A study by the prestigious TNTP http://tntp.org/ reported that teacher training doesn’t make the grade. The study announced on August 5, 2015 reported that investments in ongoing training for teachers usually did not improve their performance and schools should rethink how they bolster teachers’ skills. The Brooklyn-based organization, formerly known as the New Teacher Project, which trains educators and promotes stringent evaluations, analyzed several years of data from three school districts. The study found the district spent an average of $18,000 per teacher yearly on professional development, including coaching in the classroom, formal feedback, vendor contracts for training and staff time. The analysis found performance improved substantially for only three out of 10 teachers in those districts during two – three years,
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At some point, every teacher will have troubled youth in their class. These students may appear reluctant, apathetic, and/or disengaged. When working with these students, patience is critical, and building relationships is the ONLY way you will have success. These students trust no one, and it will take time for them to truly understand that you are concerned about them and their own best interests. Here are some suggestions for interacting and reaching these students: Since success is built on success and not failure, compliment them on their successes. This will give them hope—the most essential ingredient for success and something they have had very little of. Be wary of using any of the seven “deadlies”: criticizing, blaming, complaining, nagging,
READ MORE >>> →When I ask parents of young children if they ever say “No” to their children, I always receive an affirmative answer. “Of course.” After all, isn’t it natural to teach young children that they can’t have evrything they want? Yes, young people need to learn that they cannot get every thing they want. The question is, however, how do you communicate this while at the same time not not having the child develop negative feelings toward the parent or the situation. The answer lies in adding a simple word to “NO!.” Simply say, “Not yet.” This simple phrase doesn’t prompt the negative feeling that “No” does while, at the same time, giving future hope. This and many other simple tips are available at Parenting Without
READ MORE >>> →One of the great approaches to successful living is to develop the art of prompting positive mindsets. For example, suppose I lay a plank on the ground. Almost anyone could easily walk on the plank from one end to the other. But if I were to raise the plank 20 feet off the ground, how many people do you think would get across it without falling? I would guess quite a few people would fall off the plank. Why can people walk the plank when it’s on the ground but not while it’s elevated? A prime reason is that when the plank is on the ground, people imagine success. They believe and feel they can accomplish the task. Off the
READ MORE >>> →Many teachers have misinterpreted Madeline Hunter’s instructional planning suggestions. Over the years Madeline Hunter’s lesson planning model has come under some criticism mainly because of faulty interpretation in how the approach was supposed to be used. Themodel has been incorrectly perceived as an inflexible recipe or cookbook approach to lesson planning. That is, if all the ingredients are not included and used in sequence, then the model is not being followed. This is not how the model was supposed to work. As Madeline Hunter perceived it, the model was completely flexible and open-ended. The steps should be considered when planning a lesson. Having considered them, then select, abandon, or judiciously include any or all of the steps. Here are her suggestions categorized into three parts
READ MORE >>> →Do students care about learning? The answer: It depends. The adage is true: Students don’t care what you know until they know that you care. Most teachers do not realize that their success depends on good relationships and motivation. Teachers extend invitations to learning when they create curiosity, desire, and challenge. Students think of themselves as classroom contributors when they share their ideas. When students sense that their ideas are significant, meaningful, or relevant they feel valued. They also feel affirmed when they believe that they are accepted and psychologically safe in the classroom. Do students care about learning? The answer is a resounding affirmative when the above factors are in play.
READ MORE >>> →Are you focused on controlling youth or influencing them? If you experience much stress when interacting with children, chances are that you are trying to control them. Because controllees have low motivation to carry out decisions IMPOSED on them, as scores of research have documented, enforcement is both difficult and time-consuming. This is very evident in schools where teachers spend so much classroom time “playing police”—enforcing their rules or the administration’s rules. Aiming at controlling people is really focusing on controlling the body and hoping the brain follows. In contrast, influencing people, whereby you aim at the brain and have the body follow. is less stressful and far more effective. Controlling people aims at obedience. Except where the relationship is
READ MORE >>> →“Listen up!” is an effective phrase to getting attention. Obtaining attention is the first step in influencing others for any reason—including changing behavior and improving self-discipline. We tend to think of smooth talkers as having the most influence on others. Although the gift of gab is a nice characteristic, being a good listener provides even more of an advantage. In a study from the Journal of Research in Personality former work colleagues rated participants on measures of influence, verbal expression and listening behavior. Results indicate that good listening skills had a stronger effect on the ratings of influence than talking. The authors suggested that listening helps people obtain information and build trust, both of which can increase influence. Being a good listener
READ MORE >>> →A Pennsylvania teenager was convicted of disorderly conduct after using his iPad to film his alleged tormentors harassing him at school. According to a transcript of the court hearing obtained by the The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the teen said he made the seven-minute recording “because I always felt like it wasn’t me being heard.” He said classmates bullied him daily over a period of several months. The bullied teen’s mother called the situation a “horrible nightmare,” questioning why officials at the high school went after her son for making the recording—but did not punish the bullies. At one point, the school authorities even considered pursuing a felony wiretapping charge against the student who was continually bullied. It is almost amazing to hear story like
