Higher, Lower - Faster, Slower

In our book, "Putting Away the Paddle: Nurturing Positive Learning Environments" we teach parents and teachers about the emotional escalation dance. It is very damaging and once in the cycle very difficult to get out of. This de-escalation strategy is taken from the book and may offer help as the year progresses.

Higher/Lower ~ Faster/Slower

“Oh sure, that sounds great in a perfect world, but I’ve got explosive students in my world!” What do you do when confronted with an out-of-control student? What do you do when confronted with a student who is demanding an emotional escalation dance? I can tell you that the Dixie Chick’s tune, “Sometimes Ya Gotta Dance” does not apply in this situation! Here’s what you should not do… Do Not Engage (DNE).

When confronted with any person demanding an emotional dance the first thing to do is consciously control your emotional physiology. Focus on your head, facial, shoulder, arms, hands, and stomach muscles - force them to relax. Focus on your breathing and heart rate and force yourself to slow down. This is a physiological exercise. Your prefrontal lobe is now speaking to your amygdala – “Hey now, relax there ol’ buddy, we’ve got this under control, pullback that adrenalin and cortisol, no need to fight or flight.”

Next, focus on reflecting back to the student the exact opposite emotion being hurled your way. The higher the pitch of the student’s voice – the lower your reflective pitch. The faster the students flow of words – the slower your reflective response.

Finally, choose your words very carefully…

1. Acknowledge the student’s feelings: “I understand, you must be upset…”
2. Remain open to communication: “I would love to talk to you…”
3. Set the parameters: “let’s talk about this when you are calm…”
4. Reissue the compliance command: “For now, you need to sit down and begin your work.”
5. Disconnect by turning away: This must be a physical disconnection. Remove all attention from the student. Refuse to engage in the emotional escalation dance. If you are fearful of a physical attack, of course do not turn away but instead walk away while keeping the student in view and get help.

I have used this strategy countless times. It has never failed me whether it is with an angry elementary student, explosive high schooler, or an angry parent in the middle of a high poverty inner-city neighborhood. The key is in the physiological control over the amygdale! Talk to her… she’ll listen!

For more information on the emotional escalation dance and how to "choose a different tune" read our book, Putting Away the Paddle: Nurturing Positive Learning Environments.

The Hidden Opportunity of Fall Break - the reset button!

Ahhh, Fall Break... the weather's changing... you've had a moment to breathe, maybe read a novel, listen to some relaxing tunes, travel the world (through the internet) and sleep! You're rejuvinated and ready for 2 more months of school until winter break.

But, the reality of your situation is this - the students have had one to two weeks off as well. Do you think the majority of them took a moment to breathe, read a novel, listen to some relaxing tunes, travel the world? No, many of them stayed up all night, slept in most mornings, got all sugared up, and have forgotten all the procedures you carefully taught them. Who was supervising the students during the last one to two weeks of fall break? Parents are working... yes, it was an older sibling or self regulation! Yikes!! They are coming back like a hurricane if you're not prepared.

The hidden opportunity of fall break is found in the moment to hit a reset button. No matter what was going on in regards to classroom and instructional management, you can hit a reset button after fall break. Here's what I suggest you do - three simple things:

1. Pretend it is the first day of school.
2. Reteach all of your classroom procudures, rules, consequences.
3. Reteach all of your instructional and learning expectations.
4. Practice, practice, practice all of your procedures and expectations until they are automatic once again.

I promise you, if you will do these simple suggestions the student academic time on task will increase along with all student achievement data!

Visit, http://www.theprincipals-office.com/ for ideas on increasing student academic time on task.

Best wishes,

Dr. Brian

Arizona Charter School Association Conference - Please join me!

I am presenting two sessions at the Arizona Charter School Association Conference. We are paying for a videographer to tape the two sessions. I would love for some beautiful people like you to join in.

Session one: Forget About the Students... How Do I Get the Faculty to Follow the Rules?
Date: 11/02/2009

Time: 1:00 PM- 2:15 PM
Location: Radisson Fort McDowell Resort -- Room 107
This workshop is a fun look at leadership and organizational management. We will explore some of the personality types in your organization and how you can use leadership and organizational management to increase the effectiveness of your faculty.

Session two: Putting Away the Paddle: Consequences That Teach
My friend and colleague Rachel Hollenbeck and I are presenting this workshop.
The concept of “Consequences That Teach” is based on the premise that all consequences teach something. This session will present a Response to Behavioral Intervention structure for developing positive school and social skills in tough kids, systematically generalizing and reinforcing those skills through positive behavior supports, and applying consequences that re-teach and reinforce previously learned skills within the general environment of the classroom. Handouts and materials will be supplied.

Hope to see you at the conference. If you haven't registered yet... come one, get the lead out!
Register at http://www.azcharters.org/pages/register-online

See you there!

