Making #Learning Irresistable

A lecture describing importance of being adventurous in teaching and to create curiosity in our student.

A Teacher's Lessons for Business Leaders - by Carmine Gallo

Ron Clark is known as "America's Educator," but his formula for motivating students applies beyond the classroom. One of the most inspiring leaders I've met in the last several years does not run a Fortune 500 company, did not launch a startup in his garage, and has not led an army.

He's a school teacher. But his persuasion skills are so effective they should be adopted by anyone who manages anyone.

Ron Clark taught elementary school in North Carolina. After watching a program about a New York City school that had a hard time attracting qualified teachers, he decided to head to New York with the goal of teaching in one of its toughest schools. Clark eventually landed a job doing just that in Harlem.

He asked if he could teach a class of fifth-graders who had been performing at a second-grade level. The school's administrators wanted to give him the gifted class, but Clark insisted on the underperforming students. In one school year, Clark's fifth-grade class out performed the gifted class. Clark became Disney's teacher of the year, a best-selling author, an Oprah guest, and the subject of a made-for-TV movie, The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry.

When I was writing my last book, Fire Them Up! I caught up with Clark to discuss how managers can use his techniques to motivate their teams. Here are some of the things he said:

Raise expectations.

Students and employees will improve their game in response to a challenge. When Clark walked in to his Harlem class, he announced what seemed to be an

absurd goal:

The class would test at grade level by the end of the school year. Once the students learned Clark was serious, they responded and began to act like the successful students he had known they could be. One month later, after Clark had seen the results, he began to express a vision nobody had dared to dream—they would outperform the gifted class by the end of the year.

As a leader, your job is to think one step ahead of the rest of your team and then equip it with the tools and confidence to get there.

Explain why before how.

"It's not enough to set a goal," Clark told me. "You need to tell your students why it's important to reach that goal. For my students, it meant a better future. I told them why they needed to know a certain subject, how it would be an advantage to them in their lives."

When it comes to inspiring your employees, the "why" is also often more important than the "how." Why should they exceed quarterly sales goals? Why should they improve customer service scores? Show your team how accomplishing these goals will improve their lives as well as the lives of those around them.

Encourage celebration and praise.

In Clark's book, The Essential 55 - his rules for success in the classroom—rule No. 3 is applicable in almost any business setting: If someone in the class wins a game or does something well, we will congratulate that person. Clark believes that anyone student or employee will do a better job when he receives praise. But he went one step further in his class. He encouraged the students to celebrate each other's achievements as if they were a supportive family.

He writes: "If you want a team to be successful, you have to create an atmosphere where everyone on the team is proud of each other.If you set a goal and everyone is working toward that goal as an individual and not as a team, it can be intimidating. But if you feel like you have the support of an entire team then you can set the goal as high as you want because there is no fear associated with it. Every person on that team will want to contribute to achieving that goal because they are doing it together."

Show genuine interest beyond business.

Clark cultivated a sense of curiosity and respect in his Harlem classroom, requiring students to respond to a question with a question (his rule No. 6). "You are far more likable and respectful when you are asking about the thoughts and opinions of others,"

Clark writes. Showing a genuine interest is a consistent theme among inspiring communicators. Motivating is about bringing out the best in people, but people will not listen to your message until they know you care. Show you care about them personally and you will bring out their best professionally.

Be positive and enjoy life.

Clark's can-do spirit is infectious. His words reflect his optimism, and he refuses to let any of his students speak the language of defeat. Rule No. 50 is simply: Be positive and enjoy life. Clark told me a leader must set the tone, especially with the words he chooses to use. It is up to the leader to set high expectations, to praise people, to believe in them, and to do whatever it takes to help people meet their goals and have fun in the process.

Despite the challenges Clark faced as a teacher, he remained optimistic and steadfast in his belief that his rules would unlock the students' potential. His passion and positive energy allowed him to see opportunity where everyone else saw obstacles.

Clark's rules are intended to draw out the best in students. They can also help bring out the best in any team. And by inspiring your colleagues and employees in the workplace, you become the kind of person people want to be around.

Carmine Gallo is a Pleasanton, Calif. communications coach and author of the book, Fire Them Up! (John Wiley & Sons; October, 2007)

Lesson Plan Devolopment Guide

Importance Of Proper Lesson Planning

Have you ever walked into an exam totally unprepared? Ever taken a fitness test when you were out of shape? What about briefings - ever "tap-dance" because you weren't properly prepared? Hopefully, these scenarios are not a regular occurrence or part of your lifestyle. Occasionally, you may "pull something off," but usually such unpreparedness ends in disaster.

