If Teachers Cannot Connect to Themselves, They Will Not Connect With Students!

By Howard Seeman, Ph.D.

Yes, we are losing the magic in todays classrooms, as pointed out by Chuck Brickman in his Teacher.net article: Losing the Magic, The magic in the classroom wasnt the curriculum, or the manipulatives, or the computer and slide shows, it was the teacher and how that teacher made what we were learning come to life, to mean something to us, to connect with us.Yet due to the No Child Left Behind Act [now: Race to the Top] focusing on reading and math, mandated testing and accountability factors have led to narrowing of the curriculumtake[s] the human factor out of instructional development and teaching. If you do not agree with Karl Marxs economics, that is fine; but still, he was often insightful about human nature. He points out in his Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts that worker alienation results from loss of control, specifically, the control over ones labor. Also, the famous psychologist-therapist, Carl Rogers, is famous for his contribution that: being congruent [saying what you reallyfeel] always makes any helping relationship more impactful.

Teachers cannot be themselves, say or be what they really feel, use their hearts in their lesson deliveries due to all this pressure about testing. Brickman: narrowing of the curriculum thwart[s] teacher personal and professional identity, creativity. With the pressures of standardized testing, teachers have little room to put themselves, their hearts, into their teaching, into their students. The most powerful tool in the classroom is the teachers personality, not, e.g., the computer. The teacher who cannot connect to his/her self, will not connect with his or her students! Students open and swallow learning better if they feel the caringteacher/person relationship. When there is too much Standardized Testing, students may not even open their mouths for the food, or only swallow it fast to look good, but never really digest it, or even spit it out, once out of school; or worse, hate learning! [See also Prof. Seeman's article: "The Side Effects of Standardized Testing" at:http://teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/howard-seeman/the-side-effects-ofstandardized-testing/ ] Howard Seeman, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, C.U.N.Y.

12 Ways to Ensure an Effective Lecture

By Susan Fitzell

Very few students get excited about a lecture. Even the best teachers have a hard time holding the attention of their students when the class consists solely of lecture. In most cases, students simply learn better when they have a chance to talk to each other, work together to solve problems, and take an active part in their own learning. But that doesnt mean never lecture just lecture smartly. Think about it: there are no professions that involve simply sitting and listening, but the ability to solve problems, work as part of a team and communicate effectively is essential to any job. In the study Collaborative Learning vs. Lecture/Discussion, published in the Journal for Engineering Education, students in a collaborative learning environment reported that they spent more time working together, learning from each other, and actually applying the concepts theyd learned and, at the end of the year, the students in the collaborative classes reported (on average) more progress than the students in the lecture classes. Consider the following ideas to help you make your lectures more interactive, interesting, and hands-on.

1. Whenever possible, use lecture primarily for mini-lessons. Short is sweet. 2. Include material that is not in the textbook. Textbook recitations dont excite! Effective lectures present material that cant simply be read from the book. Use the book as a jumping off point, not a lesson plan. 3. Mix it up. Keep your style dynamic, not static. Make good eye contact, establish a relationship with the audience and vary the ways you engage with students. 4. Use group work as a part of the lecture. Pause for a few minutes at two or three points in the lecture and ask students to discuss what theyve learned amongst themselves. This will help with reinforcement and give students time to catch up and consolidate their notes. It also gives you time to assess the class, ask questions of individuals and listen to your students. 5. Show enthusiasm for the subject. If you dont seem to care about the material your students wont care either. 6. Quality, not quantity. Dont overwhelm your students with new information. Studies show that the more new material there is in a lecture, the less information students actually retain from the lecture. Assign readings, use online discussion boards, and direct students to pertinent articles on the Web in addition to shorter lectures. 7. Generate curiosity about the lecture material early in the lecture. Introduce new ideas and push students to develop their own perspectives. 8. Keep it organized and dont veer off course. Start with a brief outline of what you want to talk about, then use signposts to keep your students on track (For example: Now I want to talk about, Thats the end of our discussion of). 9. Check in with your students not just at the end of the lecture but throughout the class. Summarize each part of your lecture, then check for questions and direct some questions to the class to gauge understanding. Always encourage active discussion, but avoid tangents to keep your lecture moving forward. 10. Use the rule of threes. People simply like information presented in threes beginning, middle, and end. A typical students concentration starts to wane after 10-12 minutes, so chunking information during longer lessons allows students to process more effectively. 11. 12. Dont over-rely on technology. Use PowerPoint slides and the internet to Always integrate collaborative learning with lecture. A lecture should support discussion with visuals and main points. never be just a teacher standing in front of the class talking at students.