Dr.Brian

The Power of Positive Energy

Some years ago I have had the most blessed opportunity to work with a school in an area of high generational poverty in a mid-west city. Nearly all of the students were black. Over the years the children got to know me and I grew to love them. When I walked on the campus many of the students would catch my eye and break into a giant smile. The mutual love and respect was not originally present, however. It took time and consistent, persistent, unconditional effort on my part to win their hearts and minds.


When I first arrived at the school for summer workshops the teachers and administrators were leery and untrusting of me. After all, who does this balding, skinny, goofy looking white-guy from the west think he is? What does he think he knows about black kids in the poverty of an urban city? During the workshop several of the teachers sat around tables reading newspapers, visiting or working on other things. Some attempted to counter me with the, “Yea, But” argument, “Yea, that may work where you’re from, but you don’t know our kids!”

When I visited the school throughout that first year most of the students were also wary. Few would talk with me and I received many strange looks. Some asked if I was there to close down the school. Some asked if I was the police. Over time, trust was gained and love, on my part at least, was nurtured.

“I love you.” What did I do to win the hearts and minds of students and faculty? I did not bring candy… I did not throw pizza or ice cream parties. I was consistent, persistent, genuine and unconditional in my verbal praise.

Early in my experience, during every interaction with a student I asked the student’s name, took the student by the hand looked him or her straight in the eyes and gave a genuine compliment. I walked around looking for reasons to praise. I smiled, winked, shook hands, gained friendly eye contact and in my mind said these words, “I love you” and meant it.

As we worked with this school the administrators, teachers and staff discovered this secret as well. Those who applied this simple, yet powerful strategy were met with remarkable success. Not only did the students benefit, but also the teachers reported that they were happier and enjoyed teaching much more when they were looking for reasons to praise.

4:1 Positive over Negative This principle has been referred to as the “Catch ‘em being good” principle. These teachers discovered that they could gain more compliance by attending to desirable behavior than they could by pointing out, nagging and attempting to “beat-out” inappropriate behavior. Furthermore, teachers who used a pleasant facial expression, gained eye contact and verbally praised students at least 4 times as often as they commanded, corrected, scolded or otherwise noticed misbehavior were much more likely to gain and maintain compliant behavior.

Verbally praise compliance. This concept seems self-evident, but it is not. First, it is easy for teachers to forget or not notice when students do comply with their requests, and they simply move on to the next task. Second, with some students, teachers feel that if they verbally reinforce the students for complying, they will stop the requested behavior (i.e., the “letting sleeping dogs lie” argument). This is incorrect. If teachers want compliance in the future, they must reward it now!

We taught the teachers to use the FEEDING rules of reinforcement and the Power Praise Phrase method as techniques for delivering verbal reinforcement. The following table outlines each of the components of effectively delivering verbal praise.


Call 480-204-7489 or email DrBrian@ThePrincipals-Office.com now - For more information on the FEEDING Rules of Reinforcement and the Power Praise Phrase method.

The 5/5 Rule

I teach graduate level ground-courses at The University of Phoenix. One of my favorites is courses with students preparing to be teachers... they are filled with energy, optimism, and a deep desire to make a difference in the lives of young people. I emphasize to them the importance of classroom management. One of the basics is the 5/5 rule.

The 5/5 rule addresses the first and last five minutes of their class time. Here's how it works. If a teacher can capture the first five minutes of every class period and control the last five minutes the middle is much easier and productive. Here are the rules to the 5/5 rule:

1) Preparation - before the students enter the classroom the teacher must be prepared with meaningful bell work on each desk or the whiteboard. There must also be quite music playing before the students enter the classroom. The music should be about 60 beats per minute and only instrumental. Classical piano, violin, or guitar have been my student's favorites.

2) Greet & instruct at the door - never let students enter your classroom until you are ready. Control their entry and exit and the middle part will be much easier and productive. Stop the students at the door. In a quiet but firm voice tell them -

"Students, when you enter the classroom I want you to do the following three things... First, enter the classroom quietly; Next, go straight to your desk; Then, begin on your bell work."

Then let your students enter the classroom. If they are unable to follow the three entry rules, have them practice the procedure again.

3) Closure - save the last five minutes of your class period for closure and an exit procedure. Your closure should heavily involve the students. There are many activities they can engage in for a quick and meaningful review of the main points. Further, give them a teaser of what's coming up in the next class period.

4) Instruct & Release - make sure students leave the classroom in an orderly manner. Once again, music assists with the tone. Quietly but firmly instruct the students -

"When you hear the music quietly pick up your backpack and line up at the door."

Start the music and coach them to begin. If the students are unable to follow the directions it is critical that you have them practice until they mastered the procedure.

Try it! I promise you, if you will control the first and last five minutes of your class the middle will be much more productive and your student academic time on task will increase. You will also find that the better you control the last five minutes the easier the first five minutes will be. And, logically, the better you control the first five minutes the easier the last five minutes will become.

Let me know how it works for you!

