Teach Like A Champion Strategy Reflection Journal

Trace Crossings Elementary and Irondale Community School

ENTRY #1
Technique #4 Format Matters
Description:
Whether it is influenced by the dialect a student is raised in, or a lack
of trying to do things in the correct format, many times students need
to be encouraged, challenged, or pushed to do things correctly. There
are different formats that a teacher needs to pay attention to when
observing and helping her students. The first format is grammatical
format. This format is a time when teachers need to help guide their
students to use correct grammar in their speech. Students will fall into
saying things the way they have grown up saying them, but that does
not mean they are correct. Teachers can be there to show the students
what is expected of them by having them repeat the teacher saying
the sentence in the correct way. There is also the complete sentence
format. Many times students do not say their answers in complete
sentences, which is not a good habit to form. Teachers can challenge
their students to say their responses in the correct format. Another
format is the audible format. This format is one that encourages
students to speak up in class. If they are being bold enough to say
their response to the whole class, then that response is worth speaking
loudly and clearly.
Observation/Implementation:
I have been able to observe each of these formats in my urban clinical
placement. Because of the environment my students are raised in,
they have many sayings or terms they use that are not grammatically
correct. I, as well as my teachers, correct the students will the
sentence they say quite often to show them the correct way to say that
phrase or sentence. Having students answer questions in a complete
sentence is something that I vividly noticed the first time I saw my
teacher implement this strategy. The students have a tendency to just
say the answer, but my teacher makes sure to prompt their response
by asking them to answer in a complete sentence. If the student did
not say the answer in a complete sentence, she then will prompt their
response by giving them the stem words of the sentence. I was also
able to observe the audible format when the students were reading in
class. Some of the students were not reading loud enough, and my
teacher had to ask them to speak louder. There are also a couple of
students that are shy when talking and do not speak very loudly.

Encouraging them to know their answer matters is key to making them

know they are noticed and appreciated in the classroom.
Technique #5 Without Apology
Description:
Giving students excuses to know learn everything to the fullest or go
into a lesson with a negative attitude is a trap that I believe many
teachers fall into without knowing it. Many times teachers will tell
students what they are about to learn is hard, they have to do this
because it is a part of the curriculum, or that what they are going to be
learning is boring. These side comments from the teacher are setting
the students up for failure, because they are going to go into the
lesson with a defeated mindset. Teachers need to begin lessons and
instruction without apology. They need to encourage students even if it
is challenging. One saying that a teacher could tell her students is
When youre in college you can show off how much you know
about A teacher could also tell her students that the content may be
tricky, but she have not seen much that they could not do.
Observation/Implementation:
Without Apology is a strategy I have not observed as much as I wish I
had observed it. The class I am in right now is full of students that do
not always succeed at the tasks presented to them. They know this
fact about themselves, which causes them to not try as hard as they
should when presented a new task. After observing this lack of
confidence, it made me want to instill confidence in the students.
When working one on one with one of the boys, I tried to encourage
him to know that he can accomplish the times tables even though they
may be challenging. I also told my students when beginning the
summarization lesson that I know summarizing may not be their
favorite task, but it is something that I knew each one could
accomplish. This strategy is one that I want to implement into my
teaching more often, because I believe it can motivate students in
great lengths.
ENTRY #2
Technique #6 Begin With the End
Description:
Many teachers plan their lessons without considering what they want
their students to accomplish at the end of the lesson. Doing this does
not benefit the students, because it does not give the students a goal

to accomplish, and it does not give the teacher a focus or direction to

plan her teaching. Beginning with the End means that teachers will
progress from unit planning to lesson planning. If teachers will plan
their lessons as lessons, they will be able to adjust their lessons
according to their students needs they observed the day before. This
technique will also use a well-framed objective to define the goal of
each lesson. Teachers also need to determine their effectiveness in
reaching their goal. This can be accomplished by observing how well
the students learned what was taught and how well the teacher
portrayed what was desired. The final step of this technique is for the
teacher to decide the activity.
Observation/Implementation:
Because of the way I have been taught to write lessons, beginning with
the end is something I always consider. When I initially write my
lessons, I think about what I want my students to accomplish by the
end of the lesson. After determining this goal, I then desire the lesson
accordingly. While sometimes I do not explicitly tell the students like I
know I should at the beginning of the lesson, I strive to inform my
students what I expect of them by the end of the lesson. I also try to
observe how my students are doing during the lesson and be flexible
to change what I am doing during the teacher. Observing how my
students did by the end of the lesson through the assessment also
directs me to know what I need to do differently or reteach the next
day. After I taught my summarization lesson, I recognized that it
needed extended teaching for clarity, solidification, and extra practice
for the students.
Technique #9 Shortest Path
Description
When teachers are trying to decide what technique, strategy, or
activity to use to teach their content, they may stumble across many
different possibilities. A teacher could use all of these activities if she
wished, but that does not mean that it would be the most efficient
idea. If a teacher has several different options to use to teach her
objective, she should ask the question, Al other things being equal,
the simplest explanation or strategy is the best. Instead of beating a
dead horse or using the longest strategy, a teacher should use the
most efficient option. This is important to do, because the students
only have so long of an attention span, and the teacher needs to
explain the information in the best way during the time that she has.