About the author Susan Fitzell is a nationally recognized speaker and author of several educational resource books. She has over two decades of experience with differentiated instruction, teaching youth with special needs, students with behavioral and anger management issues, and students who experience bullying. Susans company, AIMHI Educational Programs, focuses on building caring school communities

Characteristics of a Truly Great Principal

By Teachers.Net Community
From the archives The topic on the chatboard was, What are the characteristics of a truly great principal? Myrt/TX posted: A good principal takes care of his business. Among these duties includes taking as good of care with his facultys needs as the students needs. A bad principal is the one who grades your class plans and is negative about everything. A teacher who has taught twice as long as this man has been in education is rather insulted to get an F on class plans!!! Another undesirable quality in a principal is to not be available to either students or faculty. A student once asked me where our principal was, that she never saw her. She then asked if she entered and left the building through her window to not be caught!!! The insight of children is so clear and honest!!!! DEVILish posted: For students:
1. Provides direction for students. Acts as a role model and caring adult. Lets students know he/she is a part of their lives, not just a building caretaker. 2. Establishes, clear, strict, but fair, rules and empowers and supports staff to create an atmosphere in the building so students can learn. Encourages students to buy-in to the system by being a part of it, not a function of it.

For staff:
1. Respects the opinions of senior teachers, but at the same time, does not cater to them.
Provides an atmosphere which nurtures young teachers and does not allow a system that assigns them the most difficult students which may lead to burnout.

1. Encourages staff to improve their abilities by providing MEANINGFUL professional development, allowing release time (when available), and allocating resources (financial if available) for conferences, workshops, or materials which help staff become more effective teachers. 2. Acknowledges efforts of building personnel (support staff) and makes them a visible and valuable part of the team.

3. Is in touch with and concerned with building morale.

For parents:
1. Provides an opportunity for open dialogue/access to parents to foster cooperation at home and in the community. 2. Visibility at school events (sports, banquets, concerts, etc..) 3. Visibility in the community (whenever possible.)

Personality:
1. A good listener 2. Unafraid to make big decisions 3. Strong communication skills 4. Tireless 5. A motivator (As teachers, we can all look back to that one teacher we had that inspired us to go beyond the call of duty. Even as adults, we need an occasional push from time to time.)

While all of these are well intended, it would be unfair to judge someone (as principal) unless he or she is given the authority to do these things by the district. Without district support, the principal is severely limited in what he or she may accomplish. Too often, I have seen principals come to the school with great ideas and good intentions, only to have them beaten down by district politics. Principals hired to do a job need to have support at the top. jme posted:
1. His primary concern is the needs of the students, and he encourages and supports the teachers efforts to best serve those needs. 2. He is fair consistent but also able to address individual needs. 3. He sees what is really going on, giving the big talkers the approval they seem to crave, but also acknowledging what the real workers actually do. He oils all wheels, not just the squeakiest ones. 4. He makes a point of acknowledging all the hard work done by students, faculty, and staff, AND he works as hard himself. He expects a lot from himself and from everyone else. 5. He is visible and accessible to students, parents, faculty, staff, and community. 6. He has the ability to determine what fights are worth fighting, and he fights those fights with all he has. He also knows when its time to give up and go on to other battles. 7. He likes his job and his school and his community, and he likes his students, faculty, and staff.

8. He makes expectations and consequences clear. 9. He practices open, two-way communication as much as possible, he tells us what is going on, and he listens to what we have to say. He doesnt have just a few pets who know whats going on and have input into his decisions. 10. He doesnt believe in busy work for students or for teachers. 11. He isnt afraid to tell it like it is when is necessary, but does so with diplomacy. 12. He supports ALL extracurricular activities, not just the ones he personally is interested in.

Donna music/TN posted: Characteristics of a truly great principal: Strength and Confidence-has the ability to do what is needed, even if it bucks the trends, and to ride out changes without bending in the wind. Willing and able to back the teachers, but keeps an open mind. Willing and able to discipline where needed Able to keep discipline and fear separate My current principal is all of this. He is extremely supportive of the faculty, and sees this as his role-so he deals FIRST with parents who have complaints, listens to their side, then discusses with us if needed. He doesnt take the parents side automatically, nor does he take the teachers rather, he judges the complaint, handles it at his level if possible, and serves as an intermediary if needed. He is respected and loved by the children, and while he is a firm disciplinarian if needed, he is also their biggest cheerleader. Students dont fear him-but they also dont want to go to the office when there is a problem, because they know that he will handle it, and, worse, that hell be disappointed in them. He is also able to buck trends in administration, and to say OK, I know were not doing well (he came into a school which had been failing badly). Tell me what you think the school needs. And to listen to teachers and then go to the upper management and say, This is what my teachers and I have decided to do to improve the school, and we need x to do it, even if what he is requesting is unpopular. Hes also willing to say Look, the low test scores didnt happen overnight. It is going to take more than a few months to make up the deficit. He avoids long meetings, allows freedom in the training we take by letting us take classes/workshops and use flex-time on in-service days. He wants us to do our jobs-but he also doesnt want us to sit back and do nothing. You cant get away