Why then, is it that so many instructors try to "shoot from the hip" when it comes to teaching or facilitating? People frequently say they have it all in their "head" or they work best when they pull "something" together at the last minute. Teaching is similar to the scenarios above in that, in order to do a good job, you must be properly prepared. A high school football coach used to always preach what he called "The Seven Ps":

PROPER

PRIOR

PREPARATION

PREVENTS

PATHETICALLY

POOR

PERFORMANCE

You prepare to teach class by reviewing materials, ensuring the equipment works, setting up student supplies, etc. You must also prepare by developing lesson plans. A lesson plan is a plan for learning. In the lesson plan you arrange the activities in a logical sequence for learning to take place. It is only with careful lesson planning that we can ensure we have included everything we need to teach the students effectively and that the material is organized in a manner that encourages learning.

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Purposes of Lesson Planning

Do not let the time it takes to prepare a lesson plan discourage you from doing so. The idea behind the lesson plan is to provide all instructors with a standardized tool for presenting instruction. In short, any instructor should be able to use the lesson plan and know exactly what needs to be taught and in what sequence. The three primary purposes of lesson plans are:

1. They aid the instructor in preparing for instruction.
2. They provide a tool for giving the instruction.
3. They document course content.

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Eight-step Lesson Planning Process

Lesson planning includes the following eight steps:

1. Determine the objective
2. Research the topic
3. Select the appropriate instructional method
4. Identify a usable lesson planning format
5. Decide how to organize the lesson
6. Choose support material
7. Prepare the beginning and ending of the lesson
8. Prepare a final outline.

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Step 1: Determining The Objective

A task list contains tasks (sometimes referred to as terminal objectives) and subtasks (sometimes referred to as enabling objectives). The objectives serve as the foundation for the entire lesson plan. For this reason, careful thought should go into their development. The objectives must be student centered, which is why the phrase "the student will...... is used in writing the objectives. They must be student centered to show what the student is required to learn, not what we want to teach!

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Step 2: Researching The Topic

After the instructional objective has been decided, it is time to outline the main points of the lesson and gather materials together to develop the lesson plan. Once you begin to research your topic it may become necessary to modify an objective or rearrange main points. This is normal. When deciding which material to select, choose materials that are both useful and appropriate. In order for the material to be appropriate, it should relate to the lesson objective and have a high possibility for student retention. In order for the materials to be useful, it should aid the instructor and student in the teaching-learning process. In other words, if the instructor chooses material solely because it is interesting, it may add little or nothing to the learning process. On the other hand, dry, uninteresting facts, even though they pertain to the material, can serve to put the students to sleep rather than enhance learning. You should strive to find interesting materials to support your lesson and arrange them to enhance learning. There are three sources available for research material: yourself (personal experiences), experiences of others (from conversations or interviews), and written or observed material.

Self- When researching a topic we should always start with what we know about the subject. Our knowledge helps to organize the lesson or point out gaps where we have no experience and require more extensive research.

Others - Discussing the subject with someone experienced in the topic could provide ideas, facts and

testimony, or suggest sources of information for the research.

Written or Observed Material - Although a lot of information can be gathered by personal experience, and talking to others, generally, it is not enough information and you will need to find written material on the subject. The most important source for written material is the library where you can find books, newspapers, magazines, journals, and sometimes case studies. When you research these materials you may decide that some of them should be required reading for your students. Keep that thought in the back of your mind while conducting the research.

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Step 3: Select An Instructional Method

An instructional method is a broad approach to instruction. The more common instructional methods include lecture, performance-demonstration, guided discussion, and teaching interview. When selecting a teaching method, consider the ways in which people learn: by doing, by discussing, by listening, by observing, by participating. No single method is suitable for all teaching situations. A method should be chosen that will best lead to the desired learning outcome.

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Step 4: Identify a Lesson Plan Format

This is your preference. Your training department can assist you in selecting the best format for your lesson.

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Step 5: Decide How To Organize The Lesson

Now that you have developed your objectives, researched the topic, selected your instructional (teaching) method, and identified a lesson planning format, it is time to organize your lesson. Every lesson requires an introduction, body, and conclusion. Most times, it is advisable to develop the body of your lesson prior to developing the introduction and the conclusion. This may sound backwards, but after you've completed the body of the lesson you will be in a better position to decide how you want to begin and end the lesson. When beginning the body of the lesson you must first decide how to organize main points and subpoints. Proper arrangement of the main points will help you, the instructor, teach the material, and it will help the students learn the material. Lessons, regardless of length, should have from two to five main points. Mainpoints and subpoints are arranged in one of six patterns of organization: patterns of time, space, cause-effect, problem-solution, pro-con, or topical. Along with the patterns, there are strategies (such as known to unknown or simple to complex) to be used. Although it may sound like a lot of decisions to make, once you've laid out your lesson materials they will lend themselves to one particular pattern and strategy.

