What+Great+Teachers+Do+Differently

Summary of What Great Teachers Do Differently Written by Todd Whitaker Summarized by Susan Lodge

About the Author Math and business teacher, middle school and high school teacher, university professor. Has written several books and is co-editor of an educational journal.

Introduction The author gets his information from this book from his research studies on the effectiveness of school principles and applies same principles to teaching. It is also based on his work as a consultant for 50 schools and his own teaching experience.

Chapter 1 – Why Look at Great? We should look towards great teachers and learn what to do from them (not look at bad ones to find out what not to do). Try to see what effective teachers have in common. It is difficult to self reflect to determine whether you are an effective teacher. (Many who aren’t think they are). There are links between effective teaching and subject area expertise, advanced degrees and scores on teacher tests, but there is more to it than that. (Obviously, there are lots of exceptions both ways.) The ideas in this book are “simple” but not “easy”.

Chapter 2 – It’s People, Not Programs The quality of the teachers = the quality of the school. There are 2 ways to improve school: 1. Get better teachers 2. Improve the teachers that are already there “It’s people not programs that determine the quality of the school.” Often we think that programs such as open classrooms (rooms without walls), assertive discipline (putting kids names on the board and adding checks when they misbehave) or whole language learning are solutions (or we think they are the problem). “It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.” All of these programs work well for some, not others. Any list of teaching techniques work sometimes or for some people, but none work all the time for everyone.

Chapter 3 – The Power of Expectations “Great teachers focus on expectations. Other teachers focus on rules.” “Great teachers don’t focus on ‘What am I going to do if students misbehave?’, they focus on good behaviour and generally that’s what they get.” Often students are tempted to do the exact opposite when you tell them a rule. The problem with listing consequences is that students do a “cost/benefit analysis” to see if it’s worthwhile to break the rules. The fear of the unknown (consequence) often works better as a deterrent. “The start of the year is a chance to set the tone.” Set expectations early when all students have a clean slate and all have hope of doing well.

Chapter 4 – Prevention vs Revenge When a student misbehaves, the goal is preventing it from happening again, not punishment. Focus on the future, not the past when disciplining. Students coming out of the VPs office should leave “better” not angrier. Don’t get into arguments with students. You will never win. If their peers are watching, they can’t afford to give in. Don’t ever yell. Always respect students for their and your sake. Remain professional at all times. Keep the rest of your class “on your side” by treating those that misbehave with respect. Maintaining dignity under pressure is an important skill.

Chapter 5 – High Expectations for Whom? Important to also have high expectations of yourself. It is your job to get and keep their attention. (You will not get it automatically.) Look inwards for ways to improve.

Chapter 6 – Who is the Variable? The main variable is the teacher, not the students. Good teachers blame themselves when students don’t do well. You can only control your own behaviour. Take responsibility for what happens in your classroom.

Chapter 7 – Ten Days out of Ten “Even the best teachers may not like all their students – but they act as if they do.” It’s hard to let it go when someone has been disrespectful to you, so be respectful to your students. Be respectful to all, all the time. Praise students often. For praise to work it must be: 1. Authentic - real, but doesn’t need to be earth shattering 2. specific 3. immediate 4. clean – don’t praise to get something in return, don’t include the word but and then throw in a criticism 5. private – often embarrassing and may have the opposite effect of encouraging them to not do so well in the future. If praise is authentic, it’s impossible to praise too much. The reasons for not praising are not valid. Be a good role model for students. Be nice!

Chapter 8 – The Teacher is the Filter Be positive at all times. Don’t whine and complain in front of students. Put on a happy face regardless of circumstances. Students match the tone we set. We don’t need to earn students respect; they give it to us on the first day – we just need to maintain it. Show students that you want to be there. Give off positive energy. Put a filter on your personal life too. Don’t pull students into school or board controversies. Don’t call a class your “worst class”. Perception can become reality. We decide the tone of our classrooms and school.

Chapter 9 – Don’t Need to Repair – Always Do Repair Be “acutely sensitive to every single thing [you] say and do” to avoid actions that cause hurt feelings. Don’t make cutting remarks, smart retorts, run students down, embarrass them etc. Do the opposite. Compliment and praise them. Repair just in case. Apologize even if some may not see a need for it. Don’t let your ego get in the way. Learn to say, “I’m sorry it happened.” This doesn’t mean you’re saying it’s your fault. (You can say what you like in your head!) Teach this skill to students. They can use it when in a conflict with a teacher or VP. Be a role model (some students don’t see their parents apologize).

