my students speaking in class?” And, “when my students do speak in class, how do I know if the conversation has gone well?” Much of these answers, in their details, fall upon the particular subject that one teaches. I will not address my specific answers, as I am choosing to write about the universal ideas, but rather the themes that seemed to appear in answers throughout the room.
There are two common ways of assessing the success of a conversation in a class. That is, we can seek a quantity of participation, or a quality of ideas. Some, in fact many, conversations are considered a success if a critical mass of one’s students have shared thoughts and ideas. By contrast, success can be measured by the depth of knowledge presented in a student’s answers. Are their questions clarifying or probing? Does a student debate rise out of conflicting ideas? Neither of these is a more true measure of success than another, but as a teacher you must have an awareness of which of these is your goal. That is to say, where on the spectrum between these two do you choose to fall?
So let’s suppose that we have established what we (speaking as a unified being) desire in our classroom conversation. What can we do to help promote that success? Do we give our class a prompt and hope for the best? It’s unlikely. First, it takes confidence to speak out in front of one’s peers. We have an obligation to make the classroom a safe environment to take risks in. Even then things can be challenging. But, as students begin to present their ideas, encourage repetition. When you emphasize a student’s comment you give them confidence in what they are saying. Similarly, draw in a quiet student. Be excited about a point and ask a new student to repeat it. This does two things. First, it keeps your class alert and aware as perhaps you’ll call on someone else. Secondly, the quiet student now knows that this information is important; it is safe. Since there’s no risk in the idea (you said to repeat it), you cannot be ridiculed for what you say. Lastly, a conversation flows. It does not have a source and it is not trying to end. Do not let a conversation be ping-pong between you and your students. Do whatever you can to get them speaking to each other; then just direct.
And this all allows us address what we want our students to do, and once going, how we can make the environment as ideal as possible. But returning to our preparation of a class, how will we present our material? This can be done in three main ways:
1) Lecture
2) Discussion
3) Conversation
The differences here are key. Know which you are doing and let it be clear. A lecture is what many of us try to avoid. It is not interactive – often referred to as direct instruction. There are times in the year that I have information my students need. Before they can try it, they need to hear it. In those times, I will be speaking, and delivering information to my students. This is a lecture.
A discussion has more variance to it. In a discussion, I can premise a question and open the floor to the students. They can move around in their beliefs and what they say, but as things progress I must correct errors and lead the students in the correct direction. It is important to realize that in the discussion there IS a correct answer. Your job is to help your students lead themselves there, but make sure they get there in the end.
Finally, a conversation. The background has been done. The information is available. The students are left to express their ideas and provide their reasons. In a conversation there is debate, and some arguments are better supported than others, but there is not a correct answer. Much of education is not about right and wrong, but rather support and reason. A conversation lets you hear points of view that might otherwise remain hidden, and might stimulate new thoughts of your own. You never know when or where you’ll hear a new idea.
When this topic was presented to me I was shown at this point the following clip:
Click Here!!!
For those of you who skipped the clip, GO WATCH IT. For those of you who have watched, you likely recognize it as the “Burn the Witch” scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (I don’t actually know the scene title …but sure…). This is a valuable teaching moment, where the knight (or soon to be knight) is the teacher, and the townsfolk are the students. What kind of lesson does he use? Is it a lecture? No; at no point does he deliver information to his students. Is it a discussion? Yes; he lets his students partake in answering questions and debating to help lead them to what he “knows” to be the correct answer.
The method presented is often referred to as the Socratic Method – a tool frequently employed by teachers to help students come to realizations on their own accord. However, while this is a powerful and valuable tool, it must be done correctly. Questions must be carefully crafted to truly initiate thought and discussion. If you re-watch this clip, you’ll notice that there is very little thought put into the student responses. Rather, the questions prompted a barrage of words. This can be referred to as the “magic word game”. Don’t play the magic word game! Students don’t need to think to play it, and if there is only 1 right answer you are left with two likely cases. First, your students don’t know the word and won’t get there – leading to frustration and a loss of confidence. Second, your students get there through guessing, but what do you gain from that? What do they gain from that? Your goal should be to force students to consider ideas and concepts, not throw “very small rocks”.
