Jordan Johnson

Teach Like a Champion Strategy Reflection Journal

Entry #1

Technique # 1 No Opt Out

Description: Teachers with high expectations dont accept I dont know as an
answer. They expect students to be engaged and give it a shot. It teaches the
student to not just give up when they dont know an answer, but rather try and
work it out or figure out a way to solve it.

Observation/Implementation: This happened during my lesson just last week. I was
teaching about headings, captions, and keywords in nonfiction books and one of the
students volunteered to show the class where the keywords on the page were.
When he got up to the front of the class he just froze and couldnt remember what
the keywords were. So, instead of allowing him to just sit back down and give up
or having another classmate come up and show us, I made him think about it and
have him ask for help from his peers to help him figure out where the keywords
were.

Technique # 6 Begin with the End

Description: This technique focuses on the outcome instead of what you want to do
during the teaching period. This means that as a teacher you know what you want
your students to learn by the end of the lesson or unit. For instance, you already
have a plan for what they will be learning and when.

Observation/Implementation: When teaching my recalling lesson I knew that I
wanted the students to be able to recite what happened in the story without
retelling the entire story. So, when planning my lesson I knew that I needed to start
with what I wanted them to do in order to plan a lesson that would teach them to do
that.

Entry #2

Technique #12 The Hook

Description: The hook is the way you introduce your lesson. This normally
includes some sort of activity or item that grabs the attention of your students and
will help enhance your lesson.

Observation/Implementation: I used this technique when I was teaching about
Nonfiction text features. I was teaching my class about the headings, keywords, and
captions used in nonfiction texts and how they were important to getting points
across in an organized fashion when reading. My hook for the lesson was
BrainPopJr video that talked about nonfiction texts and their special parts. It was
a good way to get the students interested by using a visual aid, which was more
engaging than me just talking about it.

Technique #25 Wait Time

Description: Wait Time is the amount of time that you give students to think/answer
a question that you have asked. A lot of times teachers are too impatient, and
provide an answer to their own question when no students pop their hands up
immediately. Wait time is what allows students to shape a complete, thoughtful
response to a question.

Observation/Implementation: This is a hard technique to abide by. It is so easy to
answer your own question when you see that no students have an answer. After
teaching my lesson I met with Dr. Hoagland and this was an area she saw that I
needed improvement on, because when I see that they arent understanding the
question or struggling to come up with an answer, I just want to jump in and help
them. When I should give them more time to come up with an answer or for them to
come up with a question for me as to how they can find an answer.

Entry #3

Technique #30 Tight Transitions

Description: It is important to have tight transitions in the classroom because kids
can be so easily distracted. This technique recommends that you script and
rehearse the transition time so that little time is wasted between instructional
activities.

Observation/Implementation: The transition time in my first grade class that I am
observing is very tight. Ms. Young has her class on a daily schedule so that no time
is every wasted transitioning from one activity to another because all the students
always know what they should be doing at what time, and what order everything
goes in. I also have seen my teacher use a timer when transitioning. Normally she
sets it for 2 minutes before they have to clean up and she warns them when she is
setting it so they know that they need to start cleaning up whatever activity they are
doing and by the time the timer goes off they need to be already transitioned to the
next activity on the schedule. If they are not where they are supposed to be when
the timer goes off they know that that means that they have 5 minutes on the wall at
recess. This holds the students accountable to not mess around during transition
time.




Technique #38 Strong Voice

Description: This technique means that the teacher needs to be in charge of the
classroom. Students know when they are in control of the teacher and have power.
By having a strong voice that means that you command the classroom, but it doesnt
have to mean you are loud. It means that you are in control. Some teachers can be
quiet and the students respond just as well as if they were loud. It all depends on
what you find effective and what personalities you have in the classroom.

Observation/Implementation: I know that I am very calm and quiet when I have
taught my lessons so far. But I have also felt like I was in control of the classroom
and that they responded well to my soft-spoken nature. I think that a lot of it has to
do with your personality from the beginning. Ms. Young is also very calm and soft-
spokenshe never has to raise her voice so I think that that helped them to respond
to me in the same way.

Entry #4

Technique #45 Warm and Strict

Description: This technique says that you must be friendly, kind, good-humored, and
also strict. You have to expect all students to live up to expectations. For example,
its not I care about you, but you still have to do the consequence for not turning
your work in, instead its Because I care about you, you will do the consequence
for not turning your work in. You have to be consistent in this approach in order
for it to be effective in the classroomyou are sending the message that you having
high expectations are part of being a caring person.

