Jordan Baggett November 30, 2013 Teach Like a Champion #2 Entry #1 Technique #38 Description: Technique number thirty-eight

in the Teach Like a Champ book is named, Strong Voice, which essentially at the book calls it the teacher having this quality that just makes them it within the classroom. The idea of the strong voice is made up of five principles and these are: the economy of language, do not talk over, do not engage, square up/ stand still, and quiet power. The first idea, or economy of language, essentially states that you should try to use concise and clear words and try to talk as little as possible when explaining yourself. When you ramble or talk too much it shows that you might be nervous or unsure of what you are stating. Next, the idea of do not talk over means that do not talk over your students, because it will make them feel like they are not worth your time in the classroom, which certainly should not be the case. The idea of do not engage is that a teacher should set off on the topic that the lesson is based around, and shouldnt deviate for any reason. If the students start to bring the topic off the track, then it is the teachers duty to get it back on track. Especially with younger grades this can begin to become a problem, because the students tend to have a much shorter attention span. The keys to showing your students you are serious about their answers and your direction is by square up and stand still. When a student is asking a question or you are directing something at them then you should turn to them with feet planted together and turn with your whole body in that direction to show them that your full attention is towards them, showing that you mean business. This is very important because it makes the student feel like not only are you listening, but you are taking your job seriously. Finally there is quiet power, which states that you should soften your voice so that your students will have to listen more, thus causing them to lower their voices. When you get louder and talk faster this causes the students to want to reciprocate, and talk over you, thus you will lose control of the room. If you implement these techniques then your students will be more likely to talk you seriously within the classroom.

Observation/Implementation: I believe that my teacher has the it, factor that this strategy is talking about when it comes to strong voice. She is very good about using all of these techniques when she teaches, and it really shows because my students do not have a hard time following her directions, or listening to her teaching. She always gives each students her full attention when they are speaking so they feel that their opinion is important, and not only that but if the topic that is brought up by the child is off point, then she is good at not interrupting them but at the end of their train of thought she steers the conversation back on track so they can complete the lesson or discussion. I think it important to implement these strategies as much as possible, because they can really help you get you class in working order and help make the students stay on point, which sometimes can be difficult. When you implement these the students will feel like you are more in charge, and wont be as likely to ignore the directions they are being given, because it wont see like as much of a game for them. As the teacher you should make sure that your words are clear and deliberate, because then your students will feel as though you value their time more, and will be more willing to listen and take you seriously as an educator. Technique #42 Description: This is the basic idea that you should never within a classroom wait to long to act on something, or wait to long to deliver probable consequences. To earn your students respect and gain control of the classroom you should administer small consequences and minor interventions early before emotional situations can get out of hand. No matter how well you think your wits and charm can work in the classroom, they wont. Its all about the student believing they can better themselves. The idea if that you should take action, and make sure you dont get angry. You need to make sure that you are acting early to the situation, to prevent major consequences later. Always act reliably; if you are consistent then the students are more like to trust you. Plus if they can know a guaranteed response from you then they will focus more on the action than the actual response. Finally you should act proportionally, start small when misbehavior is small, so essentially let the crime fit the time. If it keeps occurring then you can start to increase the consequence, but dont give them a huge punishment the first few go around, especially when the student is at a young age. Try to be aware if the misbehavior was deliberate or not, and go from there when determining whether to just give a warning or a consequence. The best thing you can do in your classroom is developing a scale system for your students, with consequences that keep growing in size. Your students will know the