------------------------------------------
When designing a lesson, know when your students will speak, how you will assess that participation, and what you can do to help generate healthy interactions. How do you want information to be revealed? It can at times be correct to lecture. Try not to do it often or for a long time, but if it were never to be used, then why are we the teachers? Don’t we have the information!? Be careful in separating discussion and conversation. Remember that one has a correct answer and the other does not. Lastly, don’t play the “magic word game”. It takes away from the value of discussion and leads to unhealthy classroom interactions.
---------------------------------------
As a small add-on, Author is asked “who are you that is so wise in the ways of science?” Truthfully, there was no science involved. Given that this was a discussion, there was a known answer already. Science takes an idea, and uses methods to seek the truth. Weighting a woman against a duck to determine her composition to be of wood, on a likely faulty scale is hardly the scientific method that we try to employ in our schools. In many ways, the scientific method is a conversation. Sure, there may be a correct answer, but we – none of us – know it. Science is the presentation of ideas to build support for a belief. That is a conversation.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Classroom Management Workshop - Part 2
A lot is to be said for managing your class by means of creating a positive setting, building relationships with your students, and instilling discipline when necessary. While the latter two days of the workshop still touched and made call-backs to these ideas, they also addressed some of the finer aspects of effectively handling situations and running a class. These aspects include “parent-teacher” discussions, children with learning differences, relationships with one’s supervisors and how to effectively manage your own time.
Some of the most dreaded moments in teaching (in theory – and maybe just for new teachers – or just me) are parent-teacher meetings/conferences. Sometimes they come when planned and expected, and those are much easier to deal with, though still require some of the same preparation. When approaching a meeting with a parent, there are certain things that one must have prepared in advance. First, do your homework on the parents. Know what they do, where they live, and other case specific details. Know if their child has had academic testing, gets tutored or attends therapy of any variety. Make sure you know this meeting to avoid, at any point, putting your foot in your mouth and making the parents upset at both you and your administration. While this groundwork is important, be sure to keep it confidential. If you have notes with you, be sure the notes are not seen.
Other aspects seem more intuitive. Take notes of the meeting; it shows you are invested and paying attention. Welcome the parents with a smile and be sure to listen carefully. Building positive relationships with parents is not unlike building them with students. When discussing the child, use specific examples – don’t generalize and don’t discuss them as just “part of the class”. Parents want to see that you know their child. Showing you know, shows that you care. Always – always have something positive to say; and then make sure you say it!
Unfortunately, not all parent meetings are planned in advance, and they aren’t always addressed civilly. It is also important to know how to respond when suddenly approached by an upset parent and how to have that conversation. The first thing is to deflect. Not the meeting, but that moment. In the heat of the moment you are at an extreme disadvantage, not knowing why the parent is upset, you might not know critical details of the family, and you yourself may not be as calm as ideal. Accept the meeting, but have a reason to schedule it at a later time. But, avoid scheduling on Fridays or before long breaks – you want to be able to enjoy those. Before separating for the moment though BE SURE to find out what the parent wanted to speak to you about. It is important to enter your meeting prepared.
As for the rest of your meeting, much of the rules of good conversations apply. But, should this conversation go badly you’ll need a form of “eject script”. Keep yourself calm, and try to keep things positive. If receiving a tirade, be sure to note points of interest to the parents that you will return to, but let them continue. We’re all human; apologize if necessary and work WITH the parents towards a common goal. If you make a plan of action steps be sure to follow up on them and most importantly, if a conversation goes badly, tell a supervisor.
Children with learning differences are a presence in all classrooms. It is important to know who they are, what their differences are, and what extra help they are receiving (if any). Remember, learning differences are not disabilities. The child can learn just as well and can be just as smart as any other student. All they need is someone (you) to guide the information in a way that is accessible to them. Some tricks can be helpful to most learning differences, as well as your plans and the good of the class. Use guiding question – make goals clear – be sure that every lesson has a clear purpose so that students know what they should take away from the day. But always remember, learning differences are not a reflection of intelligence, just a reflection of style.
Your relationship with your supervisor is one of the most important connections you have, and in more ways than originally come to mind. Don't be fooled, it can, and in many ways IS, a stressful relationship. Your supervisor is in many ways the person who chooses your future in this given career. But, aren't we all supposed to seek out our supervisors when we're struggling and ask them for help? It feels awkward to tell the person who judges your employment that you don't know what to do.
