Threshold - a Powerful Strategy

 Hey all fast llamas!

This a throwback blog post from 2019, but reposting serves two things... 1) it is good info about why we should be great at this strategy and 2) I really need to rest today... Enjoy! 

Today, I thought a good place to start talking about in terms of classroom culture and management is to start at the literal beginning.  The first interaction you have with your students as they enter your classroom... the threshold.

In Teach Like a Champion 2.0, Doug Lemov describes this as "the first opportunity to set high expectations", and I couldn't agree more. Getting it right and keeping it right are much easier than trying to fix it once it has gone wrong (I love this statement).

Here's what it looks like, sounds like and feels like:
Remember Everything Speaks - first impressions matter!  be purposeful and use this moment intentionally (lagniappe)
1.  Choose how you will greet students - this sets the tone for the rest of class.  Will you use it for rapport building? Academic success? Character building?  (a mix?)
2.  Stand astride the door if you can... so you can see what's happening in your classroom and outside.  (this may not always be possible, but, it is the goal)
3.  Greet students, remind them that they are in your class now (sending a message that no matter what expectations they are coming from, your expectations are in play now, and you expect their best)
4.  Send a warm, strict message, you are glad they are here, but, we are here to learn... business with a smile
5.  Use this time to:
    *build rapport, "nice game last night", "looking for great things from you today", check badges or "cool shirt"; You are MODELING how to talk to Speak with good Purpose...
    *build academic success, "we have a quiz today, be sure you review your warm-ups", "flash cards" 
    *build character - how to shake hands, make eye contact, high five, side hug or fist bump (ask kids what they want), talk about the 8 Keys of Excellence.
6.  Split time between greeting and talking to kids in the class... you literally have eyes on everything. calling attention to it, sends a message to students that you are watching, monitoring and helping them be successful.

The ultimate goal of Threshold is twofold:
1.  help you establish a personal connections with your students though a brief individual check in (use their name)
2. Reinforce your expectations for what students should be doing as they enter your class.  

Set a goal to level up your Threshold and monitor the results you see in your classrooms. 

Have a superb first day tomorrow!  

Slow Down and Think

Fast Llamas,

I have been thinking and thinking about what to talk about today and my head is swimming with possibilities.  I want to talk about so much... ugh! prioritizing has never been a strong suit of mine, I want to do it all and do it at once, right away!  So, I will follow the advice of my blog title today and simply slow down and think.  

Last week I sat down with two new teachers and started conversations about their classrooms.  I wanted to hear what they wanted their classrooms to be and to give insight to things they may not be thinking about.  I firmly believe that a lot of what makes teaching challenging are small student behaviors that multiply and eat away at your sanity because they are so constant.  That's the bad news, but the good news is with small adjustments, these small annoyances' can be eliminated quickly. A certain number of small teacher moves can make a big difference.  

I shared with these new teachers Doug Curry's document about preparing for the first day of school.  The Big Day!  

Fast Llama Guidelines for the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

It's a long article, but very thorough and reflective.  It leaves nothing to chance!  Both teachers I visited with were taken aback with the amount to think about.  But, here's the deal, think it about it now, and be ready, or wait until it is happening in real time and you end up reacting.  So, both teachers went home with "homefun" to read through the document and ahem, prioritize what needs attention now and what can wait for day two and three... etcetera.  

Other than keeping your sanity, being proactive keeps you happy.  And happy teachers are fast llama teachers.  When you realize:

1. your classroom will be whatever you want it to be

2.  student behavior is under your control 

3. students are relying on you for their learning, they want a confident teacher with a non-chaotic classroom

Here's some advice for the first day:

1.  Practice your door greeting, how will you check students in and how will they know where to sit?

2. Script out what you are going to say for each stage of the period - Think about what you will be doing and what the students will be doing.  Think about when you have a kid who doesn't respond.

    What do you want _____________ to look like, ideally, what are students doing?

What are you doing? What makes it effective?

3. Practice the script in your classroom

    - how will you start?  what's the first thing you say when the bells sounds?

     - where will you stand, how will you stand - plant your feet, stand still

    - practice your voice level so it is strong, it should sound confident, but not condescending, sarcastic or threatening.  You want a formal register.