Observation/Implementation
The teachers I am observing right now use short activities to teach the
students, but I do not know that they are the most effective methods
to teach the information. I think the Shortest Path technique is one I
need to implement more in my lesson planning in order to become a
more effective teacher. While our lesson structure sometimes limits me
to choosing the shortest path every time, I need to use that structure
to the fullest and make the most out of every lesson that I plan.
ENTRY #3
Technique #13 Name the Steps
Description
If a student does not understand why they are doing what they are
doing, it is probably because the teacher did not name the steps in
which they are to perform the procedure. When a teacher names the
steps, she does several steps within this process. She first is going to
identify the steps in which they are performing the procedure. She will
break down the process they are doing, rather than just telling them
the basic process. After identifying the steps, the teacher will make
them sticky. When doing this, she will name each step in order for
the steps to stick more permanently in the students minds. Next, she
will build the steps When building the steps, the teacher will guide the
students to come to understand the steps and why they were designed
the way they were. Finally, the teacher will use two stairways. This part
of the technique challenges students to learn how to get an answer to
the current problem and how to answer any problem that is presented.
Observation/Implementation
I do not feel like this technique was one that I observed as easily as
other techniques found in the classroom. I believe this technique is
crucial when teaching math, but it is also important to other subjects
as well. When observing the first grade classroom I was placed in, I was
able to see this technique in place but maybe not to its fullest. My
teacher would explain what they were doing when doing math or when
breaking apart a story during Language Arts. She would identify the
steps and make them sticky, but I do not think used the stairways to
continue discussion. I believe the first three steps of this process are
extremely important and beneficial to a students learning, but the
teacher should also make sure to include the final step. This develops
great conversation techniques and problem-solving skills.

Technique #14 Board = Paper

Description
Learning how to take notes and become valued students is something
that can be equally as important as learning content in the classroom.
Learning the skill of note taking and becoming studious students is
something that needs to be scaffolded. A teacher can begin by placing
the graphic organizer under an Elmo camera and showing the students
what needs to be written down. As the students grow in their skills,
they can begin to learn how to make those intentional decisions on
what needs to be written down and what is not as important to record
on paper. Overtime, the students should begin to progress in their note
taking ability and begin filling out more and more information on their
own. They may begin completely longer passages of notes on their
own. Eventually they should reach a point where they can complete
note taking on their own by pulling out their own sheet of blank paper.
Observation/Implementation
The students I was teaching in my urban placement were third and
fourth grade students. These students have not developed note-taking
skills, which is something I observed from the beginning. For each of
my lessons, I created a note-taking guide for each student to complete
throughout the lesson. When teaching the lesson, I had to explicitly tell
the students what to write in which blank, and I had to write that
information on the board for them to see. Without my guidance, the
students would not have known what to write, and their paper would
have probably been left blank. I know that the teacher for these
students needs to continue using the board as paper and guiding the
students in what it looks like to take notes. Eventually they will be able
to record what they are learning without the teachers assistance, and
this ability may help them tremendously in understanding the content
and applying what they are learning.
ENTRY #4
Technique #19 At Bats
Description
This technique has an extremely simple meaning yet a powerful
purpose. When using the At Bats technique, students will be able to be
confident with what they are doing by the end of the strategy. It begins
with allowing the students to practice until they can do it on their own.
Students should also be able to use multiple variations and formats
when solving problems. This allows them to gain a better