Keep in mind, if your struggling it's likely your supervisor already knows. Go speak to them! There is far more value than you think. First and most importantly, your supervisor DOES want to help you, and everyone knows that everything will not always go to plan. The fun part of living is learning. Second, asking for help leads to multiple valuable reflections. First, it's quite possible that you have thought about your problem for hours, but never discussed it. Sometimes just speaking the words helps find resolutions. Second, Asking for help shows your supervisor that you are self aware to know there's a problem, that you are willing to learn, and that you want to improve. Even when things are going well you should want to improve, so don't feel you can only ask for help when things are going poorly.
Remember that your supervisors are people too. They aren't just your boss and they aren't just your mentor. Respect the time they spend working on administrative problems, as well as individual dilemmas. When was the last time you told a supervisor, or any member of your administration, that they gave a good speech? That they helped you with a problem? That you appreciate their advice? Communication remains the key. They ARE invested in you and they DO want you to succeed. Talk to them when things are good, and ask for help when things are bad. They aren't just your supervisor and they aren't just your mentor; they're your friend.
It is important to remember that the most valuable asset you can give to your students is yourself and your energy. Make sure you take care of yourself and use your personal time well so that you can attend class in positive spirits and high energy. So, how can we maximize our time, while still giving maximal time to our students? There are a few things to think about.
Grading: How long do you spend grading? Do you mark every error – correct every typo? Do you write paragraphs explaining how things could be improved? I know I've done some of these things before, only to return the papers and watch my students skillfully slide those hard graded papers into their bags with little more than a glance at the grade. Don't go beyond halfway if your students will not meet you there. Perhaps don't put the grade on the paper. Force your students to read their marks and speak to you. Or even just hide the grade in a written paragraph, spelling out the numbers. Its a small increase in time for you but might lead to huge gains for your students.
Planning (not “planning ahead” - see here: http://tb13logbored.blogspot.com/2012/07/whos-plan-was-it.html ): Know what you want to get out of the year. When are the critical moments in the year that are always crazy? When do semesters end? When do breaks start? When are formal comments required? Think about these in advance and make sure you have enough grades, but don't be cramming them in not realizing a deadline was approaching. You need not plan out every day of your year during the summer, but have an outline to guide you and to pace you.
Homework: How much are you giving? And how are you grading it? If you're collecting every assignment its likely that you are looking for accuracy and precision. This will take both you and the students more time. Respect both their homework time and your own time that you can offer to grading. Do you care only to see effort and attempts? How are you grading that? Is that clear to your students? Know what you want from your homework as much as you need to know what you want from each class.
Personal Time: Remember, weekends and vacations are for you as much as for your students! Sure, sometimes you'll have grading or comment writing to do, but remember that you need your rest, your sanity and your health. If you can give a test 2 weeks before a long weekend, so you can be all graded before then; then don't wait until the long weekend! You need that time to recover as much as your students do. This is the same reason that you should not schedule parent meetings before weekends or vacations, particularly if you expect them to go poorly. You NEED to be able to recoup during that time.
This concludes my synopsis for the classroom management workshop I attended. There was more to learn that I cannot write, but I hope some big ideas that I took away from my time there might benefit you as well. Remember, know what you want out of the year, and have a plan for how to get it. The better you do, the better your students will do. The better they do, the better you'll do. In essence the system is easy and everybody wins!
Some of the most dreaded moments in teaching (in theory – and maybe just for new teachers – or just me) are parent-teacher meetings/conferences. Sometimes they come when planned and expected, and those are much easier to deal with, though still require some of the same preparation. When approaching a meeting with a parent, there are certain things that one must have prepared in advance. First, do your homework on the parents. Know what they do, where they live, and other case specific details. Know if their child has had academic testing, gets tutored or attends therapy of any variety. Make sure you know this meeting to avoid, at any point, putting your foot in your mouth and making the parents upset at both you and your administration. While this groundwork is important, be sure to keep it confidential. If you have notes with you, be sure the notes are not seen.
