Teach

Like a Champion
ENTRY #1
Technique # 44 Precise Praise
Description: I have learned that positive reinforcement can make all the difference in the
classroom. The text said that this should happen three times as often as correction and
criticism. Teachers can positively reinforce students by differentiating the praise and
acknowledgement. This means that teachers make a distinct difference between the two.
Teachers should acknowledge when expectations have been met and praise when the
exceptional has been achieved. Teachers need to be careful and intentional when choosing
to use either reinforcement. When praising students, teachers should do so publicly to
reward students, but when fixing something it is best to keep is soft and allow the student
to even self-correct on their own. Praise also must be genuine. That is the most important
thing. This cannot be taught and should be the main focus that teachers strive towards. The
rest can be worked on and refined over time.
Observation/Implementation: This is a strategy that I try to implement every time I am in
the classroom. I see that it can be really hard when students are misbehaving and not
following directions. Correction is necessary, but I have seen how much some of these kids
need a positive and welcoming environment. If teachers forget to praise students more
than they correct and yell at them, then there is something wrong. Teachers should be
intentional with students. There is always something good that can be found even in the
worst students and more often than not they need the praise and encouragement the most.
Technique # 48 Explain Everything
Description: This strategy is important because it lets students know what is important to
focus on in conversations. The teacher should make expectations and objectives clear,
rational, and logical for students. The teacher should always be able to explain why they do
what they do. It is frustrating for students when the only answer the teacher will give is
because I said so. This does not hold students to a higher standard or help them achieve
what is expected. The books says that an explain everything teacher will explain to
students how one action or behavior affects another. This helps students understand
decision-making and that the rules and systems that are in place are for their best interest.
Sometimes it is easy for students to get diverted from a task, and so this strategy reminds
students that the groups success is dependent on each others participation.
Observations/Implementation: My teacher at Avondale does this well. She has the standards
posted on the walls and reminds the students of what is expected of them. Whenever a
student misbehaves she calls them out and tells them why she wrote their name down. I

think that it is easy to tally up kids who are misbehaving and not explain to them why. It is
also not right when a teacher writes down a childs name to get in trouble and it is for a
random reason that the student may not have known the expectation for. I dont ever want
to be the teacher whose response is because I said so. I think at this age it is important for
kids to start building a framework of what is appropriate and what is not and that will
happen by the teacher setting clear standards and explaining everything to students so that
there are no misconceptions.
ENTRY #2
Technique #1 No Opt Out
Description: It is easy for students to become discouraged when they dont know an answer
to a question and just give up. This strategy teaches students that being unable or unwilling
to answer questions is not acceptable. The teacher should set high standards and expect
the students to answer the question. The teacher can set the standard by having another
student answer the question and then bringing it back to the student that didnt know.
There should not be pressure on the student, but there should be effort. By the end of this
routine, students should be answering questions as often as possible.
Observation/Implementation: I saw this strategy being used at my Trace placement during
number talks. The teacher would call on a student who supposed they knew the answer
and ended up not having a response. The teacher would ask more questions to dig deeper
to see if she could find out what they were thinking, but if they didnt respond, the teacher
would come back to them later. It was good to see, because often times teachers will get
frustrated when students raise their hand and dont actually have an answer. The teacher
was gracious and made sure that by the end of the problem the student had an
understanding of it. She would sometimes ask them another question as well to prompt
more thinking and challenge them. I remember as a student opting out of some problems
and as nice as it was as the student, I think that it is important the teachers keep pushing
the student and have them respond in some way.
Technique # 2 Right is Right
Description: The point of this technique is to set high standards for the students for
correctness. So often teachers will tell students that they are right when they really might
not be. This strategy states that right = 100% and that is what we should be teaching kids.
Many teachers tend to respond to almost-correct answers and round up, but that is not
benefitting the students in the long run. Students will start to settle for that kind of work,
and that is not what we should be striving towards. With using Right is Right, it is
important to hold out for all the way meaning that they praise students for effort but they
dont confuse it with mastery. Another important thing to hold students to is answering the

