Teach Like a Champion Post for Chapter 8 is due tomorrow. I also love the responses we are seeing other post on each others wall.
Remember this is for you and you get out of it what you put in . If we want to be the best we must continue to push one another to grow.
Engaging: That is the key word.
ReplyDeleteTeaching is definitely an art. What works one year may not work the other,
yet we learn to keep our success and our failures in our (what I call "the Mary Poppins"" bag) we pull out strategies and activities when needed. Yes, Mr. Gillaspie is correct we are sales people. We are also entertainers. That is where engagement takes place.The more students talk about their learning the more it becomes part of themselves therefore they can relate it to their daily lives.
I totally agree with you Ms. Acosta. Every teacher has their "tool bag". We each have engagement strategies that work for our own personalities. While my co-worker uses puppets to read to her students I prefer singing with mine. However all teachers need it. This also ties to pacing, which is a big part of keeping students engaged. What are techniques you use with your students?
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DeleteMs. Acosta, you are spot on! Engagement is the key to student achievement. When we walk into the classroom, it is our duty to perform for our students and show them how to think and empower them with the strategies necessary to tackle high-leverage comprehension skills. Learning is fun, and as educators, we should ensure that every lesson is capturing the creativity and intellectual drive of our scholars. What has been your favorite engagement technique? I really enjoy personifying characters using voices during readings.
DeleteThanks for sharing!
Ms. Barry
Singing has always worked for me. The students enjoy it.
DeleteKatherine Clair
ReplyDeleteTLC Reflection
Chapter 8
Improving Your Pacing!
- Alternative way of defining pacing is “the illusion of speed”; it is not the rate at which material is presented, but the rate at which the lesson makes the material unfold.
- Students like to see results. They want to see their progression as much as a teacher does therefore it is important to keep lessons multi-dimensional and gradually more challenging. Do not be afraid to challenge your students!
Change the Pace:
- “Nothing for more than ten minutes” -Ryan Hill; This strategy keeps students focused, but it is important to try and extend those attention spans at age appropriate levels.
- Lessons can be either passive/active and a good lesson should transition smoothly from both passive/active activities.
- I believe that these quick transitions may be difficult for me, especially at first, but after much practice I look forward to mastering them. Do any current teachers have any suggestions on how to implement this “change of pace?”
Brighten Lines:
- Begin and end each and every lesson with clear reference points so that everyone can follow the flow of your lesson.
- If useful, use certain hand gestures or signals to symbolize the end of a session. These signals can be verbal or nonverbal; the sooner that these signals are recognizable the less disruption they add to the lesson.
All Hands:
- “All Hands” helps to create reference points within the lesson. It includes strategies from previous sections (Cold Call/Pepper/Unbundle/Half-Statement/Ratio).
- The recommendations and suggestions under “All Hands” are also useful in addressing the succinctness of answers. Be sure to maintain the energy of the classroom.
Every Minute Matters:
- Do not forfeit those last few moments of class! Always be prepared with a short review that will solidify the day’s lesson. Exit tickets can be very helpful for staying on track and keeping students focused even at the end of long days.
Look Forward:
- Keep the students encouraged by informing them of what is to come in the lesson.
- Teach with enthusiasm and optimism in order to keep students motivated and believing that they can succeed in whatever problem set comes next.
Ms. Clair, the idea of "illusion of speed" stuck out to me. Pacing has been something I have been working on a lot in my teaching career and that "illusion" is so true. I've had to learn that pacing isn't necessary how fast you teach, but rather the speed of the progression of the material. (Ex. You shouldn't be stuck one fairly simple problem for 10 minutes). Teachers need to learn how to move the lesson along, while ensuring that students are still grasping the material!