Other aspects seem more intuitive. Take notes of the meeting; it shows you are invested and paying attention. Welcome the parents with a smile and be sure to listen carefully. Building positive relationships with parents is not unlike building them with students. When discussing the child, use specific examples – don’t generalize and don’t discuss them as just “part of the class”. Parents want to see that you know their child. Showing you know, shows that you care. Always – always have something positive to say; and then make sure you say it!
Unfortunately, not all parent meetings are planned in advance, and they aren’t always addressed civilly. It is also important to know how to respond when suddenly approached by an upset parent and how to have that conversation. The first thing is to deflect. Not the meeting, but that moment. In the heat of the moment you are at an extreme disadvantage, not knowing why the parent is upset, you might not know critical details of the family, and you yourself may not be as calm as ideal. Accept the meeting, but have a reason to schedule it at a later time. But, avoid scheduling on Fridays or before long breaks – you want to be able to enjoy those. Before separating for the moment though BE SURE to find out what the parent wanted to speak to you about. It is important to enter your meeting prepared.
As for the rest of your meeting, much of the rules of good conversations apply. But, should this conversation go badly you’ll need a form of “eject script”. Keep yourself calm, and try to keep things positive. If receiving a tirade, be sure to note points of interest to the parents that you will return to, but let them continue. We’re all human; apologize if necessary and work WITH the parents towards a common goal. If you make a plan of action steps be sure to follow up on them and most importantly, if a conversation goes badly, tell a supervisor.
Children with learning differences are a presence in all classrooms. It is important to know who they are, what their differences are, and what extra help they are receiving (if any). Remember, learning differences are not disabilities. The child can learn just as well and can be just as smart as any other student. All they need is someone (you) to guide the information in a way that is accessible to them. Some tricks can be helpful to most learning differences, as well as your plans and the good of the class. Use guiding question – make goals clear – be sure that every lesson has a clear purpose so that students know what they should take away from the day. But always remember, learning differences are not a reflection of intelligence, just a reflection of style.
Your relationship with your supervisor is one of the most important connections you have, and in more ways than originally come to mind. Don't be fooled, it can, and in many ways IS, a stressful relationship. Your supervisor is in many ways the person who chooses your future in this given career. But, aren't we all supposed to seek out our supervisors when we're struggling and ask them for help? It feels awkward to tell the person who judges your employment that you don't know what to do.
Keep in mind, if your struggling it's likely your supervisor already knows. Go speak to them! There is far more value than you think. First and most importantly, your supervisor DOES want to help you, and everyone knows that everything will not always go to plan. The fun part of living is learning. Second, asking for help leads to multiple valuable reflections. First, it's quite possible that you have thought about your problem for hours, but never discussed it. Sometimes just speaking the words helps find resolutions. Second, Asking for help shows your supervisor that you are self aware to know there's a problem, that you are willing to learn, and that you want to improve. Even when things are going well you should want to improve, so don't feel you can only ask for help when things are going poorly.
Remember that your supervisors are people too. They aren't just your boss and they aren't just your mentor. Respect the time they spend working on administrative problems, as well as individual dilemmas. When was the last time you told a supervisor, or any member of your administration, that they gave a good speech? That they helped you with a problem? That you appreciate their advice? Communication remains the key. They ARE invested in you and they DO want you to succeed. Talk to them when things are good, and ask for help when things are bad. They aren't just your supervisor and they aren't just your mentor; they're your friend.
It is important to remember that the most valuable asset you can give to your students is yourself and your energy. Make sure you take care of yourself and use your personal time well so that you can attend class in positive spirits and high energy. So, how can we maximize our time, while still giving maximal time to our students? There are a few things to think about.
Grading: How long do you spend grading? Do you mark every error – correct every typo? Do you write paragraphs explaining how things could be improved? I know I've done some of these things before, only to return the papers and watch my students skillfully slide those hard graded papers into their bags with little more than a glance at the grade. Don't go beyond halfway if your students will not meet you there. Perhaps don't put the grade on the paper. Force your students to read their marks and speak to you. Or even just hide the grade in a written paragraph, spelling out the numbers. Its a small increase in time for you but might lead to huge gains for your students.