Observation/Implementation: This technique is very evident in Ms. Youngs class.
She does a great job at showing her students that she truly does care about them.
She goes above and beyond to help her students in anyway that she can. But at the
same time she also is strict with them and does not allow them to not live up to her
expectations that she sets for them. Every student in her class knows that she cares
about them, and this makes the students respect her even more when they know
that they are not behaving up to her standards.

Technique #9 The Shortest Path

Description: The Shortest Path technique refers to allure of all the clever activities,
lessons, and interesting approaches to teaching. However, this technique believes
that the shortest distance between two points is always going to be a lineso as a
teacher you need to find the activity that most quickly gets you to the final point, the
objective, is the best approach. The point is to get to the objective quickly and THEN
hammer the lesson home with lots of practice, collaborative activities, drills, and
other techniques that will guarantee that the objective was learned.

Observation/Implementation: We are taught to use SO many resources when
teaching lessons. And I completely understand whyit is important to engage the
students and to do that you need to use resources and manipulatives to get students
excited. I think that Ms. Young shows a great balance of the two. She is SO good at
getting the objective across using her resources but also doing it as quick as
possible. The daily schedule she has in place and the amount of information that she
has to cover makes it so that she has to get to her objective quickly otherwise she
will be taking away from other subject areas.

Entry #5

Technique #10 Double Plan

Description: This technique is not referring to planning twice as much as you
needit is referring to double plan. The book says that most teachers focus on
what they do as they are teaching. But what are the students doing? You need to
know what you are going to do to help them support their own learning. You should
plan out what you are going to be doing and while you are doing that you should
plan out what the students will be doing at the same time.

Observation/Implementation: I think that subconsciously when I am writing a
lesson plan I am sort of envisioning in my head what the students will be doing
when I am saying this or that, but I never really know what is going to happen. On
the other hand, Ms. Young does a great job of double planning. She always knows
what she wants her students to be doing and how it all fits into her lesson plan.

Entry #6

Technique #26 Everybody Writes

Description: This technique refers to preparation. Teachers provide an outline for
the days lesson with all the things he/she wants the children to learn. The teacher
then prepares a mock up of the same outline, with lots of blanks. It is helpful to have
this displayed on the board using either a Smartboard or transparency. This helps
the students with guided note taking and helps them to learn to look and listen for
cues as to what is important in the lesson.

Observation/Implementation: Although Ms. Young teaches first grade, so there is
not very much note-taking going onshe still is starting to get the students to learn
what note-taking is. Sometimes she will give notes but she makes sure that
everything she wants them to know, she will write it on the board exactly how she
wants it written on their paper. She also displays it or writes it so that it is BIG for
all students to be able to see.



Technique #15 Circulate

Description: This technique involves the seating plan of the classroom. It is
important that as a teacher you choose a seating plan that fits your main teaching
strategy but also permits you to circulate, and move around the room in order to
support instruction. Some ways that the author suggests to use this strategy is by
breaking the plane, having full access to every corner of the room, engage when
you circulate, and have it move systematically.

Observation/Implementation: I see the importance of having a room that moves
systematically. Ms. Youngs room is set up so that there is a lot of space for her to
walk around and observe/interact with her students. The space available is also
beneficial for the students because in their centers and workshops they are able to
sit around the classroom, and they are never tied down to their seats and tables.
Most of the class time is spent on the floor for them, which her classroom is set up
perfectly for.

Entry #7

Technique #33 On Your Mark

Description: This technique uses a coach as an example, as a coach, you would never
let your player walk on the field or court without being prepared to begin to play.
The same should go for a teacher in the classroomyou should never let your
student not be prepared for class. Ways to ensure your class is on its marks when
class starts would be to be explicit about what students need to have to start class,
set a time limit for activities, use a standard consequence, provide tools without a
consequence, and include homework.

Observation/Implementations: It is so important for students to be ready at the
start of the day. This means having materials out, pencils sharpened, and minds
ready to learn for the day. Ms. Young does a great job of having the students on a
schedule so that they are always ready for the day. Her students know that if they
are not ready there are usually consequences. That holds the students responsible
for their actions and getting ready.

Technique #36 100 percent

Description: This technique means that a teacher expects 100 percent compliance.
To make sure that this happens your expectations have to be reasonable, so that
asking for 100 percent compliance does not become a power struggle. Enforcement
should be steady, considerate and unemotionalstudents should know that
compliance is not negotiable.



Observation/Implementation: Ms. Young does a great job at letting her students
know that she expects 100 percent compliance at all times. All the students show
her such great respect because they do not want to disappoint her. She makes sure
that enforcement is steady, considerate, and unemotionalno one student gets
away with more than another.