DeleteMs. Cuevas and Ms. Clair, I wanted to throw in my two cents on "illusion of speed." In my experience, it's been not just the progression of the material, but also the sense that class in general is progressing. Following the model of Singapore and other Asian countries, I've actually dabbled in a deep dive into one single math problem for 10, sometimes 20 minutes. In these trials, creating the illusion of speed has been critical to keep my students engaged. Even though we were progressing through the content slowly, I was able to keep the sense that class was moving by breaking up the deep dive with turn and talks, alternating between hand raising and cold calls, employing habits of discussion, and infusing celebrations, which aligns with the "change the pace" strategy.
DeleteHi Ms. Cuevas & Ms. Kopro!
DeleteThank you both so much for your comments. I believe that there will be a learning curve as to how to best implement the "illusion of speed." Also, thank you Ms. Kopro for giving those examples. We will be using the Singapore Math program correct?
Hopefully, through all of these various techniques, I will be able to master pacing sooner rather than later!
Chapter 8
ReplyDeleteI really liked the idea of pacing as the "illusion of speed".
Here are 6 techniques to achieve this illusion of speed:
Change the Pace:
By changing the format of the lesson, rather than the topic of the lesson you can achieve a faster pace while still striving towards mastery of the topic. The idea of "no more than 10 minutes" really stood out to me.
Brighten Lines:
With a clear start and beginning, you will establish reference points for students to compare the pace of the lesson to, helping the lesson's pace and flow. I liked using odd times, as I can see someone was serious when they said take 3 minutes, rather than those who seemed to randomly attribute 5 minutes here and there to a task.
All Hands:
I like how this technique involved many strategies that have already been explored, such as cold calling and peppering. Using "all hands" maintains energy and pace in a lesson, while also providing another aspect of control over the classroom.
Every Minute Matters:
This is probably my favorite technique from this chapter. This reminds me of the technique on transition times, limiting the amount of time it takes to pass out papers, or line up for lunch, etc. Time is your greatest resource as a teacher, and you must manage every minute properly before employing other techniques discussed.
Look Forward:
Always look forward to later parts of a lesson, what's coming next, etc. This will build suspense and intrigue, engaging the students initially as they anticipate this unknown. You can allude to a skill they are about to learn as something they'll all want to show their friends, and that is a powerful tool.
Work the Clock:
By counting down and timing activities, you will control the clock and apply a sense of urgency to the classroom. Especially calling out students that are ready not only on time but in advance provides an example to the classroom of exceeding expectations.
Instead of writing a summary of the different techniques, I thought I'd reflect on the ones that have served me most effectively in my teaching practice:
ReplyDeleteBrighten Lines: My first year, there was a history teacher named Mr. Gummpper who would release his students to start an independent activity with the cue "go bananas" as opposed to just saying "go" or "get started." The kids loved it! Initially, I thought it was simply developed as a form of j-factor to add a little structured silliness to class. After learning more about pacing techniques, I began to see this as a form of "brightening the lines." By using such a unique cue, Mr. Gummpper was able to crisply mark the beginning of activities. If this cue was used multiple times in one class period, it would really give the impression that class involved several different components (even though they probably all applied to the same learning topic)! In my own class, I developed clapping/chanting patterns to mark the transitions between all of the opening procedures: one to start the timed math computations and one to end them, something different to mark the start and end of oral drill, and again to start the lesson. J-factor and brightening the lines rolled into one was really effective at engaging my students!
Work the clock: Think about the end of a riveting sports game... who doesn't love a good countdown to build the urgency and remind the players that time is of the essence?! Whether it is occurring verbally or via a public display with a timer, I have found the "work the clock" strategy to be invaluable in compelling students to work more efficiently. It also helps as a management technique because it gives a very clear time frame for when you expect a direction to be complied with. I would always feel far less guilty issuing a consequence to a student who failed to turn their voice off after a clear countdown, as opposed to when I just stated "turn your voice off" without providing a time frame, because I KNEW that my student was clear on what I expected and when, and thus was making a choice not to comply, as opposed to just delaying their compliance.
Mr. Gummpper's class sounds incredible! Simply reading about his classroom made me want to join in the learning, I can only imagine how invested and excited his students were for his history lessons. Brightening the lines in such a memorable and clear way builds anticipation for scholars and provides an opportunity for every scholar to feel excited about what will happen next. What is your favorite brightening the lines technique? What transitional cheers are you excited to bring to Brilla?