with showing videos just to fill time, but if you can justify an activity educationally, hell accept it-no scripted programs or it has to be in the textbook. cdms posted: A good principal is a leader with an open door (and mind) policy. He/She is willing to listen, respect, and support parents, students, and staff alike! A not so good principal doesnt know the school address (after 3 years of being on the campus). MarjoryT responded:

Same set of rules for every student. Lets students and teachers see him work on the school he often pulls students out of class to work on the school facility or move this really builds school spirit! Wants teachers to try new techniques just show him the plan first. Extremely willing to go one-on-one with parents generally wants to be present at beginning of meeting. Extremely willing to bring police, court, family into situation to correct problems. Enthusiastic about every employee and every student (and himself). You always know if you have screwed up he tells you to your face and not to the crowd.

gypsy responded: We just lost our principal, who I loved. He resigned because the staff and board would not get behind him. He wanted change and had specific plans to get it. I learned through all this that people really, really like the status quo. Most of the staff at my school is happy to see him go. I think he was good because:
1. He allowed me to teach and didnt think I needed to have silly units written out. He knew I knew my material and by virtue of my teaching and rapport with kids would get them to think and learn. So he stayed out of my way, encouraged me, and supported me when the hens started pecking. 2. He believes in academics. He knows that we cant just pass kids along. He believes in standards. No wishy washy stuff. He was not touchy feely. He was a straight shooter to the students and the staff. Many people cant handle it but I respect it greatly. 3. He believes in fairness. Kids get pretty even punishments. They know that they cant make him roll over, but that he will listen carefully to them and explain why he is doling out whatever consequence it is that they are getting. Also, under his tutelage, we came up with a great point system for discipline that is clear and easy to enforce.

4. He doesnt always jump to blame the teacher. If I put a kid out of my room, the old principal used to semi blame me. I dont do this often, and if I do, its for good reason. This principal backed me 100 percent. If I sent a kid down, the kid stayed there, and had a private interview with the boss. 5. He didnt drive us nuts with unnecessary paperwork and red tape. Most of that stuff is lip service and he knew it.

Lets Get Our Priorities in Order

By Anita Swigart
Teachers are spending time enforcing dress codes when they could be using their time teaching. Lately, at my high school our focus has been on something that is the lowest rung of my priority list dress code. Yes, we are in what would probably be considered a conservative community, but these students live there and I would like to believe that their parents are aware of what their students wear to school, so why am I spending so much time writing detentions and sending students to the office for dress code violations? At least one of our administrators and one guidance counselor is spending hour after hour assessing student dress and dealing with parents. Is this the best use of their time? When it comes time for me to look at my emails I find one after another from teachers who want to make everyone aware that so-and-so needs to keep her hoodie zipped, otherwise too much cleavage will show. Some of the teachers are quite militant about it: using rulers to determine if a girls dress is midway between top of leg and knee and these are the FEMALE TEACHERS. I cant believe that this increases the learning in these teachers classes, and isnt that upon which we should be concentrating our efforts? Why can students have pierced ears, but no other piercing? What is wrong with spaghetti straps? How do those affect learning? In my opinion, all of this is counterproductive. Not only are skilled professionals spending time on something that doesnt really matter, but those students who break the code are spending time sitting in the office (if they have no other clothes at school to put on and a parent cannot bring any) rather than participating in class. It is true that I would object to T- shirts with racist or any type of offensive slogans, but there I draw the line. The fashions that are such distractions are really only distracting to the teachers who object to them. The students dont care that much, and as we all know, teenagers are more interested in themselves than in others anyway. I dont want to spend time checking my students for dress code violations; however, when I dont do it, emails start flying around from others wondering why

so-and-so has gone through 3 classes without getting a detention and being sent to the office. Come on! Lets spend our time where it is needed. We are not at school to police students dress; we are there to teach. Please let me do it without worrying that I have missed seeing a hole in the cuff of one of my students jeans. Lets move into the 21st century. I have students who dont yet know what a blog is or how to effectively search for information on the Internet. Isnt this more important than whether they have their tongue pierced? (ouch!) Lets just get over this dress code issue and teach.