punishments, and will know where their misbehaviors can lead them, so there is nothing to play at. Observation/Implementation: When a teacher takes to long to react on an event the students will see this as a weakness or that the teacher just doesnt really care about the misbehavior. When this happens then they feel like they can truly get away with anything, and will try to get away with more. When this happens you start to lose control on the class as a whole, and those misbehaviors that you had before will start to grow in number, and will also grow in their magnitude. In my classroom at Trace I feel that my teacher has a really quick reaction time, and so the students know that she means business. She usually states what the misbehavior was quick and swiftly, and the student knows not to do it again. She has great control of her classroom, and usually most of the students know what is appropriate to do in the classroom. If you wait to long to talk to a student about a misbehavior then you run into the problem of them not even remembering what they really did wrong. The human mind doesnt hold onto small details of an event for long, and so the longer you wait the more likely the student wont entirely remember what they did wrong. If the student doesnt remember the event fully, then you run into the problem of not being able to correct the misbehavior and them doing it again at a later date, and wont see the problem with this because you didnt mind last time? So why does it matter now? When this happens you have lost control completely of the situation and your class, and it is really hard to rope that back in. Entry #2 Technique #43 Description: This is a short idea that you should always correct students in a positive manner. Try to always make consistent corrections with your students, and make sure that theses corrections are positive. You should tell your students what you are wanting to see them do, so that they can see how they could improve or change the negative behavior. The idea is made up of six rules: live in the now, assume the best, allow plausible anonymity, build momentum and narrate the positive, challenge, and talk expectations and aspirations. First, live in the here and now and tell students what they can correct from this point forward, not what they did wrong in the last minute or so, because they cant change what already has been done. Next, dont just assume that a student was disobeying it could just a misunderstanding on the students part or be due to a lack of practice. The plausible anonymity is that

you should try to refrain from using a students name and should deliver advice without names so the student and you are having an understanding that the improvement comments are between the two of you and not just the entire class so they will be more likely to try and improve. When you are making comments they should lean towards the positive and the students should be getting feedback that wants them to do better and keep going. This will help them achieve momentum in the activity and learning. You should even try to create challenges in the class, for example by pointing out the class as a whole was great last week so lets see if they can be better this week. You can even point out the positive action done by one student, thus making the others want to copy that positive action so they can receive praise. Lastly you should try to show that you are caring in the students time and effort and dont patronize them when they are slow, but let them know I need you with us. It doesnt sound as harsh, and makes it sound as if you really need their help in the situation. Observation/Implementation: Students generally want to make their teachers and parents proud, and nothing can ruin their day more than when they feel that they have really messed up their positive relationship with you. When you frame your observation with them in positivity then you make them feel like they are still loved and no damage has really been done to your relationship. However, you are still able to correct the situation or possible misbehavior, and make adjustments without singling them out in a negative way. This can also be great because it can work as motivation for them to work harder, and more efficiently. In my classroom my teacher really tries hard to talking to her students in a positive way that makes them feel like they arent exactly in trouble or that she is mad at them. That is when a relationship can truly start to break is when the student feels like their might now be a crack in the foundation of your relationship with them. Or they start to believe the, my teacher is just mean, stereotype. My teacher tries to talk to the students as if she is hoping they will make a better choice, and not that they did something wrong. She tries to look forward to the future, instead of harping on them for something they did wrong. This makes them feel like they can gain back brownie points with her before the day is out, and that they are still in her good graces, and not completely shut out. Technique # 46 Description: The way that I would remember what the J-factor is as written by the book is just the idea that it is the factor of joy in a lesson, that truly makes school and learning fun in the classroom. The idea is that a great teacher

shows energy, passion, enthusiasm, fun, and humor in a lesson. It isnt to take away from the hard work in a lesson, but to help the students enjoy what they are learning about and help get through that hard work. For example playing games in the classroom can make a lesson more fun, and help them learn new material almost at a stronger rate, because they can come back on that fun memory of learning the information and it is more deeply engrained in their mind. Doing drama, song, and dance to learn lessons is probably one of my favorite ways to bring fun into a lesson that can otherwise be boring. Songs are catchy and stick in their brains for a lifetime. Some of the songs I learned in my primary schooling years still stick with me now, and thats how I remember the information that I was taught. When you also add suspense and suspicion in a lesson you also help make the student feel like they arent in just a cycle of work and lessons that can be boring, especially for younger students and they wont be as likely to tune out the ever important lesson. This is not an instructional tool, it is a way to make students feel a sense of belonging and that they are home in the classroom, such as giving them nicknames. Observation/Implementation: My teacher in our classroom is great about trying to find ways to make her lessons more enjoyable for the students. For example when it comes to practicing literacy in our class she tends to use a lot of games for the students to use to work on their skills with fluency and vocabulary so that they are really enjoying themselves, but they are still practicing skills and making the most of class time. You can do this in a classroom by really adding some fun aspects into the lesson to make it fun for the students to learn, and they are getting something out of it. Changing up the cycle of work is great, but usually I wouldnt say it is best to do this with the younger students only because when you change up the younger students routine they tend to have a harder time focusing, and they lose that train of thought and get rowdy. For example on the day that we went to presentations and our schedule was moved all around my students didnt pay attention nearly as well, and we had a more difficult time controlling them. I think it is important to add in that joy factor in your class room, because it will only make the students want to learn more, and they will get more out of your lessons. Entry #3 Technique # 26 Description: The idea of everybody writes is that they students are given the opportunity to reflect first in writing before discussing. This helps them

