Team -
In addition to posting your own analysis of the weeks' chapter (see Example Post below), each week we would like for everyone to take a minute to read a few of your colleague's blog posts and respond with questions or comments on at least 2 of your colleague's posts.
This is what we would like to see from each of you:
Example post
In chapter 7, Lemov describes techniques that help build character, trust, and culture within your classroom. He describes the following techniques:
#43. Positive Framing
#43. Positive Framing
#47. Emotional Constancy
#48. Explain Everything
#49. Normalize Error
He also describes three others that really hit home with me:
#44. Positive Praise
Reinforcing good behavior with praise is one of the most powerful, but also most abused tools teachers have. Keep the following in mind when praising:
- Differentiate between acknowledgement and praise. Simply noticing when students do what’s expected is better than praise – reserve praise for exceptional or exemplary behavior
- Praise (and acknowledge) Loudly, and fix or correct softly
- Praise things within a students control, such as effort, instead of attributes such as intelligence
- Praise must be genuine.
#45. Warm/Strict
These two qualities are not opposites – in fact, they are unrelated qualities that all teachers should strive to have. Being warm AND strict sends the message that having high expectations is part of what caring for and respecting someone means.
- Explain to students why you’re doing what you’re doing
- Distinguish between a person, and a person’s behavior
- Demonstrate that consequences are temporary
- Use warm non-verbal behavior, as well as positive framing
#46. The J-Factor
Joy is what helps us get through the day, and fine teachers will offer up generous servings of energy, passion, enthusiasm, fun, and humor, along with the following types of Joy increasing tools:
- Fun and games
- “Us” – a classroom culture or family feel. Lemov suggests nicknames, unique language, rituals, traditions, songs, etc. to promote culture.
- Drama, song, and dance
- Humor
- Suspense or surprise
An example of a comment (for 1 of my two) might be:
Wow, Mr Gillaspie I too thought those three techniques really hit home most. What have you done in the past to really pull out the J-Facotr in your classes. Any suggestions help?
Chapter 7
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 7 Lemov dives deep into 7 techniques that he has seen work to build character and trust within students. There is one technique that has made me reflect most on my own teaching and reflect on the kind of teacher I strive to be—the warm/strict technique. In this section Lemov addresses the “myth” that warmth and strictness are opposites. Being both warm and strict at the same time is something I still need to work on as a teacher and, as Lemov put it, to have the mindset of “Because I care about you, you must serve the consequence for being late”, not “I care about you, but you still must serve the consequence for being late”; the latter of which I have seen many teacher approach a situation—myself included. Lemov breaks this technique down into 4 ideas:
• Explain to students why you’re doing what you’re doing
- While explaining everything (another of Lemov’s techniques) may seem daunting to teachers (my first thought when hearing this at the beginning of my teaching career was “who has time for that?!”), it is truly beneficial for students. Something as simple as telling your first graders “We need to do ____ because it will help your brain grow" helps students to be more invested in their learning.
• Distinguish between a person, and a person’s behavior
- Never let a child think you are frustrated with them-always try to frame it through their behavior (though for the younger kids it can be hard for them to tell the difference at times).
• Demonstrate that consequences are temporary
- This is the point that stuck out to me the most. The line “once you've given a consequence, your next job is to forgive” jumped out of the page for me. It can be very hard when a student’s behavior is offer the charts in one lesson (and they have a consequence for it) to then be able to look past it for the very next lesson. This is something I have struggled with and after reading this chapter I now have it at the forefront of my mind while I teach.
• Use warm non-verbal behavior, as well as positive framing
- Non-verbal cues are also great for pacing! (As opposed to stopping to have a lengthy, and sometimes non-productive, conversation with a student).
It is possible to be warm/enthusiastic/caring AND consistent/firm/unrelenting at the same time—it just takes practice!
Hi Ms. Cuevas,
DeleteYour point about consequences being temporary really resonated with me; it can be really difficult to move on, but doing so keeps the positive momentum and engagement for all students. I have also had difficulty with this in the moment, and I've also been working on remaining emotionally constant and moving forward. Sometime that's worked for me is reminding myself that all students come to school wanting to do well and receive positive praise. What strategies have been helpful for you? Thanks for sharing!
