Fast Llamas Witness the Good

Hey Fast Llamas,

Is it just me or is everything that used to be normal seems so extra this year?  Just the fact that it was a Full Moon, Halloween, Daylight Saving Time ending and a new month starting, seemed so much!  I have to change the clocks and the calendar?  UGH!  I don't know, it seems like I wouldn't of even bothered me if this was a "normal" non-Covid-19 year, but, everything feels like it takes more energy.  So when my sweet neighbor texted that she had breakfast tacos for me, I jumped on over next door.  I was just too exhausted from all the clock changing to cook this morning.  In reflecting on this feeling, I do believe it is a perception thing.  I think we are holding tight to everything, waiting for the next shoe to drop, the next new thing to do, another procedural change.  (and even when our procedures change for the GOOD, we still react).   For the month of November, let's make a conscience effort to be more optimistic, more grateful, more thankful, more reflective and more proactive. (Whoa, Tracy, that's a lot!) 

In simpler terms, let's stop and think about the good we have and make plans to change the things we can (or at least reduce the stress they are causing us).

Jim Knight has a strategy called, "Witness to the Good" and just the title alone gives me hope.  The objective for this strategy is to create a positive environment for learning in which constructive student behavior is reinforced and destructive behavior is corrected.  

Let's do a Hattie Check:

This strategy would match with numbers many of the 12 Influences listed above.  While we break down this strategy, come back to the clock above and reflect on where it aligns.  

Two things to consider: First, just because some influences are pretty high in effect size, we shouldn't ignore effect sizes close to .4 (the hinge point).  A lot of time, small reflections of our own orchestration of our interactions with students do have lasting impacts (it's a marathon, there are no quick fixes with students). And second, the word CONSISTENCY is not listed above, so please remember, without it students won't know where they stand and this can lead a chaotic learning environment. 

So, here comes the work on our parts, the reflective and proactive things we do before we see behavior and then our reaction to it.  (because we interact with humans and not robots)

In order to be a witness to the good, teachers are reflective about what students actions they want to see that foster learning.  Teachers strive for a higher ratio of reinforcing this attention compared with correcting it.  If the teacher is constantly only correcting inappropriate behavior, then all the attention unintentionally focuses on it... let's shift it!

"Where attention goes, energy flows"  James Redfield

Let's focus our attention what we WANT to see, putting our energy toward that goal!

Where to get started:

1.  make a list of of behaviors you want to see

2.  make a list of how you will celebrate/praise these behaviors when you see them

3.  make a list of behaviors you are constantly correcting

4.  make a list of how these behaviors will be corrected (first, second, third time)

5.  work on ONE behavior at a time until it is consistently seen the way you want to to see it

6.  commit to saying hello to all students as they enter, especially those you have negative interactions with

7.  seek out positive interactions with students not involved with behavior or academics

8.  find out about things your kids like outside of school (what's the thing they love right now)

9. thank students for good behavior, both academic and behavioral

10.  praise effort (effort creates ability)

11.  remind yourself to praise and set praise goals, (put a number of sticky notes on your desk, each one is a praise reminder, for example, put 7 sticky notes down for 5th period, remove as your praise)

12.  double praise on certain days

13.  vary methods of praise - know what kind of praise your kids like

14. set praise goals based on prompts, like "if someone walks in the room, I will praise two kids"

15. Display student work

16. call, email or mail postcards home describing the "good" (talk to me about postage)

17.  ignore attention seeking behavior by praising those doing right

18. never miss an opportunity to talk to a kid in the hall, in the cafeteria, even if they are not your students

Have a great first week of November! And remember, as Doug Curry would say, "Students will do whatever you ask of them, if they know you love and respect them".  Until next week...

References

For more on this seek out https://www.safeandcivilschools.com/

High-Impact Instruction: A Framework for Great Teaching by Jim Knight (2013)