formulate their ideas before they speak, thus making it easier on the students incase of a cold call. I write to know what I think. This can help the t eacher ask for more ambitious ideas when they answer a question, because they have had the time to write down their thinking, so they have less likely of a chance to ramble when called upon. It can help the teacher select effective responses before the discussion so you know what ideas might be important to call upon. It also gives those who usually are not called upon a chance to speak. Usually when you ask a question to the class the same students raise their hand, with the everybody writes idea, every student should have something written so those students who are more unsure or nervous will be more likely to answer, or if called upon will have something to say. To have a student write down their idea is a challenge it engages them, challenges them intellectually, and improves the quality of their ideas and even their writing. Also I find this truly from even my own schooling, but students remember twice as much what they are learning if they write it down. So this strategy doesnt just improve their quality of writing, but it improves their quality of thinking that informs discussions at key points in the lesson. Observation/Implementation: As a student myself I really do like this method because I have a hard time figuring out my thoughts when called on command. It isnt that I do not know the answer; I just tend to ramble and not get my answer in a clear, concise way to explain to the class. So when I am asked to write out my answer I tend to do better, if not only because my answer is right there in front of me. My teacher uses this a lot when it comes to math. She will have the students explain their thinking on the paper, and gives them around five to ten minutes to do that before she brings them all to the rug. She can walk around and see where their thinking is going, and help them if needed. So when the students make it to the rug they feel a bit better about answering her questions. Especially with math I think this is important because the student doesnt fell like youre trying to trip them up, bu t helping them understand math just a bit better, because it is a difficult thing to do in 2nd grade. Especially because they are just starting to explain their thinking when it comes to math. I think it is important to implement this also because it really helps those students who like to think before answering questions in class get a firm grip on their idea, and then actually get to share it instead of having that race to see who gets their hand up first. Technique # 27 Description: Vegas are the moment, or the sparkle, in a lesson that makes a lesson more fun. Unlike the J-factor this strategy is an instructional tool in a

lesson. It is supposed to be short, sweet, and on point and when it is done the sparkle is done. This can be about thirty seconds long and can be an interlude in the lesson. It almost is like a commercial break within the lesson. It can be something that focuss on the lesson at hand or reinforce an already learned lesson from a previous time, so that you are always reviewing. This has to implemented with care, and make sure that it is quick. Other wise you could be taking the lesson off topic and being doing as much harm as you are good. For an example in the middle of a math lesson you could take a thirty-second break to run through a song about the mid-western states. It gives the students a break from the math going on, but it fills it with a valuable review. Observation/Implementation: I think Vegas can be a great tool to use in the classroom, because sometimes our minds just get worn out when using the same tools and strategies for an extended period of time. My teacher sometimes will take a break in the lesson to go over math ideas in the middle of a writing session, because the students just need a break from their work. This sometimes can be really beneficial especially with those students that are ADD/ADHD because it can be really difficult to focus on one idea the entire class period. I have seen her also do the reverse side and do this in the middle of a math lesson where my students have a really hard time focusing. She might have them stand up and do a silly song or dance, and it gets them moving and then they quickly sit back down and get back to work. I would implement this by maybe going over a song that we learned to learn states, facts, science, math, ect.. and it would get them up and moving and go over that information that I really want them to remember. Entry #4 Technique #28 Description: This is making a habit out of what is effective and efficient in the classroom after the students have entered the classroom, been greeted, and have taken their seats for class to begin. A typical routine begins with the students entering the room and picking up a packet of materials from a small table, this is usually by the door or in the center of the room. Sometimes in lower levels the packet of information might already be on the students desk to save time and confusion. This is more efficient because students can sometimes want to stop and talk to you if you are the one passing out the packet of work. So with the work on the table it reduces talking, and takes less time than you going to every single desk. The students should also have assigned desks so it stops any aimless walking around the room, asking themselves where they should set up shop. You should also have a system set