Ms. Barry
P.S. I also completely agree on your warm/strict approach; it's so important to strike that balance to maintain trust and respect.
Ms. Cuevas -
DeleteDistinguishing between a person and their behavior is imperative - I appreciate you having pointed that out. In my view this principle goes hand in hand with Positive Framing, so that a behavioral correction is aimed at the behavior itself, and done so in a constructive manner.
Mr. Martinez
Thanks for your response. Ms. Barry, for me I always remember that 1. they are 6 years olds. They're silly and have a ton of energy--we must never take it personal; and 2. every student loves to learn. As a teacher we should never get in the way of that by letting our emotions get in the way!
DeleteCHAPTER 7
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of a message depends heavily on the setting and tone of its delivery. In a school environment, effective communication is of utmost important as conversations range between topics. The following are techniques that will help communicate best with your students:
43: Positive Framing
People are motivated by the positive far more than the negative. You should correct student behavior in a positive way but also consistently correct, as it will be more effective. This can be accomplished by the following 6 rules:
Live in the now. Assume the best. Allow plausible anonymity. Build momentum, and narrate the positive. Challenge! Talk expectations and aspirations.
44: Precise Praise
To avoid poorly implemented positive reinforcement, use the following rules of thumb:
Differentiate acknowledgment and praise: Kids who meet expectations should be acknowledged as often as possible, while praise is rewarded to students who exceed expectations. Praise loud; fix soft: good behavior should go noticed by all, while whispered or nonverbal criticism and reminders allow students to self-correct without being in public. Finally, praise must be genuine: if you continually give insincere praise, students will not react to praise and begin taking praise as a sign of failure.
45: Warm/Strict
There exists a socialized belief that you are either warm or strict – but not both. As a teacher, you must deny this idea, and embrace both aspects, and at times, show both together. Through doing this, you will show that you care about your students, and because of that, have high expectations of them.
46: The J-Factor
The J-Factor is finding the joy in the work of learning; this will lead to not only a happy classroom but also a high-achieving classroom. You will work harder when you enjoy working on it. The following are five categories of J-Factor activities that champion teachers use:
Fun & Games: These activities draw on kids’ love for challenges, competition, and play.
Us (and them): Develop rituals and traditions that will make your students feel a part of something unique and exclusive.
Drama, song, and dance: Not only do these things create collectiveness (see above), but also help remember ideas and themes from lessons.
Humor: Laughter is a base condition of happiness, and should be dispersed in lessons.
Suspense & surprise: While routine is good for increased efficiency, etc.; breaking routine with suspense and surprise will make these slight variations more fun.
47: Emotional Constancy
Maintain your own emotions since school is a laboratory for kids to test their own emotions; you should expect anything and have a plan to deal with it. Your emotions should be tied to student achievement, not their emotions or your own mood. When correcting behavior, make it about your expectations not your personal feelings (i.e., I expect better vs. I’m disappointed).
48: Explain Everything
As a teacher, you must narrate the why’s of the classroom, explaining how students’ decisions will affect other parts of the day and explaining why your decision was made (i.e., not taking raised hands when you have a workshop to do, rather than just saying “not right now”). Successful Explain Everything happens before behavior needs to be corrected, in a calm setting.
49: Normalize Error
Getting it wrong, then getting it right is the normal processing for schooling. As a teacher, respond to both parts of the sequence as normal (i.e., don’t make excuses for wrong answers, etc.). Instead of talking about wrongness, get to the point of fixing it. On the other hand, don’t spend too much time or make too big a deal of right answers, it shows that you didn’t expect that.
Out of the above techniques, I feel that combining #45 and #46 are really important to maintaining expectations in the classroom, while simultaneously maintaining high morale. By continuously displaying warm and strict attitudes at the same time, but still having that J-Factor, students will respect your expectations, and have a fun time doing it!
Hi Matthew-- I, too, believe and agree with you that a combination is important. It is very imperative to have joy in addition to high expectations. What are some techniques that you have used or will utilize to achieve that goal in your classroom? Thanks in advance :)
DeleteMs. Gibson- What we bring into the classroom sets a tremendous tone. I agree with you, when we bring in the right ingredients we have a the making of a delicious cake!:)
DeleteMs. Gibson -- What I'm most excited for is to start using these techniques in the classroom since this will be my first time teaching! However, I can say that in my time with the tutoring program I used to run, it was important for me to establish a level of mutual respect between myself and the children, and from the initial meeting show them that I truly care. From that, I realized I was able to be a friend and mentor, while holding high expectations (e.g., we wouldn't go outside until all homework was finished, when you were at the table you whisper to the tutor next to you, etc).