The Strategy Statement

The following examples have been provided as a guide.

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WHAT? HOW? WHY?

LESSON TYPE: Informal Lecture

ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: Topical

STRATEGY: This lesson will begin with a definition of personal effectiveness to ensure that students start from a common reference point. Once the definition is covered I will discuss the three elements of the time management model: setting priorities, daily planning, and delegation, along with their relationship to personal effectiveness. Beginning with priority systems, I will establish the principle that "Using a Priority System Improves Personal Effectiveness" through lecture, questions, and answers. Since establishing priorities is the first step one takes in a time management system, it is logical that I begin here. Once priorities are established, planning can begin. With the relationship between priorities and personal effectiveness established, I will next examine how planning daily activities improves personal effectiveness. Finally, I will discuss how "Delegation Improves Personal Effectiveness". Delegation is the last step in my time management model and therefore, will be reviewed last during today's presentation. I will summarize the three main points in a comprehension-level summary combining my teaching points with the student inputs from the classroom questions to aid in reaching the generalization that "Time Management Techniques Improve Personal Effectiveness".

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WHAT? HOW? WHY?

LESSON TYPE: Teaching Interview

ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: Topical

STRATEGY: The interview will start with lead-off and follow-up questions about the general role and purpose of the Security Assistance Training Program (SATP) to show the main point that the SATP promotes national security. Then a series of lead-off and follow-up questions addressing the particular role the International Officers School (IOS) plays in the training process will demonstrate the other main point; viz., that IOS (also, as a player in the SATP) promotes national security. Students will learn what the SATP is from the point of view of its initial purpose as well as how it operates today. This will be done by use of a practicing expert within the SATP. The interviewing of the expert is chosen for two reasons: 1) to effectively present the concept of the SATP in an understandable and interesting format with the use of personal experience and real-life examples; and, 2) to foster an affective response on the part of the students by testimony of one who believes in the goals of the SATP. A topical pattern will be used to explain the goals and importance of the SATP as well as the goals and importance of IOS as it contributes to reaching that goal through the use of Air Force training resources. The interview will proceed from a general explanation and understanding of the role of IOS. This strategy should be more effective in fostering a deeper comprehension of the importance of the program as well as pointing out the personal relevance of the program to the ordinary Air Force civilian or military member, all of whom are likely to encounter an international military student during their careers. After the formal interview of the guest by the instructor, a question and answer period will be directed by the instructor to further illuminate the topic.

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WHAT? HOW? WHY?

LESSON TYPE: Demonstration-Performance

ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN: Sequential

STRATEGY: The lesson on determining cash value will be taught in sequential order to show how each step of the calculation builds on the next. The lesson will start with a brief explanation of present value and cash flows. This explanation will help students understand the benefit of using this method in deten-nining the time value of their money. Next, a demonstration and explanation of each task step of the process of calculating the present value of an unequal stream of payments to show each student how to extract necessary data from a scenario and obtain the present value of each amount. This demonstration and explanation step will also teach students how to use the present value table. The instructor will then have the students perform the calculations themselves while he reads the task steps to give the students practice under controlled conditions. Once the students have completed the task steps, they will practice once more on their own with the last practice occurring under conditions duplicating the final evaluation so that the instructor can be sure each student is ready. The demonstration and explanation of problem, the controlled practice problem and the independently done practice problem should provide enough repetition of the required sequence of steps while providing adequate time for questions to ensure students are learning the procedure. The instructor will then have the students perform the computations without assistance, and then he will grade the results to ensure the students have performed to the required standards.

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Step 6: Choose Appropriate Support Material

Although the organization of the materials forms the basic structure of the lesson, some type of clarification or proof support is still required for the student to learn. Most students find it difficult to understand unsupported ideas or assertions. Those of us who have children can associate with this. When children learn something for the first time normally they ask questions like why? Where? How come? Adults are no different. If they are learning something for the first time, they want proof to support what you are telling them.

The subject, the method, the ability of the students, and the size of the class, along with other factors will determine how much support material you require. For instance, if students have no background knowledge of what you are teaching they will probably require more proof support. On the other hand, if you have some very experienced students in the class that share their own personal experiences, you will require less support to get your point across.

Verbal support is required to clarify points made or to prove our assertions. Definitions, examples, and comparisons are used for clarification support. Statistics and expert testimony can be used for both clarification and support. During lectures the instructor provides the proof support. When student interaction is involved (demonstration-performance, informal lecture, guided discussion), the instructor asks the students questions in order to have them provide the proof support.