up for students when it comes to homework. Whether this is a special box for it to go in, turning in a folder, or putting it on the corner of their desk. This should be the same everyday so that there is a set up system for the students to follow when they come into the classroom. Also there should be an already set Do Now for the students to follow when they come into the room on the board. It might even be efficient to have an agenda on the board everyday, or the homework for that evening on the board so to lessen the amount of questions the students might have during the day. Every strategy in this section is about trying to be efficient when it comes to time, because every minute counts. Also it is about making things clear so that your students have less questions. Observation/Implementation: I think this is really important and can be super helpful when it comes to managing a classroom. For example my teacher has a set system when the children come to the classroom. The put their backpacks up outside, and bring their lunchbox to a big, and then bring their snack to a snack tray for later. They have a set schedule of learning that is consistent everyday so there isnt a question about what will be going on that day. The homework is always put in the blue folder in a bin on the large table in the front of the room, and they are supposed to get their art box and bring it to their desk and sit down. This never is deviated or changed and it really keeps the children in order in the hectic first few minutes of class. I think that it goes really well, and the room itself is in great order so that the students can find their belongings and know what to do when asked by the teacher. I think this is important in the class because it keeps everything in order, and it helps the students know what is going on so they have less questions. All in all it helps the class run more efficiently so that you can use the most of your class time and not focus as much on the transitions of the day. I really like the idea of implementing the exact way the day should begin so that students can come in and get situated on their own, especially when they might have had a rough morning. Technique #34 Description: Students needing to get water, go to the bathroom, or sharpen their pencil is a basic right in the classroom. However, there is a time for this in the day, and sometimes the students asking during a lesson can be distracting. Any way that a student can divert the topic of discussion can cause complications in trying to keep the lesson on course. Not only this but a student yelling out that they need to go to the bathroom or to get water, can really cut off your train of thought and hurt your momentum. If you develop

hand signals for these needs then you will have less moments when students are cutting you off, and it will make controlling their basic needs more efficient. This is done with hand signals, this is done by hand signs that students can show from their seat and do so non-verbally. It should be subtle enough to not cause distraction, and these need to be consistent throughout the year. You can answer these with a simple nod or shake of your head, or show with your hand how many minutes for them to wait. For the restroom a student can raise their hand with two fingers crossed to show the need for the restroom. To show the teacher that they need to get a sip of water the student can raise there hand with three fingers splayed out to look like a W for water. For a new pencil a student can simply raise their old pencil in the air for you to sharpen for them, since students usually more time then needed when it comes to sharpening. For a tissue students can pinch their nose and raise their hand. I think these are also great because sometimes it is awkward for the student to say allowed what they need, these are subtle so that avoids this awkwardness. Observation/Implementation: In my classroom my teacher uses almost these exact same hand signals to help direct her classroom and the students basic needs. I love these and have never seen them before this placement, and think that they are very beneficial and really help keep the class moving along. The students can stay in their desk or walk up to her and show her the signal and she either nods or shakes her head so they know if they can go to the restroom or to get water. I think that this really helps keep the classroom just a bit quieter, and it comes in handy when she is teacher a lesson because she never really has to break her train of thought. I would like to implement these in my future classroom, because I believe that they really get the momentum of the class going and by using these signals you arent going to break that momentum. I really like the idea of having a signal for a student needing a new pencil and my teacher doesnt do that one, but I can see the point behind that because my students tend to take their time at the sharpener. I think that these are great because it does help the teacher control the classroom, and help not break up the lesson and her directions. Entry #5 Technique #5 Description: Sometimes when we are teaching content we immediately lower the standards for the content in the way we speak about it. Sometimes without even knowing we can be apologizing for worthy content and even acknowledge to the students that you pity that they have to learn this content.