Planning (not “planning ahead” - see here: http://tb13logbored.blogspot.com/2012/07/whos-plan-was-it.html ): Know what you want to get out of the year. When are the critical moments in the year that are always crazy? When do semesters end? When do breaks start? When are formal comments required? Think about these in advance and make sure you have enough grades, but don't be cramming them in not realizing a deadline was approaching. You need not plan out every day of your year during the summer, but have an outline to guide you and to pace you.
Homework: How much are you giving? And how are you grading it? If you're collecting every assignment its likely that you are looking for accuracy and precision. This will take both you and the students more time. Respect both their homework time and your own time that you can offer to grading. Do you care only to see effort and attempts? How are you grading that? Is that clear to your students? Know what you want from your homework as much as you need to know what you want from each class.
Personal Time: Remember, weekends and vacations are for you as much as for your students! Sure, sometimes you'll have grading or comment writing to do, but remember that you need your rest, your sanity and your health. If you can give a test 2 weeks before a long weekend, so you can be all graded before then; then don't wait until the long weekend! You need that time to recover as much as your students do. This is the same reason that you should not schedule parent meetings before weekends or vacations, particularly if you expect them to go poorly. You NEED to be able to recoup during that time.
This concludes my synopsis for the classroom management workshop I attended. There was more to learn that I cannot write, but I hope some big ideas that I took away from my time there might benefit you as well. Remember, know what you want out of the year, and have a plan for how to get it. The better you do, the better your students will do. The better they do, the better you'll do. In essence the system is easy and everybody wins!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Classroom Management Workshop – Part 1
Going into my second year of teaching I have done a lot of professional development work. I’ve attended a three week workshop on Modeling Chemistry and will soon attend a short Dorm Parent Workshop. At the moment however I am in attendance of a classroom management workshop located at Trinity Pawling. This workshop has had a lot of valuable information that I will try to recap here for my own benefit, and possibly even yours.
The term “classroom management” holds more to it than I first thought. Not because I didn’t know all its parts existed, but rather I never considered them. I began this workshop hoping to understand how better to “control” my classrooms – specifically, well behaved and disciplined. However, the management of a classroom is far more than maintaining control, and control comes from many more places than discipline. Management also includes participation, pace of class, student interactions, and more. While I learned a lot of suggestions for behavior and discipline, I learned a lot too about the classroom as an environment and teaching as a profession.
Our first of four days was relatively short, having only a two hour evening session after registration and dinner. After a number of stories to set the mood, we, as a participating class of about 30, broke into groups of 4 to discuss what we recall as characteristics of our favorite teachers. When the class reconvened we shared and compiled our lists – followed by discussion and comparisons many of the traits on the list were repeated, many went hand in hand, and some contradicted. I will not write the entire list but give you some of the ones I felt most valuable:
Shares passions
Stern
Interested in the student’s life outside the classroom (appropriately)
Genuine
Organized
Safe
Listens
Gives credit when credit is due
This is a short list that I felt were highlighted in my mind. I think on these terms some as one who was, and often still is a student, and also now in reflections of how I would like to teach. Of course I want to share my passions. As an algebra teacher I’ve spent much of my time learning “tricks”. I don’t want to know them to short-cut lessons or avoid big ideas, but rather in learning how and why the trick works I better my understanding of material and draw connections that I might never have seen before. As for stern; a line must exist between fun and work. That does not mean work cannot be fun, but the class of students must know when the time for fun and jokes are over. For knowing one’s student, it’s almost guaranteed at a boarding school. But, it’s important to know the whole student. What they do, how they feel. Knowing the student lets them know you care about them as a person, not just a grade.
Genuine, Organized, Safe and Listens are perhaps the most important. Organized I believe goes without saying, but there’s no reason one cannot always improve on such a topic. Genuine: teach to your strengths and be who you are. Let your passions show and don’t try to act like any other teacher. It’s easy to observe a class and feel it was taught better or worse. But that is a reflection of far more than the style of the teacher. You need your own style or the style won’t succeed. In Dr. Seuss’s words, “Be who you are and say what you want. Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Safe and Listens go hand-in-hand. A student must be able to trust their teacher. That is why they poke and prod and test. A student wants a teacher who hears the problem, not the solution. Solutions come with understanding and understanding cannot happen without taking the time to hear the student out and know their problem. It’s so easy to try to re-explain a situation, without realizing that the problem is something that you – the teacher – know so internally that you assume it and don’t remember to tell the child.