Definitions - These are often used to clarify or explain the meaning of a term, concept, or principle. There can be more than one definition, however, for any of the above. Technical terms may be familiar to the instructor but confusing to the students. Technical terms should always be defined in a language the student understands. If a term has a different meaning to different people it should be defined to eliminate misunderstanding. Just as it is necessary to define technical terms, it is also necessary to define acronyms. When teaching students a skill it is very critical that you teach the tasks in language the student understands.

Examples - Examples (especially personal experiences) add credibility to what is being taught and give the students information they can associate with, to better understand what is being taught.

Comparisons - It is easier for students to understand something they are unfamiliar with if you place it next to (compare it to) something familiar to them. You can compare things that are very much alike or things that are unlike. To prove an assertion you must compare "like" things. Contrast is a form of comparison and helps to explain things, for example, comparing AF training or management to civilian training or management.

Testimony - The experiences, words, and thoughts of others (experts) provides proof support for the points we are trying to make. For example, often our children do not listen to us when we try to explain the dangers of talking to strangers. When the police visit the schools and talk to the children, the children consider them experts and often come home excited and remember exactly what was said to them and why it is important.

Statistics - These are the most misused and misunderstood type of verbal support. They can help clarify ideas if collected properly and used wisely. Statistics show relationships or summarize facts and data. Some figures, however, are just numbers, they are not statistics. If using statistics for proof support consider the following:

Are the statistics recent? If you were trying to develop a household budget, statistics on housing, cost of living, etc., would be of no value to you if they were several years old. Before using statistics check the date and if no date is provided, they may be outdated.

Do the statistics indicate what they pu&port to? A single test score on a high school student may not give a true picture of their grades or aptitude. This is why military personnel applying for special job positions are often requested to submit the last 3-5 EPRs for review. If only I report was reviewed, it would not give a clear picture of that person's work history.

Do the statistics cover a long enough time to be reliable? If we were to base curriculum development changes on the feelings of one class this would not be a valid critique. Students vary with every class as far as their intellectual capacity, their work experience, their disposition, and what they expect to learn. This is why when we validate curriculum we normally do it over a period of 3 classes. This allows us to reach a broad background of students, and weigh the validity of the feedback.

If the statistics are drawn from a sample, does the sample accurate r resent the group to which we are generalizing? If we are going to give statistics relating to the people in the United States (for instance), we would want a broad sample of people and we would want to take people from all age groups, all ethnic groups, both sexes, and different levels of social status to get accurate statistics.

When comparing things, are the same units of measure used to make the comparisons? If more students fail one course more than another, we cannot necessarily conclude that the content of one course is more difficult. It could be that the grading scale was more difficult in one course, that prerequisite knowledge was not the same for both courses, or several other reasons.

Do the statistics come from a reliable source? It is ineffective to state "recent surveys show......

You should state the exact source of your information.

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Step 7: Beginning And Ending The Lesson

Before you start the final outline you must consider the beginning (introduction) and ending (conclusion) for your lesson. If the lesson is to stand alone, you should carefully prepare the introduction and conclusion. If other lessons follow this one it will be fairly easy to come up with your conclusion (it will lead into the following lessons). If this is the first lesson in a block of instruction the introduction will take more consideration than if it follows after the first lesson, for the same reason as above, the conclusion from the previous lesson will lead into the introduction of this lesson.

Introduction - The introduction serves the following purposes:

• Establishes a common ground between instructor and students
• Holds the student's attention
• Outlines the lesson and shows how it relates to the entire course
• Shows the student how the instruction will benefit them
• Leads into the instruction

Jokes can be a good way to break the ice as long as the joke is relevant to the material being presented. The three necessary elements in the introduction are: gain attention, motivate, and provide an overview of the lesson to be taught.

Attention - There are several ways to gain the students attention: you may talk about an incident related to the lesson, thereby leading into the lesson, you may ask a question that relates to the material, or any other means of showing the students the lesson has begun. Your primary concern is to focus the student on the lesson being taught.

Motivation - The whole purpose of the motivation step is to show the students how the lesson relates to them and why they need to learn the material. Before students can be motivated to learn, they must feel the learning will benefit them.

Overview - The purpose of the overview is to tell the students what you will be teaching them, show them the big picture so to speak. You should show the students the main objectives of the lesson using visuals if possible. The overview should serve as a roadmap to the students, showing them what they will be learning, and the route taken to get there. The basic purpose of the overview is to prepare the students to learn.

The conclusion of the lesson will probably stick with the student longer than any other part of the lesson. For this reason, you should prepare your conclusion carefully. The conclusion should accomplish three things: summarize, remotivate, and provide closure.