     - practice making eye contact and scanning the room so that you include everyone

4.  On the first day, put a checkmark on your script as you move through each part.  Why?  Well, on my first day of teaching ever, I was way more nervous that I thought I would be... I kept forgetting what I had said to which class.  I kept asking the kids, "have I told you this?"  This made me appear to be unprepared, scattered and it wasn't a good look in terms of my confidence.  

5. Practice your timing, seek advice from your team for how long they will give for each task during the period.

6. Practice positive narration, celebrate when the students are responding the way you want them to.

We have one more week to prepare and get ready for kids... use this time to reflect on what you love about your classroom and what needs some fixes.  The more we think about what we want our classrooms to look like, sound like and feel like the better it will be!

until next time...

Back in the Saddle

 Fast Llamas,

We are back in the action!  School starts tomorrow for me, 5 days of District PD and 5 days of Campus PD to prepare physically and mentally for the upcoming school year.  Lots of anxious feelings, nearly palpable as we go back to "normal".  But, we remain flexible (it's a life skill) as protocols may change.  

My last blog entry in May ended with what our friend and fast llama guru, Doug Curry had to say about Collective Teacher Efficacy, our impact and what "Makes Schools Great".  

I will begin this new school year with the same information... because the words are just so good. Doug's impact is reminding us that middle school and high school kids still need consistency, systems and relationships in order to have a sense of safety and belonging.  Don't make assumptions, just because they are older that will automatically just, "know" how to behave in the hallways, or how to interact respectfully with adults when approached, it is our role to teach students beyond our content.  

Doug Curry says that in order to have "Great Secondary Schools" you need these elements.  And, when you read them, you will be thinking, "yes!", the next step is up to you to put them into action.  

What makes schools great:

1.  Belief - Teachers will not look away at behaviors, but will lovingly step in with consistency students need in order to teach students the ways of success.

2.  Relationships - Teachers will get to know as many students names in their building as possible and interact with these students in the hallways, in their classrooms, in the cafeteria and at dismissal.

3. Expectations - "Middle school and high school students deserve a school that is both physically and emotionally safe. It is not their job to create it and maintain it. It is the job of the adults. And it is the job of the adults to have the courage and confidence to step in and intervene when students are not living up to the accepted standards of the school." D. Curry

We teach them how to act — how to respond appropriately, how to be kind to others, have empathy and integrity.  We teach them to love school and to love their teachers. We help them and their families have a plan to go from middle school to high school to their future.

Do you know what your dream school looks like?  Can you picture it in your mind?  If you don't, spend some time thinking about it and picturing it in your mind.

Reflective Questions:

- what do passing period look and sound like?  are they loud with happy kids? where are the teachers and administrators?  What are teachers and admin doing while kids walk to class? Do you feel safe?  Do students feel safe?

 - once the bell rings what does it look and sound like? are the hallways clear?  when you see a kid, do they have a pass? if they don't what happens? are students in their classrooms with meaningful and engaging learning from bell to bell?

Can you and do you understand the power of the herd?  

Do you know your impact?  What is your sphere of influence?  It's a lot bigger than you think...

This is the most important of all mindframes and is the major message for Visible Learning.  We continually adjust and refocus what we are doing. We stop talking and listen for our impact.  Our impact in our classrooms and with our fellow teachers.  

Take a look at the table below: (sorry for the formatting, I really just threw it down quickly this morning, but the info in more important to the spacing... sorry to those who are bothered! ha)

As humans, we are hard-wired in our brains for connection and for a sense of belonging.  When our students have a connection to each other, to you and to your content, the "will and thrill of learning", can flourish., so does creativity.  These feelings apply to the collective teachers on your team, in your department and in your building.  This is the herd.  

In great schools you can sense the feeling of efficacy. We are not powerless. Our schools will be whatever we want them to be. It takes effort, it takes courage and it takes confidence.   But, together, we are stronger than being alone.  If you see a slow llama (aka, a struggling teacher), help them get faster, in doing so, the whole herd gets faster and that makes our school great.

More to come in the coming days... 

Finishing up What Makes Schools Great

Fast Llamas,  

It's Memorial Day, the unofficial start for summer and in our district the last week of school.  I have lots of friends who work for other districts and they have been out for a week now.  Time flies!  Make plans to deliberately make the most of every moment this summer, even if that means watching The Young and the Restless!  