I saved offering credit when due for last because it paired with a common theme throughout this workshop. I think its easy to justify giving credit when due, but its less often done. We all remember bad moments so much more than good. Its easy to criticize poor behavior, but good is expected. As a result, students that do good work and behave well can often feel unnoticed. There is a power in praise. Tell the kids who improve when they improve. Tell the kids who do good work that there work is good, even if it always is. Let students know that you see them and are proud of what they’re doing.
Our second day had a heavier emphasis on how to structure class in such a way to improve classroom management. This was one case where it became clear that good management did not have to be strong discipline. We started the class this day discussing how to make your room a positive environment. If the class is safe, fun and enjoyable, it will make the students want to behave, and it will make the students want to engage.
Since I’ve already discussed it I’ll mention it as a reminder, but not repeat myself. Use to your advantage the power of praise! Not only does praise emphasize good work and recognize stronger students, but praise is unifying. If students see you congratulating the work of their peers, they will want to earn that same praise themselves. But, praise must be specific. When giving praise be sure to be clear to the specifics of what you are giving merit to and why. Remember when you get frustrated at a student to not isolate the class. It’s not the class that upset you, so keep yourself under control and remember that most of the class is on your side and wants to keep going.
So, we know we want to keep the class positive, but how should we structure our class? We first need to remember to be organized. Down time undermines everything that we try to do in the classroom. So, have plans to avoid causing it and keep the students working. When they aren’t working they feel that what they’re doing isn’t important. Include routines. That isn’t to say all of every class is one, but there need to be norms. Norms give both you and the student a level of safety and comfort that both can fall back on. Start class with entering – homework out and begin a “do-now” as we check the homework – begin new material. Most of those steps need to be done, so that is a valuable routine to make clear. Be careful when setting up routines. Do not accept if the class did it alright and was chatty. The way it’s done when you set the routine is how the routine will be remembered. It’s far easier to become less firm than more. Start strict – only then can you loosen up.
A bit towards discipline, preventative measures are both easier and more pleasant than repercussions. Give seating charts. Yes, the kids are growing up; yes, you don’t like making them; yes, the kids don’t like having them. But… they help. From my own experience last year, some students prefer it. Perhaps they have friends in the class but know that sitting with them will make it harder to learn. Is it so wrong to help them and mandate their separation? Move around the room. Don’t isolate yourself in the front. You can see notes and work and the students feel you are more a part of the room. Keep things moving! As was mentioned before, down-time is the bane of class success. Keep the urgency high. Lastly, don’t accept answers from kids who shout out. Accepting those answers is a positive response to calling out, which is a negative behavior.
There are lots of ways to discipline kids, but none of them are fun. The best classes, the ones best managed, are the ones where discipline never happens. Make your class one that students want to be at. Teach your lessons in such a way that students want to know how they end. And don’t let your students put themselves in positions where temptation for trouble is high. And remember… Praise success!
The term “classroom management” holds more to it than I first thought. Not because I didn’t know all its parts existed, but rather I never considered them. I began this workshop hoping to understand how better to “control” my classrooms – specifically, well behaved and disciplined. However, the management of a classroom is far more than maintaining control, and control comes from many more places than discipline. Management also includes participation, pace of class, student interactions, and more. While I learned a lot of suggestions for behavior and discipline, I learned a lot too about the classroom as an environment and teaching as a profession.
Our first of four days was relatively short, having only a two hour evening session after registration and dinner. After a number of stories to set the mood, we, as a participating class of about 30, broke into groups of 4 to discuss what we recall as characteristics of our favorite teachers. When the class reconvened we shared and compiled our lists – followed by discussion and comparisons many of the traits on the list were repeated, many went hand in hand, and some contradicted. I will not write the entire list but give you some of the ones I felt most valuable:
Shares passions
Stern
Interested in the student’s life outside the classroom (appropriately)
Genuine
Organized
Safe
Listens
Gives credit when credit is due
This is a short list that I felt were highlighted in my mind. I think on these terms some as one who was, and often still is a student, and also now in reflections of how I would like to teach. Of course I want to share my passions. As an algebra teacher I’ve spent much of my time learning “tricks”. I don’t want to know them to short-cut lessons or avoid big ideas, but rather in learning how and why the trick works I better my understanding of material and draw connections that I might never have seen before. As for stern; a line must exist between fun and work. That does not mean work cannot be fun, but the class of students must know when the time for fun and jokes are over. For knowing one’s student, it’s almost guaranteed at a boarding school. But, it’s important to know the whole student. What they do, how they feel. Knowing the student lets them know you care about them as a person, not just a grade.