DeleteThanks for sharing, Ms. Kopro!
Ms. Barry
Hello Ms. Kopro~ I love your sports "work the clock" analogy! :)I also agree and can relate feeling far less guilty about issuing a consequence after a student has not complied with directions that were very clear and direct. As a teacher, if you have asked your boys and girls to turn their voices off in 2 mins.(in my situation, I had a timer that was a visual and auditory reminder) and if they are still talking after the timer has gone off, then there should be some type of consequence.
DeleteChapter 8 is all about pacing and student engagement. In order to create a classroom that holds all students to the highest expectations, scholars must first be engaged in the learning process. Learning is fun, and in order to demonstrate this to students, we as educators must create the illusion of speed and give scholars something students can say yes to. Doug Lamov outlines the key components to student engagement in Chapter 8.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, utilizing a variety of different learning tools promotes student engagement. When changing the pace, scholars are kept on their toes and are constantly engaged in the learning process because they understand that learning is urgent and exciting. Changing the pace can look a number of ways. For example, if you want to create the illusion of speed, incorporating multiple opportunities for choral response will up student engagement and increase objective mastery. Similarly, including stop and jot and turn and talk opportunities in a lesson will continue to differentiate the pace of instruction. When utilized, these and other pacing strategies make every lesson something scholars can say yes to.
Brightening the lines is a technique I have used effectively in my small group pull-outs, particularly with scholars who thrive on multiple opportunities to practice a skill. This technique relies heavily on internalize systems and routines, and when executed, ups student engagement and student achievement significantly. Through the use of this strategy, a 40 minute learning block is transformed into eight opportunities to practice and demonstrate mastery. This strategy is particularly effective for scholars with varied learning profiles; brightening the lines allows multiple modalities to be accessed during a variety of different tasks that promote and ensure student mastery.
Every minute truly does matter in the elementary classroom. Incorporating fun and engaging opportunities for scholars to demonstrate mastery creates a positive learning environment in which students strive to succeed. Additionally, time is maximized when teachers work the clock; working the clock means time stamping lesson plans and utilizing timers du instruction to make sure the brightened lines and differentiated pace during are effectively meeting student needs.
I am looking forward to utilizing and implementing the strategies of Chapter 8 with our scholars at Brilla Prep this August. Creating a fun and engaging learning environment will provide our scholars with the education and engaging learning experience that will ensure future and continued success. Culture is such a crucial component of schooling, and our continued focus and commitment to creating a supportive and engaging culture really resonates with me. I cannot wait to introduce our scholars to the world of school and education in just a few months!
Hello Ms. Barry~ OMG!! :) I, too, am looking forward to implementing these strategies from Chapter 8 as well as the others from Teach Like A Champion. Establishing a positive, fun and engaging learning environment will definitely ensure continued success for staff and students.
DeleteImproving Your Pacing~~~
ReplyDeleteI believe that the key to effective pacing is to "create the illusion" that you are moving quickly to give your scholars a sense of progress and change. One way to do this is not to change topics all the time, but to change formats – from mini-lessons to independent work to reviewing. It is imperative to vary between active and passive activities every ten minutes or so. Also, mark/document the beginning and end of activities clearly so students feel they are moving along. Another way to create the illusion of speed is to change language such as, “Take some time to answer” to “Take exactly three minutes to answer the questions” and use a clock or timer. Champion teachers know that every minute counts and never give students time to relax when there are extra minutes at the end of class. Instead, keep short learning activities ready for when you have a few unanticipated minutes so you can do a vocabulary review or a read aloud.
Hi Ms. Gibson,
DeleteI agree that we definitely need to keep our students "on task" by giving them a sense of progress. Also, thank you for providing specific examples of how to change formats! I cannot wait to learn more from you in person. Have a wonderful Monday!