Final Summary - When dealing with knowledge level lessons it may be appropriate to have interim summaries throughout the lesson to emphasize the main points. A final summary is always made at the end of the lesson and should retrace the critical elements of the lesson. Reviewing the main points will aid the student in retaining the information and allow them to jot down any missed information in their notes. If dealing with a comprehension level lesson the final summary should provide logical reasons to support the desired conclusion (lesson objective).

Remotivation - As an instructor this is your last chance to tell the students why the information-nation is important to them. Effective instructors will continually remotivate students throughout the lesson.

Closure - This is normally the most difficult portion of the lesson. During the closure the students need to be released from active listening. Because this part is difficult, instructors often end up saying something like "well, that's all I have to say" which sounds lame. Use inflection in your voice to show the lesson has ended, or try a funny story, a cartoon, or a thought provoking question related to your topic. If the lesson is followed by another lesson, it is very easy to close by telling the students what is ahead in the next lesson.

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Step 8: Preparing The Final Outline

Now it is time to prepare the final outline! By now you've worked and reworked the lesson until hopefully you feel it is ready to go final.

Sometimes, as you develop your lesson you will discover the students would learn the material easier if it was presented using a different method or if the material was rearranged in a different order. Just remember to go back and readjust your method, media, and strategy statement, your task list, or whatever is affected by the change. Continually evaluate what you are doing to ensure the best student learning outcome!

The Student Leadership Variable

Leadership is a personality trait. All of us are on a "leadership" continuum. At one end, there are those that thoroughly enjoy and search out leadership roles. At the other end, there are those that actively seek a non-participatory status when forcibly involved with a group. Think back to your group work experiences in college courses, or your association with committees in your own school. Did you naturally "take over" the leadership of the group? Did you take an active, but participatory role? Did you sit back and take an absolute minimal role in the discussions of the group? It was your personal leadership style that served as the greatest determining factor as to amount of your group participation.

To briefly explain this phenomenon, during a study of Cooperative Learning in the classroom, I videotaped small group work during four different Cooperative Learning units. The videotapes were then analyzed, and the types of leadership shown within the various small working groups was explored. Each student was classified by predetermined criteria as either a "Leader," a "Follower" or a "Non-participant." The following are an explanation of the categories of leadership and leadership roles:

STUDENTS SHOW FOUR TYPES OF LEADERSHIP:

* TASK LEADERSHIP--The student is concerned with the process--keeping others on task, getting supplies, etc.
* INTELLECTUAL LEADERSHIP--The student offers a new idea to the group (versus simply answering someone's question with a research result).
* SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEADERSHIP--The student gives praise or encouragement to a member of the group.
* COERCIVE LEADERSHIP--A student gives negative feedback, or creates off-the-topic humor to disrupt the process, even momentarily.

STUDENTS TAKE THREE DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP ROLES:

* LEADERS--These students "run" all facets of the group, and initiate virtually all dialogue between members.
* FOLLOWERS--These students readily answer questions and participate, but usually only at the instigation of one of the leaders.
* NON-PARTICIPANTS--These students never offer information unless asked; they never volunteer for anything. However, they normally will do whatever task is assigned to them.

Amazingly, it was discovered that the only students who ever took significant leadership roles within the group, were those students who had been categorized as "leaders." "Followers" sometimes showed some leadership characteristics, and always at the instigation of the leaders. "Non-participants" never took any leadership roles; they answered questions when asked while using the shortest possible answers, and they quietly did their work without any interaction with others.

What was fundamentally interesting, and most important when determining Cooperative Learning group roles, was that a student leader might show leadership in "task" areas one day, or "intellectual" or "social" areas the next. The leaders varied in their leadership roles depending on what other leader happened to be in their group on that particular day. However, in all cases, all leadership roles were fulfilled by those students previously characterized as leaders. A student classified as a "follower" or a "non-participant" never took a leadership role within the group.

The repercussions of these findings are central to the development of a good Cooperative Learning lesson or unit. For if only those students with personality styles that enjoy and seek leadership take leadership roles, then the previous espoused concept of passing around group leadership becomes increasingly problematic. For if you make a student with a "non-participant" personality style into the group leader for that session, at least one of three possibilities will probably result:

* The students with leadership personalities will take over the group process.
* The students with leadership personalities will exert their internal need for leadership by sabotaging the group in some way, often unconsciously. (See the description of "Coercive Leadership" above )
* The non-participant student forced into leadership will be so uncomfortable and distressed at this role, that either nothing will get accomplished, or he will allow those who enjoy leadership to take over the group.