This can happen quickly, and it might just be a quick comment but that quick comment can make the student suddenly care less about what they are about to learn. The book gives us four primary ways that we accidentally do this in our classroom without even intentionally doing it. First, we assume that something is going to be boring for the students. This is done when we might say to a student that we know that the work is dull, but we will just have to try to get through it. Already you have diminished how the students might already feel about the content before you even get started. Next we might do something where we blame the content itself, by stating that Im sorry that we have to learn this but it is on the test so we have to learn it. The students dont need to know that the only reason you are teaching the content is because you are obligated to by the curriculum. Next this is tricky because it talks about being accessible, which essentially states that you are replacing content with fun things, and then try to lean on a good reason for you doing this. Finally there is apologizing for your students, this can happen when you make it sound like you didnt expect them to get the content in the first place. This dejects them early on and wont boost their confidence and they arent going to want to put the time in for something that they are told they might not get anyway. Observation/Implementation: I think that this is such an easy mistake to make, because we want to sound like we are empathetic to the students, and sometimes yes that portion of the lesson might be the best. However, lets hope if it really was that boring of a topic that a teacher could be creative enough to make the lesson more engaging. I have seen this in my own classes where a teacher might accidentally say that the work is boring but we will just have to get through it because we have a test that we have to take on it at one point. I can say however, that in my classroom Mrs. Harris never says any of these negative comments and makes everything that she teaches seem to be a bunch of fun and something that we are lucky to get to hear or read about. I have yet to hear her mention any of these apology terms, and I know that she must be very conscious about this. It is easy to fall into the rut of using these phrases, and even though I have heard these used before I have never thought about how those might affect my learning, or my attitude towards a body of work. This idea that what we affect the attitude of our students learning is so important and sometimes it is easy to forget that the simple use of our language before a lesson can really impact the amount that our students want to listen, or affect their overall desire to learn the new material. If we watch out for those phrases it can help improve not only the attitude of the class, but help our students retain more information from the lesson, because they will be more willing to listen to that new information.

Technique # 7 Description: It is important before you teach content that you make sure that your lesson is effective and that you have a good reason for teaching it. This can be double checked by using the 4 Ms method, this is stated with the 4 Ms: manageable, measureable, made first, and most important. The idea behind manageable is that the objective should be checked for size and scope, and made sure that it can be taught in a single lesson for that day. Dont plan to teach something in one day if it actually is going to take a week, because you will only stress out your students. Measuring is when you make sure that at the end of the day or lesson that you should be able to see your students improvement or how effective your teaching actually was. A great way to do this is to have the students do an exit ticket before the end of the day. Made first, means that the objective will be more effective if it is made to lead the activity, not the activity made first and then selecting an objective to form around this. The objective should always come first. Finally, the idea of most important is the simple idea is that you should look beyond the fluff and see what is most important to teach your students to get them where they need to be. This will help you move the students right along to where they need to be, and help get them up that mountain of learning. Observation/Implementation: I think this is something that we have had to learn as a block together this year. That first off our objective should come before we try to find a way of doing the lesson or activity, because that is based on the standard that we are trying to implement or teach. A foremost we are trying to at the end of a lesson try to do an assessment with our students to see how they are taking in the information, and how we did as a teacher in teaching this new material. I think that my teacher at Trace Crossings Elementary does a great job at following the 4 Ms and seems to keep the end result in mind when she is planning her lesson or activity for the day/week. I think that her assessments whether the students do them by themselves or the one on one assessments my teacher does with literature is very measureable and has given her great insight to what her students know. I think that she is great about looking at the end result of her year, and really tries to get her students to that point, and thus far she really has. I think that it is important in the class to really look at your lesson or activity first before you implement it to look to see if you have these four things and that it is really something that is going to help them climb that mountain to that end result, and that you can really measure their progress to help see where they are when it comes to climbing that mountain. I think that my students did a great job with the lessons that Mrs. Harris gave them this semester, and it was

possible because she did a great job with explaining it to them, and making it clear and having a distinct destination at the end.