The concept of pacing in the classroom is extremely important, and it is a skill that is refined through experience in the classroom. While in graduate school, I found reading texts that share strategies as beneficial and informative, but applying these strategies effectively in the classroom is an entirely different challenge. Running an effective classroom, in all areas of teaching, requires constant implementation, flexibility, and patience.
ReplyDeleteIn an above post, Mr. Acosta emphasizes the engagement of students. Like Lemov and Mr. Acosta, I agree that engaging students is key. One of the most important functions of an educator is helping children develop and/or maintain a love of learning and acquiring knowledge. That being said, I wonder how applicable some of these or the abundant amount of techniques apply to younger elementary students. Being an effective teacher includes being well-versed in such techniques, and knowing which, when, and how many of these strategies to use. I have observed some schools that are so heavily academically focused, and students become overwhelmed and discouraged. I have also observed schools that focus more time on social/emotional development of the whole child. Neither of these approaches are correct or incorrect; perhaps more weight lies in how the teachers ran the classroom and their instructional methods. I do believe, like Lemov, that children (especially on the younger side) have very short attention spans. Keeping things moving along while still focusing on the same topic is valuable. The question I have is, how can a teacher keep activities and lessons fluid, while trying to increase students' capacity to concentrate for extended periods of time? This too, takes experience and refinement.
"Brighten Lines" or clear and finite time limits help students take some control of their own process when it comes to pacing themselves. When a student knows what to expect, or what is coming up, it also decreases their level of anxiety. Offering students the daily schedule provides comfort because they know what will be happening next. For example, if one of my Kindergarteners becomes upset because he or she misses mom, I take the child up to the schedule and show him/her that we are currently at "6. Have science". There are only 4 more things we have left in the day before we reach "10. Go home". This, paired with the reassurance that it's okay to miss mom, but refocusing attention on the task at hand, helps ease the child's mind by reminding them of something familiar - the daily routine. Clear limits do not just refer to time. From day 1, teachers need to set clear and reasonable expectations form their students so there is never any confusion of what the child should be doing and how he or she should be behaving.
In terms of "Work the Clock", I see the value in countdowns and how that provides excitement and sometimes a team effort among students when wrapping up or settling down. However, I disagree with Lemov when he argues, "Without a countdown, calling attention to their readiness ('I see that Brooklyn is ready; Brian is ready too') leaves you sounding weak, almost as if you were pleading with other students to comply...there's no way to tell, without the countdown, whether you're reinforcing excellence or mediocrity". I find that there isn't always a need for a countdown. Sometimes taking the time to give compliments or highlight those who are setting a good example help other students to want to do the right thing while providing pride in those who are highlighted. I don't see a weakness in that, unless it sounds like the teacher is pleading, which one shouldn't do.
Controlling pace is an essential skill an educator needs to master if he/she expects to keep their class engaged every single minute that students are in the classroom. Like Mr. Larsen, I found the concept of 'no more than 10 minutes' particularly impactful; not so much the focus on the exact measure of time but moreso on the concept of keeping the format of a lesson changing at regular, short intervals. We may have the best material to teach and the best technology at our disposal, but as Ms. Acosta pointed out, active engagement from our students is key. Be it by 'working the clock' or employing 'look forward', we should always be aiming toward fostering active engagement and a love for learning in our classrooms.
ReplyDeleteGood Afternoon Mr. Martinez!
DeleteI also found this concept of "no more than 10 minutes" to be really shocking. When I reflect on some of my Elementary/Middle school classes I can definitely tell which teachers understood this concept and others who struggled with it. I believe that our daily schedule at Brilla will reinforce this strategy as well because it seems as though classes/rotations are concise and constantly changing. Have a great day!
In reading Chapter 8, the overall concept is engagement and keeping our students' focus and attention. When working with younger students, it becomes difficult to keep their full attention if they are not engaged or interested in the lesson. In my studies, I have learned the necessity of starting a lesson with a song, dance or cheer, something that will gage student's interest and attention.