In all situations, if a "non-participant" type of student is artificially forced into a leadership position, the group will not function in the way that you originally planned.
Rather than incorporating predetermined group "leaders," a potential solution to this problem is to list tasks, or jobs, for the group to fill, and then let the natural group dynamics sort them out. For instance, you may tell a group that they need a spokesperson, a runner, a secretary, et cetera, and let them figure out who will do what job. You will find that in most cases, the group will distribute its leadership and task roles within minutes.

As an additional anecdote to this issue of group leadership, I had fun with the results of an extra cooperative learning lesson, one not included in the above study. In this lesson, among the various groups constructed, I ensured that three strictly homogeneous leadership groups were formed: one of all leaders, one of all followers, and one of all non-participants. The results were at times, humorous. The leaders group argued vehemently about who was going to do what task and cover what area. Finally, the students picked sections of the project out of a hat, and each worked on his own material--with no group cooperation or interaction. Since they were told that there was to be a group grade, many of the members covered areas assigned to other students, in addition to their own, figuring that they could do a better job! The followers had the best functioning unit, for within their own group, some had more leadership traits than others, and a natural hierarchy developed of leaders and followers. The non-participants each worked on the entire task, each on their own, with no feedback or discussion among the members of the group.

By:
DR. SCOTT MANDEL
PACOIMA MIDDLE SCHOOL
LOS ANGELES, CA

Ideas for New Middle School Teachers

In order to teach, you must have control over your classroom. This does not mean you should act like a dictator. If you try to teach without establishing control, then the quality of teaching will suffer.

In order to have true respect, you must give it. This does not mean that you accept undesirable comments in the classroom nor does it mean that you can run a classroom without some consequences.

In order to have discipline there will be consequences for bad decisions. This does not mean that consequences must be harsh to accomplish its job. Harsh consequences do not accomplish much except for breeding hatred. Consequences should fit the offense. Often the natural consequence is the best.

In order to be the authority figure in a classroom, there is an imaginary line that you shouldn't cross. Does that mean you cannot be a friend to your students? No, it means that if the friendship gets in the way of education, then it has crossed the imaginary line. (For instance, others may see such conduct as playing favorites and it could undermine your relationships with them.)

A teacher cannot always be fair, but should strive to fairly apply the rules.

A positive classroom will accomplish much more than a classroom that is filled with negativism--don't threaten your students.

If you discipline in anger, your judgment can be in error. Learn to be calm in the face of problems. It will be a healthier approach for you, and your students will learn from your problem solving abilities. Don't take your students' remarks personally--students at this age may hate a teacher one day and love him/her then next. It is a sign of their age, not their overall opinion of the teacher.

It is important to act, not react. Give students choices--for example: 1. You may leave the room and go to . . . . .(a pre-selected place--maybe another teacher can provide a time out corner if you don't have a time out room). 2. You may stay here and make changes in your personal choices. 3. You may stay in the room, but change your seat to an area where you agree there will be fewer problems.---When you give students choices, they have power--power to make a good choice and continue receiving instruction.

If the emotional and/or physical well being of a student is at risk, then the offender should be removed from the room--no choices.

If teachers copy the discipline style of another, it may not fit them or their classroom. Classroom control, like teaching, requires personalization--what works best for your class is what you should do.

The above list is generalities that work. Think about using them.... Whatever you choose, keep a positive atmosphere in the classroom.

Teacher Survival Kits and Student Welcome

SURVIVAL KITS

Have a student teacher or a secret pal? Give him/her this little survival kit. Place all items in a brown lunch bag along with this handout:

1. When it spills, wipe it (paper towel)

2. When it cries or sneezes, dry it (tissue)

3. When it bleeds bandage it (Band-Aid)

4. When it needs a hug and a kiss, give it (candy kiss)

5. When it rips, pin it (safety pin)

6. When it's sour, sweeten it (pack of sugar)

7. When it's wrong, erase it (eraser)

8. When it pounds, soothe it (aspirin)

9. When it hurts, grin and "bear" it (bear sticker)

10. When it's important, write it down (note pad sheet)

11. When it's a good day, chalk it up (piece of chalk)

12. When it's a bad day, ask God for strength and hope for a better day tomorrow (nothing is found in the survival kit for this need - it comes only from the heart and soul of the teacher).

13. When it's gossip, cut it out and dispose of it (word gossip on a sheet of paper with cutting dashes around it)

WELCOME BAGS

Place the items described below in a brown lunch bag and include this handout:

The items in this bag have special meaning:

The cotton ball is to remind you that this room is full of kind words and warm feelings.

The chocolate kiss is to comfort you when you are feeling sad.

The tissue is to remind you to help dry someone's tears.

The sticker is to remind you that we all stick together and help each other.