Entry #8

Technique #44 Precise Praise

Description: Through research, we have found that praise must be precise. Kids can
tell whether praise is authentic and deserved. Some criteria that Lemov suggests for
Precise Praise is to differentiate acknowledgment and praise, meaning to
acknowledge when students are doing a good job of following classroom routines.
Or when they have made improvements in following classroom rules/routines.
Another suggestion is to praise (and acknowledge) loudly, but fix softly. So, when
you have good news be sure that everyone knows about it. However, when you
need to correct a child, do it in a whisper so that the child does not get embarrassed.
And lastly, make sure that the praise is genuine. Students can tell when a praise is
sincere and when it is insincere which they feel as undermining their independence
and ability to appraise their own work.

Observation/Implementation: Ms. Young does an excellent job at praising her
students. She praises her students genuinely but not too much, so that they know
when she is praising them that she really does mean it. She also will never
embarrass any students in front of the whole classshe will always either pull them
aside or tell them in private when they need to correct behaviors.

Technique #39 Do It Again

Description: The Do It Again strategy has to do with having a routine. It is
considered a negative reinforcer that works. The 7 reasons that this technique is
effective includes, it shortens the feedback loop, it sets a standard of excellence not
just compliance, there is no administrative follow up, there is group accountability,
it ends with success, there are logical consequences, and it is reusable. This
technique allows for students to develop a routine that includes repetition so that
they know what they should be doing at what time.

Observation/Implementation: I have seen that Ms. Young uses this technique on a
daily basis. Every Thursday that I am in her class observing she goes through the
same daily scheduleit holds students accountable for their actions. She uses this
technique especially when transitioning from one subject to another. It allows for
little distraction during the transition time.



Entry #9

Technique #11 Draw the Map

Description: This technique has to do with the planning environmentaka the
seating chart. The seating chart is something that should be evaluated constantly
and changed when needed. Some important questions to ask when drawing the
map are, When should students interact in school? How should students interact in
school? What should the way students sit signal and incentivize about various kinds
of interactions? Which kinds of interactions support which kinds of lesson
objectives? But this technique does not just have to do with the seating chart of the
classroom, it also requires teachers to think about what they are putting on their
walls. Lemov warns against too much or too may unimportant things on the walls.

Observation/Implementation: I have actually discussed Ms. Youngs seating chart
with her before. In her class she has 5 tables of 4 students. She puts careful thought
and consideration when choosing who sits at what table and with who. Each
student has such different personalities that some just do not get a long with one
another. And then there are the students who are best friends and will spend the
whole class time talking with one another if they are sitting next to each other. She
considers all of these things and finds a seating chart that works best for her. While
I have been observing her class her seating chart has changed three times.

Technique #13 Name the Steps

Description: This technique requires teachers to break down tasks into discrete
steps. They use the example of a coach and athlete againLemov says we need to
keep in mind the differences between a champion performer and a champion
teacher. A champion performer is good at a task, while a champion teacher helps
someone else succeed at that task. The four components of this technique are 1. To
identify the steps, 2. Make them stick, 3. Build the Steps, 4. Use Two Stairways.

Observation/Implementation: In every subject that Ms. Young teaches she is naming
the steps. She does a great job at making sure that tasks are broken down into
discrete steps so that ALL students always know what they should be doing. This
makes the class run smoothly and the students know they are responsible for being
on task.









Entry #10

Technique #35 Props

Description: In this technique props are considered routines that harness and use
peer praise. This engages the whole class and happens quickly--so it is not a
distractionbut it provides powerful reinforcement. The necessary criteria for
successful props is to make sure they are quick, visceral, universal, enthusiastic, and
evolving.

Observation/Implementation: In my first grade class it can be hard to do props in
the class. Not that they do not like to praise their peers, but they can sometimes get
the students a little too riled up. However, Ms. Young allows for students to praise
one another at the appropriate times.

Technique #46 The J Factor

Description: This is probably the most important technique in the whole book. This
technique stands for JOY. A teacher who brings joy to teaching and brings joy to
teaching and brings joy to his or her students learning will have a happy and
successful classroom. Five categories that champion teachers employ in their
classrooms are: 1. Fun and Games, 2. Us (and Them), 3. Drama, song and dance, 4.
Humor, and 5. Suspense and Surprise.

Observation/Implementation: Ms. Young absolutely brings joy to her classroom.
Just from seeing her teach one time you know that she loves what she is doing and
that she takes great pride in her classroom and her students. She uses techniques in
every category stated above. Her students adore her and love learning. You can tell
that they dont see school as a burden and they actually are looking forward to the
next activity instead of dreading being at school It is so awesome and uplifting to
see!