DeleteBelow are some of the techniques that stood out to me, along with their key points and strategies.
ReplyDeleteTechnique 43: Positive Framing
Remember to “build momentum!” Children need positive energy and a challenge in order to make them as enthusiastic about achieving and exceeding goals as their teacher may be.
Technique 44: Precise Praise
It is crucial that as teachers we praise those students who are not simply doing what is expected of them, but demonstrating excellence and to make the praise as precise and as genuine as possible.
Technique 45: Warm/Strict
HUGE KEY POINTS:
- Explain to students why you’re doing what you are
- DISTINGUISH BETWEEN BEHAVIOR AND PEOPLE
- Demonstrate that consequences are temporary
- Use warm, nonverbal behavior
Technique 46: The J-Factor
Do not forget to laugh! Create an environment that feels personal and “safe” to the students therefore they are willing to challenge themselves and excel.
Technique 47: Emotional Constancy
Students learn behavioral norms in school and how best to interact with others. Teachers need to supply a stable environment for children to learn these subtle lessons, especially when dealing with group work or teamwork.
Technique 49: Normalize Error
Respond to both right and wrong answers as if they are expected and typical events in the classroom. Remember to not make excuses for the students and encourage the students to challenge themselves and take risks with the harder question sets.
Also, do not exaggerate responses to correct answers. Teachers should expect greatness from their students, therefore do not sully praise by
Hi Katherine-- I also agree and believe that your praise should be genuine and precise. If it is not, students will definitely know and grow tired of the "same old, same old."
DeleteHi Ms. Gibson! Thank you for your comment. I believe it is going to take practice to learn how to praise precisely, but I feel as though it will certainly pay off in the long run. Have a great day!
DeleteIn Chapter 7, Lemov describes 7 techniques that I also feel are critical in building character and trust. Because communication is so important in classroom culture, below are guidelines to help with your words and tone.
ReplyDeleteTechnique 43: Positive Framing
Correcting students in a positive way does not mean avoiding interventions.
1. Live in the now. Don’t harp on the past.
2. Assume the best. Until you know a student has a bad intention, remain positive.
3. Allow plausible anonymity. When possible, correct students without using their names.
4. Build momentum, and narrative the positive. Don’t narrate it when students do not follow directions. Avoid, “I’m still
waiting on some of you,” and try, “I’ve got almost everybody now!”
5. Challenge! Kids love a challenge so frame a direction as one, “Let’s see if we can get these papers in 12 seconds!”
6. Talk expectations and aspirations. When your class is doing well, tell them you feel like you’re among future
presidents, doctors, and CEOs. I used the latter frequently. Even when writing my objectives, instead of using SWBAT(Students will be able to...) I would sometimes write, the CEOs will be able to...
Technique 44: Precise Praise
Be specific about what you are praising and make it as public as possible. In contrast, criticisms should be whispered or nonverbal.
Technique 45:Warm/Strict
This technique reminds students that many of the either/or choices in their lives are false constructs. "I can have fun and work hard." So True!!
Technique 46: The J-Factor
Including joy in the work of learning is part of a high-achieving classroom. This can include
anything from games (Jeopardy), to making students feel they belong (making up funny nicknames for students). An example is I had a student named Dijon in my class(one of the sweetest students, EVER!) My nickname for him was "Mustard." He loved that I gave him that nickname and I had my other students wanting me to give them nicknames too :)
Technique 47: Emotional Constancy – Students will get upset at times, but the teacher must remain calm and under control.
Technique 48: Explain Everything
If the teacher explains why she is doing what she is doing – because she wants to help
students get to college or learn to be responsible – students will believe that their best interests are at heart and make better choices.
Technique 49: Normalize Error
Champion teachers show that it is a normal part of school to get it wrong, then get it right. Avoid chastising students or spending much time on wrong answers. I always explain to my students that the purpose of school is to learn and during that process, we will make mistakes, but the key is to learn from our mistakes and not repeat the same mistakes over and over.