The star is to remind you to shine and always try your best.

The gold thread is to remind you that friendship ties our hearts together.

The rubber band is to remind you to hug someone.

The penny is to remind you that you are valuable and special.

The toothpick is to remind you to "pick out" the good qualities in your classmates.

The bandage is to heal hurt feelings in your friends and in yourself.

The eraser is to remind you that we all make mistakes, and that is O.K.

The life saver is to remind you that you can come to me if you need someone to talk to.

A School/Class Recognition Project

The concept is based on the ideas of "Pay It Forward" and blue ribbon awards.

MATERIALS:

• royal blue ribbon, the 3/4' works best and is sold on spools
• small gold safety pins, be sure they are the kind that have a loop (or a curl) scissors
• thimble-you will REALLY appreciate having this
• zip lock type bags, gallon for class and quart sized for 3 ribbons per student
• sharpie
• optional: colorful or cheery computer paper, to write a personal message or instructions
• optional: a children's book to illustrate kindness, selfless or related ideas

METHOD:

1. Pre-teaching activities: Submit the idea in writing or verbally to the principal, assistant principal and if possible your team leader, it is crucial to have the support of your administrator and team for the success of this project. Once you have the go ahead, enlist help to cut, place on the safety pin (like the AIDS and Cancer ribbons) count and sort into bags per student and class. On a Friday or Monday present the idea to the class to gage interest and publicity
2. Open with a short brainstorm discussion or children's story about kindness, recognition or other related topics.
3. After a few minutes, share a brief story of someone that you want to recognize and why.
4. Then call on a few students to briefly share similar stories.
5. Then after they have ownership of the idea of recognition, pass out blue ribbons to the students individually and help them put them on if needed.
6. Another way is to start with 1-5 students and individually recognize them and have those students in turn recognize another student and so on until the whole class has been recognized.
7. Try to say something to each student, but in the interest of time a whole class statement is fine.
8. After they are wearing their ribbons, have them think about someone that they would like to recognize for their positive contributions.
9. Then pass out the individual zip lock bags with 3 ribbons to each student.
10. The students recognize one person and present them with a ribbon, then the other two ribbons that are left in the bag.
11. The recognized person then recognizes another person and presents them a ribbon and the remaining ribbon in the bag for them to pass on.
12. To adapt this activity for the whole school: With the administrator's approval, make ribbons for each student in the whole school-enlist help for this if possible.
13. Have a student from your class pass out the ribbon bags to each teacher in the school, and be sure to have the students recognize everyone on the campus with a presentation of a ribbon, and possibly one to pass on. You might want to discuss this project in detail with the faculty in writing (on the cheery paper) or e-mail, a brief presentation at a faculty meeting is also good. You may also want to have the students in your class create a mini-explanation and type it up to copy/distribute with the ribbons.

EXTENSIONS:

• Upper elementary learners can write journal entries about topics relating to the project including the person they gave a ribbon to and why, personal reflections/opinions about the project. Lower elementary can create a picture and a sentence, or dictate what is in the picture.
• The student excitement and enthusiasm for this project is contagious! Not to mention the parents and the rest of the school. It is amazing to see virtually a whole school wearing blue ribbons and a smile.

Guidelines for good classroom management practice

Editor's note: There are many different practices that are used for good classroom management. Here is one teacher's opinion. As with all classroom management practices, adapt what you like to your classroom, taking account the age, ethnicity, and personality of the class as a group, and of you as a teacher.S.M.

Maintaining good order in classrooms is one of the most difficult tasks facing young inexperienced teachers. The task has become more difficult over the past few decades as young people's attitudes to people in authority have changed dramatically. Some of the changes have led to greater self-confidence in students. Others--such as the acceptance of violence to achieve ends, attitudes to substance abuse and an increasing lack of respect for authority--have made classroom management and life in school generally more difficult, and more demanding, on those who are charged with maintaining a positive learning environment.

Many disruptive behaviors in the classroom can be alleviated before they become serious discipline problems. Such behaviors can be reduced by the teacher's ability to employ effective organizational practices. Such practices are at the heart of the teaching process and are essential to establishing and maintaining classroom control.

The following set of organizational practices should help to establish effective control of the classroom by the teacher:

1. Get off to a good start.

The first "honeymoon" encounter between the teacher and the students is when they formulate their impressions of the teacher. Students sit quietly, raise their hands to respond and are generally well behaved. The teacher is easily misled into thinking that this is an ideal class and may relax their vigilance. Students within a week will begin to test the waters to see what they can "get away with". It is during this period that the effective teacher will establish the expected ground-rules for classroom behavior.