I have been meaning to complete Doug Curry's article, Great Secondary Schools and I will today.  Doug is so good at reminding us that middle school and high school kids still need consistency, systems and relationships in order to have a sense of safety and belonging.  Don't make assumptions, just because they are older that will automatically just, "know" how to behave in the hallways, or how to interact respectfully with adults when approached, it is our role to teach students beyond our content.  

How about this from @casas_jimmy

We only have our students for three more days, what will you do to make those days count?  This is an important time to model excellent behavior.  To teach how to "behave when you are transitioning and probably will not see these people for the next 10 weeks or at all".  How will you keep the students engaged, happy, behaved these last three days when some think they have nothing to lose?  

Doug Curry says that in order to have "Great Secondary Schools" you need these elements.  And, when you read them, you will be thinking, "yes!", the next step is up to you to put them into action.

What makes schools great:

1.  Belief - Teachers will not look away at behaviors, but will lovingly step in with consistency students need in order to teach students the ways of success

2.  Relationships - Teachers will get to know as many students names in their building as possible and interact with these students in the hallways, in their classrooms, in the cafeteria and at dismissal

3. Expectations - "Middle school and high school students deserve a school that is both physically and emotionally safe. It is not their job to create it and maintain it. It is the job of the adults. And it is the job of the adults to have the courage and confidence to step in and intervene when students are not living up to the accepted standards of the school." D. Curry

We teach them how to act — how to respond appropriately, how to be kind to others, have empathy and integrity.  We teach them to love school and to love their teachers. We help them and their families have a plan to go from middle school to high school to their future.

Do you know what your dream school looks like?  Can you picture it in your mind?  If you don't, spend some time thinking about it and picturing it in your mind.

Reflective Questions:

- what do passing period look and sound like?  are they loud with happy kids? where are the teachers and administrators?  What are teachers and admin doing while kids walk to class? Do you feel safe?  Do students feel safe?

 - once the bell rings what does it look and sound like? are the hallways clear?  when you see a kid, do they have a pass? if they don't what happens? are students in their classrooms with meaningful and engaging learning from bell to bell?

Can you and do you understand the power of the herd?  In great schools you can sense the feeling of efficacy. We are not powerless. Our schools will be whatever we want them to be. It takes effort, it takes courage and it takes confidence.   But, together, we are stronger than being alone.  If you see a slow llama, help them get faster, in doing so, the whole herd gets faster and that makes our school great.

Until next time... 

Fast Llamas and the End of School

Fast Llamas!

Hey all, here is a timely "reshare" November and a friendly reminder to why we should not "count down" to summer.

Here is a quick reminder to avoid "counting down" to summer and how this thinking can  send a message to others and to our brain to not "make the most of every moment."  Why is this detrimental?  Let's break it down...

All learning and thinking is as Eric Jensen says, "is state dependent".  Three states that we encounter daily (and hourly) is our cognitive, emotional and physical state. (in Quantum Learning, we call it a "congruence") What's interesting is that when one is changed, all three change as they are interwoven in our brain's neural networks.  Here's an example, you are working on a task, you start feeling sleepy and droopy, so you sit up, take a deep breath, raise your eyebrows, turn on some music or even get up and get a drink.  This changes your physical state, and thus, your cognitive and emotional one too.  (you become more capable of thinking and your emotional state gets fed with a favorite song and in my case, a Diet Coke, which makes me happy).  Our state is our frame of mind or our mood and we do have control of it.  

What does this have to do with "counting down" to a break?  Well, our words and thoughts influence us tremendously and they have the power to inspire us in negative and positive ways.  When we count down, we are sending a message to our brains that where we are and what we are doing is equated with something bad.  I know I am teetering in the "toxic positivity" realm that is super popular right now, so I will be mindful about it.  I am not saying to tell your brain to avoid negativity or squash it down or ignore it.  What I am saying that we have tough roles and careers right now and we embrace it everyday.  We need to tell others when we are hurting, tired and needing help, that's the only way others know to step in and be helpful.  But, counting down the time that we are at work so that we can spend time away from it, just reinforces those connections in our brain toward negative feelings. We already know it's tough, why send another message reinforcing it?  