Chapter 10 – Ability to Ignore Good teachers are not oblivious. They are aware of everything, but know when to go with the flow. Don’t escalate situations. Often by saying nothing, the situation resolves itself. Don’t ‘nit-pick’. You will come across as being overly negative. If you criticize too often, they are likely to give up or just tune you out. Be especially careful with high achievers. They often put a lot of pressure on themselves to do well. If you over criticize, they may shut down. On the contrary, don’t tell them it’s fine when they know it isn’t. It’s a delicate balance.

Chapter 11 – Random or Plandom There is little randomness for good teachers. Everything that happens in their classroom is planned. If it doesn’t go well, they reflect and review. Examples given include seating plans and how to pair/group students. Don’t let it be random. Also if kids are getting rowdy towards the end of the day, plan activities to help them let off some steam. “Great teachers don’t try to prove who is in charge in their classrooms; everyone knows.”

Chapter 12 – Base Every Decision on the Best People Don’t teach to the middle/average student. Before making a decision ask 3 things: 1. What is the purpose? (not What is the reason?) 2. Will this actually accomplish the purpose? 3. What will the best people think? Ie. Before making a change, think about what your best students will think? Don’t say to yourself, “The best students will be fine no matter what.” “If we teach to the middle, we sell our best students short.” (While doing this, be careful not to draw attention and point out your best students.)

Chapter 13 – In Every Situation, Ask Who is Most Comfortable and Who is Least Comfortable. Find ways of making the best feel comfortable and the worst feel uncomfortable (in hopes of having them change). For example, don’t read a list of rules on the first day, don’t punish the whole class for something a few students did, don’t yell at a kid in front of the class. The best students will feel most uncomfortable, not the ones you were hoping to get through to.

Chapter 14 – What about these Darned Standardized Tests? Focus on enduring issues, not on the latest hot issue of the day. Be aware of the limited value of mandates from on high. Put personal feelings aside. Focus on behaviours that are essential for success. First ask, “What should schools be doing?” This is the core of the school. Then ask “What do standardized tests measure?”. All can agree that there is at least some overlap in the 2 spheres. Focus on the overlap. If you want test scores to increase, you have to teach teachers how to do that. Schools that do well keep test scores in perspective. (Schools that do poorly make it their main focus.) Don’t make state standards the core of your school. To improve test scores, change what you do in the classroom. Don’t hold up the standards at the finish line. Use them to help your students along every step to get to the finish line.

Chapter 15 – Make it cool to care This is one of the author’s core beliefs. Core beliefs are important to develop as they frame what you do. It is a challenge to get students to care about what is going on in the classroom. Get them to care about each other and show them that you care about them. Behaviours and beliefs are tied to emotion. Connect with students on an emotional level, don’t just give them logical reasons to motivate them. “Students care about great teachers because they know great teachers care about them.”

Chapter 16 – Clarifying your Core This chapter summarizes many key points in the book. “In the end, the difference lies in the core of beliefs that guide [your] work.” Adhere to your core values no matter what others want you to do. Focus on what is best for your students.

14 Things that Matter Most (copied directly) Things I disagree with Chapter 4 – sarcasm is never appropriate. Chapter 4 – don’t hang up on a parent that is verbally abusing you. Chapter 8 – if a colleague asks you how your day is going, filter your response and say great even if it isn’t (example is that you just met with a “whacko” parent). Your response will affect your day and your colleague’s. Teachers shouldn’t vent/complain to each other.
 * 1) Great teachers never forge that it is people, not programs, that determine the quality of a school.
 * 2) Great teachers establish clear expectations at the start of the year and follow them consistently as the year progresses.
 * 3) When a student misbehaves, great teachers have one goal: to keep that behaviour from happening again.
 * 4) Great teachers have high expectations for students but even higher expectations for themselves.
 * 5) Great teachers know who is the variable in the classroom: They are. Good teachers consistently strive to improve, and they focus on something they can control – their own performance.
 * 6) Great teachers create a positive atmosphere in their classrooms and schools. They treat every person with respect. In particular, they understand the power of praise.
 * 7) Great teachers consistently filter out the negatives that don’t matter and share a positive attitude.
 * 8) Great teachers work hard to keep their relationships in good repair- to avoid personal hurt and to repair any possible damage.
 * 9) Great teachers have the ability to ignore trivial disturbances and the ability to respond to inappropriate benhaviour without escalating the situation.
 * 10) Great teachers have a plan and purpose for everything they do. If things don’t work out the way they had envisioned, they reflect on what they could have done differently and adjust their plans accordingly.
 * 11) Before making any decision or attempting to bring about any change, great teachers ask themselves one central question: What will the best people think?
 * 12) Great teachers continually ask themselves who is most comfortable and who is least comforftable with each decision they make. They treat everyone as if they were good.
 * 13) Great teachers keep standardized testing in perspective; they center on the real issue of student learning
 * 14) Great teachers car about their students. They understand that behaviours and beliefs are tied to emotion, and they understand the power of emotion to jump-start change.

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