Hi Ms. Gibson,
DeleteI completely agree that words and tone are so important to developing classroom culture. Since we communicate so regularly with our students, it's important to model these strategies so we can build trust and respect with out scholars and in our classrooms. I really appreciate how you build trust with your scholars by normalizing the error; it's so important to explain to students that it's okay to make mistakes and allow them to learn from their errors. Failure is not making a mistake or taking a risk...failure is never putting oneself out there and allowing a mistake to be made and learned from.
Thanks for sharing!
Ms. Barry
Ms. Gibson -- In your experience, have you found the "Explain Everything" technique difficult to maintain in times lessons began getting pressed for time? If so, how did you manage to continue the technique?
DeleteTeach Like a Champion Chapter 7 Reflection
ReplyDeleteTechnique 43: Positive Framing
One of the most powerful tools a teacher can use during instructional time. This technique not only motivates students, because statements are framed in the positive. Positive framing allows teachers to stress the positive with many students, but also get those students that are off task to correct their behaviors. A Teacher can also praise the students that are meeting expectations, but do not have to demean the students that are not meeting the expectations. The positive framing technique allows teachers to focus on delivering quality instruction, without having to impede the flow of the lesson for re-directing.
Technique 44: Precise Praise
This technique has really resonated with throughout my years in education. Praise is always important to give to students, but teachers need to be effective in how the deliver praise. Precise praise to me means to never lower your bar or expectations. Do not merely praise a student for meeting an expectation that is expected of them. Praise the excellent student that went above and beyond. Praise should always be loud and genuine. Really let the students know that you saw their greatness and you are proud of them. Always name what the student did, so they know that you are genuine with the praise.
Technique 45: Warm/Strict
My major takeaway is to be explicit and clear at all times. If you are explicit and clear being warm and strict, will be a technique that will work effectively in the classroom. It is important to always explain to students, what you are doing and be very clear. Always name the behavior that is not acceptable and never attack the person. Never hold negativity over a student. Always let a student know they can correct their behavior and start anew. The quick private conversation or non-verbal behavior is very powerful. This allows the student to see that you still care about them.
Technique 46: The J-Factor
It is simple with this technique. Bring your personality to the classroom. Enjoy your students and laugh with them. Create an environment that is welcoming and warm for students. Create chants, songs, and cheers. Allow students to enjoy learning at all times.
Technique 47: Emotional Constancy
My main takeaways from this technique, do not allow yourself to get too emotional involved in situations. Do not use harsh or attacking words with students. Remain the stable force in the classroom. Let students see that you are under control at all times. Do not allow your emotions to get the best of you. In the midst of a difficult situation with students always keep your composure.
Technique 48: Explain Everything
This technique is one that all great teachers do very well. It is important that you explain with clarity and detail to students. When teachers explain everything with clarity, detail, and consistency it clears all ambiguity. Students are going try to find ways at times to get around certain things. If a teacher explains everything this does not allow students to find holes, because everything was explained with detail and clarity. This will lead to being on task and maximizing instructional time.
I agree with your views. Students are quick to capture if one is transparent or inconsistent. As a new teacher, I find these tools will help me stay on track as well.
DeleteMr. English -
Delete"Bring your personality to the classroom". What a great way to capture the essence of that principle. Thank you! I do believe that carrying out fun activities that allow us to be true to our personalities will shine through as genuine and sincere, and will make whatever chants, songs, activities that much more enjoyable to our students than disingenuous or gimmicky attempts at creating a fun atmosphere.
Building trust in a classroom is paramount to meaningful instruction and student achievement. In order to build trust, a mutual respect and helping relationship needs to be modeled and upheld by the faculty so students can build character and learn from their daily experiences. As teachers, we make the weather and it is our responsibility to our students and their families to create a safe, nurturing environment in which students can thrive and grow as scholars and individuals. Trust building and character development, as Lamov so articulately illustrates, is a delicate—but necessary—component of teaching and learning that set scholars up for success in life.
ReplyDeleteThe following three strategies for trust building and character development resonated with my own experiences in the classroom the most.