understanding of what they are doing rather than memorizing one

specific technique. Finally, students should grab opportunities for
enrichment and differentiation. Some students will need to be
challenged with enrichment, while other students will need to have
differentiation and re-teaching. The At Bat technique is crucial for
students, because it refines a skill so well that it allows students to be
successful under any circumstance.
Observation/Implementation
Observing the At Bat technique is one I do not feel like I have had the
full opportunity to observe. During my urban placement, there are
many skills that students need to master, but they are not always
given the opportunity to fully learn and understand these skills. I
believe part of this observation is because I was there during testing,
but I also think it is because the students are so far behind that the
teachers want to cover what they can during the end of the year. I can
also testify that I know they need extra practice with what I taught
them during my time there. If I could change anything, I would want to
find time to continue teaching what I taught and give the students
more time to fully grasp and master the skill at hand.
Technique #22 Cold Call
Description
Cold call is a technique that has many parts that can go into this
strategy. Cold call is crucial to having full student involvement in the
classroom. This technique allows you to check for understanding
effectively and systematically, while also increasing the speed of your
lesson. This increase in speed happens, because the teacher no longer
has to wait on students to raise their hands to answer. Cold call is also
predictable, systematic, positive, and scaffolded. Cold call is
predictable, because it allows the students to pay attention and stay
on task. The systematic part of cold call occurs when a teacher implies
that it is not about the student, rather it is about the expectation the
teacher has for the class. A cold call is meant to foster positive energy
throughout the classroom. Sometimes students are able to surprise
themselves with how much they know and were able to share with the
class. While sometimes cold call can cause stress for students,
teachers can make it be a task that has a positive connotation if used
properly.
Observation/Implementation

Cold call is a technique that I need to implement into my classroom

more often. The first lesson I taught in my urban placement, I did not
use cold call. I do not always like calling a student if his or her hand is
not raised, because I know the anxiety it caused me as a student. The
next lesson I taught I tried to use more of this technique. When I call on
a student, he was not expecting me to call on him, and he did not have
an answer for me. I tried to give him time to think before he
responded, but he could not produce an answer for me. I believe the
more a teacher cold calls on students, the more they will be prepared
to give answers in class without having any anxiety. They will also be
able to be confident with their answers, because they will have had
several opportunities in the past to develop self-confidence as a
student.
ENTRY #5
Technique #31 Binder Control
Description
The Binder Control technique has a required place for students to take
notes, which is usually then placed into a binder. Many times this
binder will be provided by the teacher and will remain in the classroom
throughout the night so the binder does not get lost. If students need
to take something home that night, they will have a homework folder
they can take home that night that only has the required pieces in it.
When using this system, the teacher needs to have an organization
format that is kept throughout. Sometimes this system may consist of
having the students number each assignment that is placed in the
binder. This would allow the teacher to say, go to page 37 to find your
notes to review what we learned! In order for this binder to remain
organized, the teacher will need to take time in class that allows
students to put materials up where they belong.
Observation/Implementation
While I have not observed this specific technique, I have observed
something of the similar nature. In my urban placement, the students
each had a journal for each subject. They had a Science journal, a Math
journal, and a Reading/Writing journal. The students were required to
take notes throughout lessons in the appropriate journal, in order to be
able to go back and review what was taught. The students also glue
worksheets that were completed or graphic organizers that were filled
out in these journals. The journals allow the students to keep
everything in one place. While the binder technique allows the

students to only take home necessary items, this classroom takes

home every note that is in the journal. Students do not have to worry
about pages getting out of order, because they are secured in their
spot.
Technique #33 On Your Mark
Description
On Your Mark is a technique that could make the routines and function
of the classroom very smooth and well prepared after the technique is
mastered. On Your Mark asks teachers to be explicit about what
students need to have to start class. Students are asked to have their
paper out, desk clear, pencils sharp and ready, and homework ready to
be reviewed or graded. When a teacher is asking her students to have
these items ready, she needs to set a time limit for the students have
this items prepared. If the students are not ready in the allotted
amount of time, the teacher needs to have a standard consequence
that is implemented each time, regardless of the students excuse.
Students should also have some of the needed tools available for
students who recognize what they are going to need ahead of time. If
students begin to understand what is expected of them, they may
begin to understand that they can have these items out and ready
before the teacher asks. Once a class masters this technique, they will
be more prepared for daily tasks, and there will be fewer distractions.
Observation/Implementation
Students learning to be prepared for the upcoming tasks are more
challenging than I thought it would be for them to accomplish. Whether
it is first graders or fourth graders, they all struggle to be prepared for
the daily task they participate in each day. Even though students may
need a pencil for math every time they begin, many times they are not
prepared to work with a pencil. I have observed in both classrooms I
was placed in this year students not being fully prepared for what they
are going to participate in. One way I have observed a part of this
technique is having the students prepared before the lesson begins.
Each time I taught a lesson, we made sure the students had a pencil,
had the appropriate journal, and had their desk clear. By making sure
they had the required materials for the lesson, there was less
disruption throughout the lesson. Making sure my students are ready
for the lesson or other activities is something that I want to make sure
is implemented into my classroom. Making sure students know there is
a time limit and certain expectations that need to be met is an aspect

of this strategy I want my students to accomplish. Knowing that I have

to set boundaries and expectations and be firm with those decisions is
something I need to make sure to include and not back down on.