READ MORE >>> →Are you acting REFLEXIVELY or REFLECTIVELY? Consider this scenario: You are at home and the telephone rings. You answer it. Assume for a moment that you are NOT familiar withchoice-response thinking (something discussed at length in various blog posts). If I were to query you why you answered the phone, most would say, in one way or another, that the phone was a stimulus and answering it was the response. Now, let’s assume that you are at home watching a television program that you had been looking forward to seeing. You are totally engaged in a dramatic scene and the phone rings. Would you disrupt your involvement in the program to answer it? In this situation, some people would answer
READ MORE >>> →Asking, “Why?” is an INeffective question when it relates to behavior. For example, the answer to asking a young person, “Why are you doing that?” will prompt answers such as, “I don’t know” or an excuse, such as, “I have ADD.” In contrast, asking a student, “Why are you LEARNING that?” and receiving a similar response, “I don’t know,” is a reflection on the teacher, not on the student. Sharing the “why” for something you would like young people to learn is an extremely effective teaching technique for promoting learning and effort. It becomes “purpose driven,” which, in turn,• prompts self motivation,• sustains that motivation,• diminishes resistance, and• enhances better decisions. When you reflect on this idea, you will quickly
READ MORE >>> →Visualizing procedures enhances classroom management. The foundation of effective classroom management is modeling, practicing, and reinforcing procedures. Right-hemisphere oriented students tend to act spontaneously and process randomly. These folks need structure, and helping them visualize procedures may be the best approach to help these students help themselves and enhance their success. Here is an example how I used visualization to help a student arrive in my classroom on tine. Mary was consistently late to my second period class. Assigning her detention had little positive affect on having her change her behavior. So I had a conversation with Mary and asked what she customarily did before coming to my class. She told me that she would go to her locker to get her
READ MORE >>> →Let’s assume your child has a number of things to do and is lackadaisical about doing them. You remind the youngster—to no avail. Time passes. Another reminder is forthcoming with the same result. Rather than become increasingly stressed, have a chat. The conversation will revolve around those things that are to be done by the youngster. After listing them, establish a procedure for each—VERY SPECIFIC procedures. For example, if the task is homework, the procedure should list exactly when preparations start, where the activity will take place, what materials will be used, and an understanding that there will be no distractions such as viewing television. If the activity is play of some kind, cleanup time and procedures are also listed.
READ MORE >>> →When parents and teachers first learn about the Discipline Without Stress methodology, they often ask me, “What sort of consequence would a child with level ‘A’ (Anarchy) behavior receive?” The answer to this is in a prime difference between Discipline Without Stress and other approaches. Whether the consequence is referred to as logical or natural, as long as it is IMPOSED it will prompt a negative feeling and, therefore, one of resistance. Rather than imposing a consequence, ELICIT it. The conversation goes something like, “This behavior is on a level that is simply inappropriate in our classroom (or home), and it is unacceptable. What do you suggest we do so that you will not continue to be a victim of
READ MORE >>> →Until about 100 years ago no person could ever tell another person the same story. The very best any author could do was to convince readers to tell stories to themselves. Complete this short exercise and you will see how it works: A cowboy is on the open range riding a horse. Suddenly, the horse sees a snake. The horse jumps and the rider is thrown off the horse. Here are a few questions for you: In what direction was the horse riding?What time of the day was it?In what location did this occur?What color and kind of a horse was the rider on?Was the rider wearing a hat? Your imagination conjured up the scene. You certainly did not read
READ MORE >>> →A teacher wrote me that she has a few students who don’t want to acknowledge their irresponsible behaviors. She said that it usually results in their being late for their next class due to the personal conversation she has with them before they leave her class. She asked, “What do I do with these stuents who don’t want to cooperate?” Here is my response to Teresa: Have a quick individual conversation with each student and ask, “If you had the possibility of choosing a leader for the class, whom would you choose? Name a second person.” I would then compile the names from these students. Then, I would have a conversation with the person who was chosen the most number of times. Let the
READ MORE >>> →Did you know that as we grow older, our character traits become more ingrained? It’s true. In fact, they become even more pronounced. For example, a sweet person becomes sweeter, while a disagreeable person becomes a real crank in old age. So what does this mean for you today? It means that the attitudes and traits you are planting now will take root and become rigid habits later in life. Therefore, it’s important to make a commitment to live a daily life of good cheer, optimism, and gratitude. Whatever choices you make today will serve you well later in life. Plant happy seeds and enjoy today—and many, many tomorrow. For tips on how to be more positive, see the books
READ MORE >>> →Charter schools were conceived as an alternative to underperforming public schools. These schools allowed educators and entrepreneurs to ignore bureaucratic systems that are so prevalent in public schools. Charter schools were allowed to develop experimental teaching models so long as they were accountable for the results. Today more than 2.3 million K-12 students are enrolled in over 6000 charters schools operated in the United States. One major advantage of charter schools was its potential for creativity by, in large part, eliminating the amount of paper work that public schools required for innovation or doing anything not approved by the bureaucracy. This allowability for creativity appears to be in n danger. For instance, of the eight schools that applied for charters in Washington, DC. only one one application was less than 200 pages.
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