2. Learning School Policies.

Prior to meeting the class for the first time, the teacher should become familiar with school policies concerning acceptable student behavior and disciplinary procedures. The teacher should definitely know what the school expects from both student and teacher in regard to discipline.

3. Establishing Rules.

Establish a set of classroom rules to guide the behavior of students at once. Discuss the rationale of these rules with the students to ensure they understand and see the need for each rule. Keep the list of rules short. The rules most often involve paying attention, respect for others, excessive noise, securing materials and completion of homework assignments.

4. Overplaning Lessons.

"Overplan" the lessons for the first week or two. It is important for the teacher to impress on the students from the outset that he or she is organized and confident of their ability to get through the syllabus.

5. Learning Names.

Devise a seating arrangement whereby students' names are quickly learned. Calling a student by his or her name early in the year gives the student an increased sense of well being. It also gives a teacher greater control of situations. "JOHN, stop talking and finish your work" is more effective than "Let us stop talking and finish our work".

6. Be Firm and Consistant.

A teacher can be firm yet still be supportive and friendly with students. A firm teacher can provide an environment where the students feel safe and secure. Many teachers report that it is easier to begin the year in a firm manner and relax later, than to begin in a lax manner and then try to become firm.

CLASSROOM SET-UP

It is typical for classrooms to be set up in rows, or lately, in groups of 3-4 tables (which allow for easier cooperative learning). However, there are fundamental problems for each:

In rows, studies have shown that the further back you go, the more discipline problems there are. The visual, aural and physical stimulation from the teacher is increasingly diminished as you move further back. This allows boredom to set in, and as a result, potential disruption.

In groups, the opposite is true. Students are over stimulated--by the peers that are now not only next to him/her, but across the table! There is now MORE to distract the student, leaving it harder for the teacher to keep the student focused on any frontal instruction.

An alternative is to arrange the chairs/tables into a three-sided "box"shape (|_|), (with an occasional second row if room demands). In this fashion, EVERY STUDENT IS IN THE FIRST ROW! The teacher can freely move around the room while talking, and therefore giving "personal"contact with each student. The result: greater attention and fewer discipline problems. Desks/tables can be moved into cooperative learning groups as needed usually within two-three minutes!

Standards and Benchmarks and The Classroom Teacher

First of all, you need an up-to-date copy of the curriculum for your grade or course

Standards, benchmarks, and indicators are becoming common in the world of educational jargon, but are we as teachers dealing well with the changes we are expected to make in the classroom. Many states are requiring state assessments based on the state curriculum. Here are six helpful hints in dealing with the new curriculum.

1. Look at the curriculum you must teach. Group like benchmarks by looking for a common topic where such a group could be taught. For example map skills might include learning the vocabulary, creating and using of a variety of maps, and identification of symbols on a map. (Concept: There is a place for everything.)

2. Next it would be beneficial to see if there is an overlapping with another subject. There is no need to teach the same concept twice. For instance, math might be covering scale drawing. Figuring the distance between two places might easily be taught at this time. (Concept: Kill two birds with one stone.)

3. Remember your activities MUST FIT INTO THE CURRICULUM. It is not effective to have a pet project that does not fit. One of the major obstacles to successful teaching is doing this backwards. (i.e., choosing an area of study and trying to "stick" the benchmarks into it). Be willing to let go of units that no longer fit the curriculum. (Concept: Only if the shoe fits, wear it.)

4. Understand the depth that is to be taught at your grade level and teach for mastery of that level. Some teachers cannot find middle ground. If it is introductory, then teach for mastery of the introductory concepts. If it mastery, then teach for mastery of the entire concept. (Concept: Water seeks its own level.)

5. Teach to the curriculum; do not teach to the test. If the testing genuinely tests the curriculum, then teaching the curriculum will make your students successful. Teaching the test gives limited understanding and is not responsible teaching. (Concept: Don't miss the boat.)

6. Incorporate fun activities. Just because the curriculum is well defined does not mean it will not fit into fun units. I teach how to buy cars when I teach economic concepts--think about it--when you buy a car you pay all kinds of taxes; it requires licensing and fees; understanding of supply/demand is necessary, acquiring savings, obtaining loans,etc. Can you think of anything an 8th grader would love to study more? Well, there are a few. But the point is the fun unit fits the curriculum. It also put the level of understanding into immersion because we pretend to buy the car at the lot (salesmen meet with the students and fill out a contract), loan officers actually review loan applications, etc. (Concept: Learning is fun.)

Okay, so are you tired of the cliches yet? Well, I stuck them in as reminders of the main points. If you work to do these things, teaching to standards and benchmarks won't be so bad. If fact, you know exactly what your responsibility is and that can make teaching easier.