1. Positive framing sets students up for success and frames learning as an opportunity for growth, while normalizing the errors students make on their search for higher knowledge. The purpose of positive framing, as Lamov says, is this: people are motivated by the positive far more than the negative—i.e. everyone wants to do well; no one actively wants to be disappointing. As teachers, we build trust with our scholars by doing the following, which are key components of positive framing:
• Live in the now- We must respect and accept that learners make mistakes. To promote development, we must positively frame redirections, behaviorally and academically, to set students up for success.
• Assume the best- Ever moment is an opportunity for growth, as Lamov says, “don’t attribute to ill attention what could be the result of distraction, lack of practice, or genuine misunderstanding.”
• Build momentum, and narrate the positive- Momentum moves the learning forward; positively stating expectations and desired outcomes set students up for success and deeper learning.
2. Reflecting on my own experiences as a school-aged learner, I vividly remember my teachers taking a fair and even tone with students, regardless of the situation. I later learned that this technique is called emotional constancy and is crucial to building trust in the classroom. Emotional constancy eliminates the unknown from interactions with students and creates a constant, emotionally supportive learning space for scholars to grow. Acting “as if” the unexpected is the most common of occurrences allows students to navigate the complex, nuanced world of social interactions and develop into more thoughtful, more engaged citizens.
3. J-factor serves as an overarching philosophy in my classroom that allows for the successful implementation of other strategies during instructional time. Learning is fun! And students should celebrate the joy associated with acquiring new knowledge. Fun songs, puppet shows, and silly voices—whatever works and is meaningful to instruction—should be implemented. Not only do these strategies up student engagement, they serve as a multimodality approach to instruction to reach diverse learners, and J-factor allows all students to successful access the material.
Taken together, the strategies outlined in Chapter 7 of Teach Like a Champion set the stage for a happy, engaged, and successful experience for all scholars.
I thought emotional constancy to be the strategy I might struggle with the most. After reading your reflections, I feel more confident. Thank you.
DeleteReflection - Chapter 7 – Building Character and Trust
ReplyDeleteLemov offers 7 techniques to help students build character and trust.
Positive Framing
People are far more likely to be spurred to action by a vision of a positive outcome than they are to avoid a negative one. We share the responsibility to bring out the best in a student by correcting their behavior in a positive and constructive way.
Precise Praise
Use genuine and specific words to praise a student’s hard work. A whisper or a nonverbal signal produces positive outcomes when correcting a student. Putting the student on the spotlight is less productive.
Warm/Strict
You can be firm and warm at the same time in the classroom. Let the student know when negotiation is not an option for misbehavior and explain this truth with care and genuine concern.
J-Factor
When you love to teach you will find joy no matter how long or hard your days are. Don’t be afraid to laugh and make learning fun. Students will get this vibe and when you use games, songs, dance, and drama as cues to learning.
Emotional Constancy
Self-check your emotions to avoid interference with student achievement. Be ready for the unexpected.
Explain Everything
Be clear and specific when addressing a student’s misconduct. It is important to help the student understand how their behavior and actions affect other behaviors. It is just as important to be clear and specific about the consequences of their actions and behaviors.
Normalize Errors
Do not waste time crying over spilled milk. Instead, address what needs to be fixed quickly so that you can get the student(s) back to the task without wasting valuable time.
Ms. Ortiz, your point about being emotional consistent is key. I've always heard the phrase "check your emotions at the door." However sometimes that can be extremely hard. Everyone has bad days of course. For me, taking deep breaths are very helpful when things get frustrating. Do you have any techniques you use?
DeleteHi Ms. Ortiz,
DeleteI really loved what you said under "J-Factor." I believe that it is absolutely true that if you love to teach you will be able to find something to be grateful for every single day! Also, I cannot wait to give off that high-energy vibe that you mentioned!
Ms. Ortiz,
DeleteI like your explanation of Normalize Errors. My grandma always uses the phrase "no crying over spilled milk" and I think that definitely relates. Have you ever found times that challenged you to move on from those types of errors without getting too upset?
Chapter 7, Building Character and Trust.
ReplyDeleteA classroom with all the best content and resources in the world is little more than an impressive collection of "stuff" without an educator who is well prepared to earn his/her student's trust and build their character through effective communication.