ReplyDeleteIn the same way, 'change the pace', covers the same topic in that our students' focus will best be kept when we don't drag out any lesson or activity, but instead implementing different activities, movements and transitions while still aiming towards one goal.
Overall, teaching is an art, as said by Ms. Acosta, and with experience and practical strategies such as those mentioned in Chapter 8, it will help create a classroom in which students are not only continually learning but at the same time, learn to enjoy learning. I am excited to create a positive environment at Brilla where our students are constantly engaged in their learning and take pride in their academics.
Mrs. Martinez -- one thing I have wondered while exploring this book is the effectiveness of song and dance. From what I have seen, starting a lesson with one is a great way to engage students in the content. However, I am wondering if you would use that to possibly re-engage students in the middle of a lesson?
DeletePacing is one of the main things I have been working on in my teaching career. During my first year of teaching it was one of the things that I struggled most with. Sometimes it’s hard to finish an intro to a lesson within 15 minutes when you know not 100% students understand it. Or the times that the students are so excited and engaged in the learning you want to continue to call on all of them. However you have to move forward. The technique that stuck out to me the most in chapter 8 was ‘Change the Pace’ and the idea of the “illusion of speed”. At the beginning of my teaching career I always thought pacing was tied to the quickness of the lesson, but not necessarily. Lemov explains how changing the format of the lesson every 10-15 minutes helps student to stay focused/engaged and keeps the pacing of your lesson. This is tied to the idea of “nothing for more than ten minutes.” As an adult I sometimes struggle with being focused for extended periods of time; so I need to remember when my students need a change of pace. This is something I have been trying during my math lessons where we move from the table to the rug and then back to the table. It helps to keep my students focused and gets their bodies moving. I’m always trying new ways to improve my pacing, so this chapter was extremely helpful!
ReplyDeleteI agree pacing is something that takes time to master. As educators at times we get into a lesson as lose track of time. I know I have been there many times. I am happy to see that you have been implementing different strategies into your math lessons. One thing that worked for me was having a timer for myself. I need to be held accoutable just as much as the students. With the younger students you have to change pace frequently. There attention span is very short. It is essential during the planing phase to think of engaging activites for them.
DeleteThis is my first year teaching. I can relate this chapter to what I learned in business. Every phone call from a prospect that goes unanswered missed opportunity to make a profit. At Brilla, every available minute that we do not apply to teaching is a lost learning experience for our students. This is something that neither of us can afford because our goal is to help the students succeed and go on to graduate from the college of their choice.
ReplyDeleteThat said, changing the pace will be a work-in-progress for me. I want to learn how to identify appropriate time increments for active and passive activities and to be the entertainer that can keep the students engaged.
In chapter 8 there are many techniques that lead to having more instructional time. I would like to highlight the strategies that I feel are most effective to achieveing success. The all hands technique in my opionion is very important. At times the class can get stagnant and seem to drag. It is key to keep studnets engaged and one their toes. Ask mutiple questions cold call on students. This will keep students engaged and create the illusion that the lesson is moving. It will also allow teachers to check for understanding,and see if students are fully grapsing the concepts being presented.
ReplyDeleteEvery Minute Matters this technique is very key in the course of the school day. It is essential to make eveey minute a learning minute. You need to prepare for stuents that get done early with an activity. There needs to be a system in place for them, so they are not sitting idle. There needs to be a plan in place for the line. Making flash cards doing quick problems. You can even maximize learning time during transitions. During my transitions I use to have students do as many math facts as we could in the time allotted for the transition. It is vital to make every moment even the idle times a learning time
Work The Clock: I enjoy working the clock, becuase when you do this you see students move at increased pace. I always used a countdown in my classroom. It let students know that I meant business and that they had a time limit to meet the expectation. The countdown also created a sense of urgency in the classroom. I would also do time checks with my students. If students were doing an independent activity I would set the timer for 10 minutes. Then I would give time checks as time elapsed. This was a tool that kept students accountable. This also allowed students to monitor their own pacing and take responsibility.