Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Chapters 15 & 16: Make it Cool to Care and Clarifying Your Core
Identify your core beliefs about teaching. Share one or two with our blog community and explain its importance to you.
Chapter 14: What About These @!$#* Standardized Tests?
What things are we doing at our school that are not measured by standardized tests but still vitally important? Are there things that the standardized tests measure that we as a school are not doing? What behaviors must we agree on in order to ensure success on standardized tests?
Chapter 13: In Every Situation, Ask Who is Most Comfortable and Who is Least Comfortable
How should teachers apply the "most comfortable/least comfortable" ground rule when dealing with belligerent parents?
Monday, June 8, 2009
Chapters 11 & 12: Random or Plandom? Base Decisions on the Best People
Think of a teacher who taught you in whose classroom events always seemed carefully planned. Was this teacher effective? Describe a teacher you had or know who always considers his/her very best students when making decisions regarding teaching and learning. How do you feel your teaching approach would compare to this teacher's?
Chapter 10: Ability to Ignore
What are behaviors that we should regularly overlook which often occur in the classroom? When should we go with the flow and when should we stop and take a stand? How do you determine which disturbances are trivial and should be ignored and which should be responded to? When responding how do you do so without escalating the situation?
Taking It Back: Would you be willing to have a lesson videotaped (15-30 minutes) for you to review and conduct a self-analysis this year? Monroe will NOT do the videotaping!
Taking It Back: Would you be willing to have a lesson videotaped (15-30 minutes) for you to review and conduct a self-analysis this year? Monroe will NOT do the videotaping!
Chapter 9: Don't Need to Repair-Always Do
Read the poem "The Builder", which is reprinted below. Discuss how the themes of the poem relate to the themes of Chapter 9 'Repairing and Building'.
The Builder
I saw a group of men tearing a building down,
A group of men in my hometown.
With a heave and a ho and a mighty yell,
They swung a beam and a side wall fell.
And I said to the foreman, "Are those men skilled?
The type you'd hire if you wanted to build?"
He laughed and replied, "Why, no indeed."
He said, "Common labor is all I need.
Why I can tear down in a day or two
What it takes a builder ten years to do."
And I thought to myself as I walked away,
Which of these roles am I going to play?
(Author Unknown)
Extension Activity (for the gifted among us) Try your hand at rewriting the poem for the role of a teacher, creating 10 rhyming couplets, but keeping the final couplet as it is in its current form. Share.
The Builder
I saw a group of men tearing a building down,
A group of men in my hometown.
With a heave and a ho and a mighty yell,
They swung a beam and a side wall fell.
And I said to the foreman, "Are those men skilled?
The type you'd hire if you wanted to build?"
He laughed and replied, "Why, no indeed."
He said, "Common labor is all I need.
Why I can tear down in a day or two
What it takes a builder ten years to do."
And I thought to myself as I walked away,
Which of these roles am I going to play?
(Author Unknown)
Extension Activity (for the gifted among us) Try your hand at rewriting the poem for the role of a teacher, creating 10 rhyming couplets, but keeping the final couplet as it is in its current form. Share.
Chapter 8: The Teacher is the Filter
How can great teachers counteract colleagues who are prone to complaining about school, teaching, students, etc.?
Read this sentence: FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULTS OF YEARS OF SCIENTFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.
Now, count aloud the Fs in the sentence and count them only once. Do not look back and count them again. How many did you count? Many people count three or four, but there are actually six. The reason that nearly everyone undercounts is because the mind automatically filters out the F's in the word of, which is included three times in the sentence. Like the word of, negativity can be rampant; if we focused on every of or negative thing we hear, we would miss the big picture- the meaning of what it is that we are involved in, whether that is reading or teaching. How is this activity analogous to filtering out the negatives at school?
Read this sentence: FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULTS OF YEARS OF SCIENTFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.
Now, count aloud the Fs in the sentence and count them only once. Do not look back and count them again. How many did you count? Many people count three or four, but there are actually six. The reason that nearly everyone undercounts is because the mind automatically filters out the F's in the word of, which is included three times in the sentence. Like the word of, negativity can be rampant; if we focused on every of or negative thing we hear, we would miss the big picture- the meaning of what it is that we are involved in, whether that is reading or teaching. How is this activity analogous to filtering out the negatives at school?
Chapter 7: Ten Days Out of Ten
In this chapter, the book emphasizes that focusing on the positive elements of our classrooms and schools will give us more drive and energy as we face our daily work. Let's 'raise the praise' and 'Fill the FVES bucket!'. Share positive and productive things happening at Faucett-Vestavia in our classrooms and throughout the school.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Chapters 5 & 6: High Expectations for Whom? Who is the Variable?
How do ineffective teachers and effective teachers react when their students do poorly on an assessment? Is there a difference? If so, why?
Why do successful teachers insist on focusing on their own behavior rather than the behavior of others?
Throughout these two chapters, the book stresses the belief that teachers should take responsibility for what happens within their classrooms. It suggests that if we all look in the mirror each time we ask, "Who is the variable?", we will have taken great strides toward school improvement. Take a few moments to write about your thoughts on this concept.
Why do successful teachers insist on focusing on their own behavior rather than the behavior of others?
Throughout these two chapters, the book stresses the belief that teachers should take responsibility for what happens within their classrooms. It suggests that if we all look in the mirror each time we ask, "Who is the variable?", we will have taken great strides toward school improvement. Take a few moments to write about your thoughts on this concept.
Chapter 4: Prevention vs. Revenge
What do effective teachers need from the principal when they send a student to the office. Explain the significance of this need.
Identify at least 5 specific teacher behaviors in every teacher's bag of tricks that great teachers never exhibit.
Identify at least 5 specific teacher behaviors in every teacher's bag of tricks that great teachers never exhibit.
Chapter 3: The Power of Expectations
What is the most important idea communicated in this chapter regarding teacher expectations?
In addition to setting clear expectations for students each year, why do great teachers set expectations each new school year for themselves, too?
In addition to setting clear expectations for students each year, why do great teachers set expectations each new school year for themselves, too?
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Chapters 1 & 2: Why Look at Great? It's People, Not Programs
Why should we look at what great teachers do?
What is it that determines-in the eyes of parents and students-whether or not a school is great?
What is it that determines-in the eyes of parents and students-whether or not a school is great?
Welcome!
Welcome all to Faucett-Vestavia's 'What Great Teachers Do Differently' blogspot! This is a new way for us to continue our professional development which will help us become GREAT!
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