I found this chapter to be tremendously practical as it equipped me with effective tools that will help me to achieve the objective of building both character and trust. The three techniques below were the most impactful to me:
Technique 43: Positive Framing
In an environment where scholars are willing and eager to seek excellence, Positive Framing becomes an essential tool for an educator to correct behavior in a way that doesn't stifle that hunger to outperform. As I look back on my own education and even my personal relationships, it has consistently been in those times when an a educator or mentor has corrected me in a constructive way that I have most eagerly and enthusiastically sought to improve. Positive Framing, therefore, can mean the difference between stalling a student's pace of learning because he is made to feel guilty/inferior, and encouraging a student by correcting him via quick, direct, and positively-framed exchanges that focus on where is going, not what he just did wrong.
Technique 44: Precise Praise
An educator needs to be very careful to strike an ideal balance between acknowledgement and praise. All too frequently, students in this era where everyone gets an 'A for effort' are misguided and lead to believe that their ability to achieve what is expected of them deserves some sort of praise. At Brilla we will create a culture of excellence, and that excellence will come from consistent OUTperformance, not by aiming to do what's merely expected of us. Precise Praise allows a teacher to normalize expected behavior by acknowledging it publicly, thereby making it more likely to happen and at the same time, she can appropriately (and more sparsely) praise outperformance when it happens. Her students develop not only a sense of responsibility to achieve whats expected, but also a hunger to outperform every chance they get.
Technique 48: Explain Everything
Explain Everything is quite a simple idea but an absolutely essential one if we are to expect that our students fully embrace the Brilla College Prep culture. Our students should constantly hear from their educators the logic behind the decision-making in the classroom and more broadly, the school. This should happen not merely for informational purposes, but so that each student can embrace and become invested in whatever rules and expectations govern them. By constantly being given information about why and how decisions are being made, we also help to develop our students' analytical and logical abilities. As they grow, they are better equipped to make decisions because they have been encouraged to understand the logic behind the rules of society.
Chapter 7 Reflections:
ReplyDeleteThe following three techniques resonated the most with my style of teaching and personality:
#43 Positive Framing
By reinforcing high expectations and correcting student behavior in a positive way, students react and receive our message constructively. When our students feel loved and respected, they will work towards their best 100% of the time. A kind word always beats out a negative one, and by doing so directly with our students, the example it leaves is a profound one. By correcting our students in a positive manner, their approach to the way they correct others will be a replicate of what they see and hear in their classroom.
#46 J-Factor
As Mr. Gillaspie always says, "not only are we teachers, we are sales people", and at the end of the day,the more jazzy and exciting we make learning to be, the more passionate and eager our students will be to learn. Making learning fun is a statement we hear all the time as teachers, but until you put yourself in our students' shoes, just how fun is learning how to count by 10s or adding by 2s? It becomes our responsibility to sales pitch our students in thinking counting by 2s is the coolest thing they've ever done and by implementing the J-Factor, we can do just that. Putting joy, laughter and fun into everyday learning not only creates a welcoming environment, but the passion to learn begins to develop.
#48 Explain Everything
Not only does this technique focus on consistency and effectiveness, but it also leads into time efficiency. Explaining everything is a technique that allows for more fluid class time, as students have been delegated a task, having been given direct and concise directions. Explain Everything also alleviates confusion and chatter due to a misunderstanding as to what is expected because that is thoroughly addressed beforehand. Students can work towards a goal when they know and understand what is expected and what is to come, before, during and after.
Overall, chapter 7 does a great job on zoning in on practical and plausible techniques that will allow both teacher and student to achieve greatness.
Ms. Martinez, it is so true that for your students you need to "jazz it up" and sell what you're teaching. I think what's important for all teachers to know is that "jazzing it up" looks different for every teacher. It's okay if you're not the type of teacher who sings and dance--there are so many ways you can make learning exciting for your students. How do you envision "jazzing up" learning for your students?
DeleteHi Ms. Martinez! Thank you so much for your thoughtful reflection. I really appreciated your comments under "Positive Framing" and "the J-Factor." As you mentioned under "Positive Framing," we are not only responsible for our scholar's academic success but their character as well. Also, thank you for that analogy between the teachers and the salesperson! It is definitely a helpful reminder to put ourselves in our scholar's shoes before we plan/execute lessons.
Delete