No way am I telling to you to "turn your frown upside down" which actually makes be blech just typing it.

We don't have to be happy or peppy all day long, but the time we are at school is what is it, time that we are together with our colleagues, our students, and our friends.  They are opportunities to be a shining light in someone's bad day, to find a new way of doing something that makes it easier for you or someone else or share a laugh with others. We don't silence our feelings when they are negative, but, seek out others for help and vice versa.  This is the good that have for each other.  

A person I admire at school posted an article about "toxic positivity" on social media and I am very mindful of it... here is something I found that frames responses to avoid it.

Our words and actions also influence our students too, they are watching and listening.  What message about our learning and our classrooms do you want to send? Do we want to send a message to our students that we don't like the time we spend together with them?  I don't think so.  We have control of the messages we send to students about the learning that goes on in their classrooms.  We also have the opportunity to instill this life-long skill of making the most of every moment.  That the time we have together is just as fun and important as the time we spend out of school.  School is not a place to avoid, but a place where they belong.  And we belong there to for each other.  Let's focus on the present moment.

So in bringing it all together, we can do things to change our state of mind in the moment to get through tough times.  We can also support one another during the day to help our work colleagues (and students) get through those tough times too.

Fast Llama's and SEL part 3

Fast Llamas,

We are back today to speak about Academic Rigor and Social and Emotional Learning.  Remember, I went to an awesome training a couple of weeks ago that was so great in tying these two together.  What spoke to me most (and what I love to hear) is "old school" strategies, those strategies that have been around for my whole teaching career being "leveled up" to address SEL.  We are wrong to throw out learning strategies that are "old" just because they have been around for a long time. If a learning strategy works, they work for a reason, but, we can always improve and tweak our practices.  Innovation, to me is not about bright, shiny new things, but a refinement of our strengths and practices that we have mastered.  

Let's visit Balanced Instruction.  Balanced Instruction is all about the purposeful reflective practice of using a balance between direct instruction and collaborative learning.  There is a place for direct instruction, it actually has a high effect size of .60. (An effect size of .60 means more than one year growth for one year of input.)  A great use of Balance Instruction is using a lesson cycle, where direct instruction is a part of the lesson each day, chunking complex information into pieces that students can handle.  In a Blended Learning Model, small group direct instruction can be used with great success. 

Here is an example of a Lesson Cycle outline:

1.  Setting Goals and Learning Outcomes

2. Direct Instruction/Mini Lesson

3.  Practice - Independent or Group

4.  Conclusion/ Reflection

Within this outline we can dig deeper to provide the Quantum Learning Teaching Cycle:

E - Enroll/Engage - how can I grab the students attention?

E - Experience - is there a common experience that the class can share?

- Enroll/Engage/Experience are often done at the same time - I am giving you choice here to think about.

L - Learn and Label  - direct teaching/direct learning - use teaching strategies such as chunking...

D - Demonstrate - students carry the cognitive workload

R - Reinforce - help students brains encode the learning to long term memory by recapping, reviewing and retrieving the learning

C - Celebrate effort

Intertwined within this cycle is our expectations for our students.  Expectations or having "high expectations" has an effect size of about .49.  You will get one years growth for one years input by having them.  The issue and trap we can fall into is thinking that by being strict, we are having high expectations.  While I will never tell you to not hold kids accountable, I will tell you that having high expectations is more about the perception of our students cognitive abilities rather than their skills at meeting due dates.  This idea is tied with trust and "I know you can do this" attitudes.  So, there is a balance between knowing what our students can do academically and how they will respond when faced with academic challenges.  There is a balance between the pressure to succeed, feel responsible for their academic work and the support we provide students along the journey.  My favorite teachers were the ones whom provided a challenging curriculum, but, were so helpful to me when I asked.  Trust has a very high effect size... so by trusting our student to perform to our expectations, stands a very good chance that they will experience high achievement.  

Have a great week and see you soon!

Happy Mother's Day!

Fast Llama's,

I am living the key of Balance and taking today off from writing, choosing to eat Mother's Day Brunch and enjoying the day!  

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms, your own Moms, all the Auntie's and Mom's Best Friend (your own personal B.F.P.) who love you and your kids so much!  

See you next week.