question that is asked. Sometimes students figure out that they can get around from
answering the explicit question asked. Also, students want to get ahead of you when you
ask questions, so answering the right answer at the right time is important to teach
students. Lastly, it is important to use technical vocabulary.
Observation/Implementation: I implement this strategy when I walk around in the
classroom to help students with their morning work or worksheets. Some students would
be working really hard but may not have been doing it correctly. I tried to be very
intentional about correcting the students and not just telling them that they were doing it
right even if it was close. Students can easily get off track and begin to slack off if they are
not held to the highest standard. I did not see many of my teachers grade papers, but that is
another area that teachers need to watch out for. The same standard of grading should be
applied to every student and every question. The goal that I am striving for is to praise
students for effort and not confuse it with mastery like this strategy said.
ENTRY #3
Technique # 9 Shortest Path
Description: The goal of this strategy is to opt for the simplest explanation or direct route
from point to point when teaching. Sometimes teachers can make things much more
complex than they are and it ends up confusing students even more. We should be using
what data tells us works best and rely on what is proven, direct, and trustworthy. This
strategy doesnt necessarily mean that you have to make your lessons super short, but the
point is to make the lessons motivating by switching up activities, varying tones and paces,
and being deliberate when teaching.
Observation/Implementation: I have struggled with this strategy this year because I tend to
be detail oriented. Scripting out the lessons has helped me be more concise and take the
shortest path or direct route when teaching. I find it easy to get off on bunny trails and
confuse the students even more by giving them information or instructions that are
unnecessary. As teachers I have seen in my own experience and through observing
teachers that using strategies and explanations that are data based do work best. We have
so many resources at our finger tips and so we should be switching it up and making it
engaging and motivating for students as we take the most deliberate path of teaching.
Technique # 15 Circulate
Description: This is a technique for moving strategically around the classroom during all
parts of a lesson. Its important to know how to move around the classroom other than just
focusing on proximity. The teachers should first break the plane, meaning that you let the
students know that you can go anywhere in the classroom at any time. This shows the

students that you move as a product of teaching and not just student behavior. Second, full
access to the entire room is required. The teacher should be able to naturally stand next to
any student at any time simply and easily. This is the only way to truly own the room. Next,
it is vital to engage as you circulate. Its not just about moving around but talking with the
students and gaging where they are. This is a great time to formatively assess the students.
Teachers should move systematically around the room making it universal and
unpredictable. This holds the students accountable and poses a challenge whether they
realize it or not. Lastly, the teacher should position for power. The goal should be to remain
facing the whole class as much as possible. This may be hard to do, but it is important to
remember because turning your back could invite opportunistic behavior. This is a great
strategy to remember and incorporate in teaching because it can be applied in all areas.
Observation/Implementation: I believe that this could be one of the most influential
strategies in the classroom. I have always pictured the teacher at his or her desk
monitoring the students and their work, but I have learned that circulating around the
classroom as students work is essential. I incorporate this into all my lessons because it is
a great way to formatively assess students. I circulate around and answer questions if
needed or just keep them accountable by standing near them as they do their work. As the
teacher circulates is gives them less of an opportunity to misbehave because the teacher is
moving and watching. I love this and think it is so important because it allows you to
engage more with the students. I have found that it gives the teacher more power than just
sitting down and is helpful in motivating students to work.
ENTRY #4
Technique # 18 Check for Understanding
Description: It is so important to always know what is happening around you because if
someone is doing something wrong, it could end up being costly. As teachers, we should
constantly be assessing students on what they can do while teaching and using that
knowledge to inform you on what to do next and how to do it. The book said that the
strategy should actually be named Check for Understanding and Do Something About It
Right Away. The most important part of this strategy is gathering data and responding to
it. Teachers can support this by making his or her questions more data driven. Teachers
should stray away from asking yes or no questions and ask more thought-provoking
questions using Blooms Taxonomy. Observing students as they work is also vital for
checking for understanding. By standardizing the format for what you are looking for, it
will help as a guide in knowing what to look for among students and helps resist the urge to
favor some work above others.
Observation/Implementation: We have learned the past 2 semesters how important it is to
let data drive instruction. Whether it is formative or summative, the teacher should always