Genuine, Organized, Safe and Listens are perhaps the most important. Organized I believe goes without saying, but there’s no reason one cannot always improve on such a topic. Genuine: teach to your strengths and be who you are. Let your passions show and don’t try to act like any other teacher. It’s easy to observe a class and feel it was taught better or worse. But that is a reflection of far more than the style of the teacher. You need your own style or the style won’t succeed. In Dr. Seuss’s words, “Be who you are and say what you want. Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Safe and Listens go hand-in-hand. A student must be able to trust their teacher. That is why they poke and prod and test. A student wants a teacher who hears the problem, not the solution. Solutions come with understanding and understanding cannot happen without taking the time to hear the student out and know their problem. It’s so easy to try to re-explain a situation, without realizing that the problem is something that you – the teacher – know so internally that you assume it and don’t remember to tell the child.
I saved offering credit when due for last because it paired with a common theme throughout this workshop. I think its easy to justify giving credit when due, but its less often done. We all remember bad moments so much more than good. Its easy to criticize poor behavior, but good is expected. As a result, students that do good work and behave well can often feel unnoticed. There is a power in praise. Tell the kids who improve when they improve. Tell the kids who do good work that there work is good, even if it always is. Let students know that you see them and are proud of what they’re doing.
Our second day had a heavier emphasis on how to structure class in such a way to improve classroom management. This was one case where it became clear that good management did not have to be strong discipline. We started the class this day discussing how to make your room a positive environment. If the class is safe, fun and enjoyable, it will make the students want to behave, and it will make the students want to engage.
Since I’ve already discussed it I’ll mention it as a reminder, but not repeat myself. Use to your advantage the power of praise! Not only does praise emphasize good work and recognize stronger students, but praise is unifying. If students see you congratulating the work of their peers, they will want to earn that same praise themselves. But, praise must be specific. When giving praise be sure to be clear to the specifics of what you are giving merit to and why. Remember when you get frustrated at a student to not isolate the class. It’s not the class that upset you, so keep yourself under control and remember that most of the class is on your side and wants to keep going.
So, we know we want to keep the class positive, but how should we structure our class? We first need to remember to be organized. Down time undermines everything that we try to do in the classroom. So, have plans to avoid causing it and keep the students working. When they aren’t working they feel that what they’re doing isn’t important. Include routines. That isn’t to say all of every class is one, but there need to be norms. Norms give both you and the student a level of safety and comfort that both can fall back on. Start class with entering – homework out and begin a “do-now” as we check the homework – begin new material. Most of those steps need to be done, so that is a valuable routine to make clear. Be careful when setting up routines. Do not accept if the class did it alright and was chatty. The way it’s done when you set the routine is how the routine will be remembered. It’s far easier to become less firm than more. Start strict – only then can you loosen up.
A bit towards discipline, preventative measures are both easier and more pleasant than repercussions. Give seating charts. Yes, the kids are growing up; yes, you don’t like making them; yes, the kids don’t like having them. But… they help. From my own experience last year, some students prefer it. Perhaps they have friends in the class but know that sitting with them will make it harder to learn. Is it so wrong to help them and mandate their separation? Move around the room. Don’t isolate yourself in the front. You can see notes and work and the students feel you are more a part of the room. Keep things moving! As was mentioned before, down-time is the bane of class success. Keep the urgency high. Lastly, don’t accept answers from kids who shout out. Accepting those answers is a positive response to calling out, which is a negative behavior.
There are lots of ways to discipline kids, but none of them are fun. The best classes, the ones best managed, are the ones where discipline never happens. Make your class one that students want to be at. Teach your lessons in such a way that students want to know how they end. And don’t let your students put themselves in positions where temptation for trouble is high. And remember… Praise success!
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