be checking for understanding and forming instruction around what information is

gathered. My teacher at Trace did this well with both summative and formative assessment.
She would check for understanding when asking questions and having them do their hand
signals. This was especially helpful in number talks. I asked them to use hand signals in
some of my lessons and I was able to explain some things again because of it. My teacher
would also assess collectively by doing running records and other reading and math
inventories. She always had her students leveled in reading and would reassess midpoint
to see how they improved or what else they needed to work on.
Technique # 36 100 Percent
Description: Students should follow 100% of what you ask them to do in the classroom. If
the teacher cannot make this happen, then the authority is subject to interpretation,
situation, and motivation. This should be the standard, not the goal. Discipline and order in
the classroom should be both positive and a habit. When teachers dont care about this,
they stop noticing when there is not compliance and it ends up affecting more than just the
student. Moving on without addressing issues and demanding 100% compliance could lead
to a dangerous classroom community. Teachers need to be intentional and considerate
about what they ask students to do in the class so that compliance is reasonable. The least
invasive forms of intervention are nonverbal, positive group correction, anonymous
individual correction, private individual correction, lightening-quick public correction, and
consequences. Teachers can emphasize compliance by maximizing visibility, be seen
looing around, avoiding marginal compliance, and leveraging the power of
unacknowledged behavioral opportunities.
Observation/Implementation: My teacher at Trace did a much better job of this than my
teacher at Avondale. The teacher at Trace worked with the students for the first 6 weeks on
behavior and classroom management. She usually didnt have to tell them more than once
to stop doing something. They knew what was expected. She allowed the students to be
students and only corrected when necessary. Some students needed one on one
confrontation and she would do that often. My teacher at Avondale was upset at students a
lot, but the behavioral issues were much more complicated. There was not 100% classroom
compliance and it did lead to dangerous activity. There might have been standards set, but
the students did not comply. The teacher would write names down on a list and take away
recess, but other than that many students got away with things. She did pull some students
off to the side right when things would happen to confront their behavior. This is a strategy
that is necessary but hard and should take time in a classroom.

ENTRY #5
Technique # 31 Binder Control
Description: Papers are so hard for students to keep up with sometimes. This strategy gives
students an organized a required place for students to take notes and keep up with them. If
they dont have this it is more likely that they will use a half sheet of paper or something
that can be easily lost and buried beneath other papers and books. This takes time on the
teachers part to organize this, but it is worth it. Teachers can have binders or folders that
students take home and that they leave in the class over night. It is also helpful to have a
format that the students put their papers in so that there is an easy system to check to see if
everyone has what they need. I love organization so this is something that I find very
beneficial and vital to keep work up to date and together.
Observation/Implementation: My teacher at Trace did a wonderful job of incorporating this
strategy into her classroom. The teacher had a binder for students writing workshop
papers and she had a folder for them to take home with news and homework. Each student
knew where their binder and folders were and it was known that they were to keep up
with everything in those. I think that she could have done a better job organizing the
contents inside, but they were in first grade, so it was a little harder. I am very organized
and see how important it is to do this. I think that by the teacher having a binder system it
sends a message to the students that the teacher values the work that the students are
doing. It also keeps them accountable knowing that the teacher will check it. Teachers can
also use composition notebooks to keep track of journal entries and other things. Any place
where teachers can keep students work organized and have them keep up with is
something that every teacher should have in his or her classroom.
Technique # 33 On Your Mark
Description: Students must start the class with what they need to succeed each day. They
should have out a their books, paper, and pencil/ pen before class begins. This should be an
expectation that the teacher sets so that it becomes a habit. When this happens students
are on their mark before they start the race of the day. The teacher needs to be explicit
about this. There should be a time limit set, consequences if they arent prepared, and tools
provided before class if students realize they forgot the materials. This ties along with the
entry routine talked about earlier. Students need structure and high expectations to
succeed through out the day.
Observation/Implementation: I saw this every day at Trace and I remember being so
amazed the first few times I saw it. The students ate breakfast and watched an educational
show before school started every day. Right when the video ended at 8 the students had set
jobs and collected trash, got out their writing journals, or went to their station. The teacher

did not have to say a word, they just knew that the day was beginning and they had to start
their work. I had never seen a class do that before without being told what to do. I asked
the teacher about it and she said that she worked with them on this for the first 4-6 weeks
of school. She said how important it was to her to have the day start off like this and I could
not agree more. They were on their mark and it flowed into the rest of the teaching and
work that day. Students were called out if they did not do as they were supposed to and the
teacher made such that the students kept to the expectations that were set.