Dr. Brian

Rules / Consequences / Procedures

Are you ready? They are coming... is this the frantic rush before the storm or the calm before the dawn? Remember, it really is your choice. You make your choice by the amount and type of preparation made before the students arrive.

Here are 3 things that must be in place before the students walk through your door.

1) Proactive Rules should be well thought out and follow these guidelines:

• No more than 5 rules. First rule is a compliance rule (Follow directions immediately) rule 2 is an on-task rule (eyes and ears on teacher or task), rule 3 is an interacting with others rule (keep feet, hands, and other objects to self).


• The first 3 rules should be common throughout the school


• Keep the wording short/simple/start


• Keep the rule wording specific, measurable, observable


• Prominently post your rules

2) Proactive Consequences should also be well thought out. Keep the following in mind:

• Consequences must fit the philosophy or guidelines of the school-wide discipline plan.


• Think through your consequences - are they enforeable?


• Are your consequences structured in a logical sequence of severity? I like to structure consequences into a logical sequence for removing a student with a severe clause to immediately remove a student.

3) Proactive Procedures should follow these guidelines

• Think of all the procedural situations encountered in the students' school day.


• Break down these procedural situations into specific, measureable, observable steps.


• Keep your procedural steps to 5 or less.

4) First two weeks of school

• Teach your rules, consequences and procedures as well as you would a content lesson.


• Practice, practice, practice your rules, consequences, procedures!

5) The rest of the year

• Review your rules, consequences, procedures frequently.


• Re-teach your rules, consequences and procedures after every school break.


• Use natural positive reinforcement to increase rule and procedure compliance.

Have fun! Visit our website to get information for upcoming workshops from The Principal's Office.

See you soon!

Dr. Brian

August - Stormy or Sunny? Its up to you.

“8:30 am ~ With resolute eyes, she stares at the door, waiting for the inevitable. The distant sound of a tornado is drawing closer with each passing beat of her heart. The sound becomes deafening as she approaches the door to meet the monster head-on. She reaches for the cold steel of the handle and is propelled backwards as the tornado rips into the room blowing past her in a terrifying rush. Furniture is tossed aside; paper is thrown about as the tornado settles into a horrific windstorm.
She leans against the door and sighs, “Why can’t they just enter the classroom quietly?”

Why don't the students enter classrooms quietly? It is not in their nature to do so... they are, by nature playground creatures! Entering a classroom quietly is abnormal. Until we proactively teach and reinforce the procedures of our classroom they will continue to act normal.

Characteristics of Proactive Procedures:

• Are proactive - thoroughly thought out before students arrive.
• Use wording that is positive, “start,” and simple.
• Are taught and practiced at the beginning of the year.
• Wording is specific, measureable and observable.
• Practiced until automatic and routine with students.

If you need any assistance or ideas, look on The Principal's Office calendar to register for an upcoming "Putting Away the Paddle" workshop.

Brian

Ready or Not... They're Coming!

It's the first of July... do you know where your students are?

Are they studying at the library... hoping to get a headstart on the coming year?
Are they curled up with a good book, snuggling with some math facts, hanging out with an impelling writing project? Nah, they're kids... they're playing! And, depending on the time of day or night... they are sleeping! It's okay, that's what kids do.

What are you doing? Are you navigating a curriculum map, laying around with some lesson plans, surfing the internet for some great ideas for next year... probably!

Please get some rest. Your emotional and physical well-being is a very important part of classroom management and behavioral intervening.

Here's a prescription from the doctor...

1) Snuggle with a good book and your favorite human... or pet! You don't have to read something "appropriate" either... my wife and daughters love the Twilight series. There are many great "brain-candy" books out there. It's okay... relax.

2) Get some exercise on a consistent basis. Go walking, bike riding, running, hiking. There are many wonderful hiking trails throughout Arizona - the best in the Payson area. Go to this website and pick a place... then do it!
http://www.arizonahikingtrails.com/paysonhikes.asp

3) Go visit a friend, relative, or near-acquaintance who needs an emotional lift. It is amazing what selfless-service does to the health of our souls.

You have only a couple of weeks left... go do something fun and inexpensive. Then, we'd like to hear from you!

Have a wonderful July!

Dr. Winsor

Time to Shift Paradigms!

Hello all,
As you rest, relax, rehab, and perhaps relocate... I would like you to consider the following video. I think it is one of the most critical issues of our time as educators.

Consider the following soul-searching questions:
Do you truly want to increase SATOT (Student Academic Time on Task)?
Do you truly want to decrease the disruption in your classroom?
Do you truly want to increase student academic achievement?
Do you truly want to decrease student referrals to special education... to the office...?
Do you truly want to increase your joy in teaching?

Watch the following video and give some feedback.



Brian

Summer Reflection

My dearest friends,

Congratulations on another wonderful year as educators! You have my sincere and heartfelt gratitude for the work you do. Welcome to summer...

Ahhh, the sizzle of summer! Its finally here... your time to relax by the pool! Time to forget about class clowns, tattle tails, attitudes, demanding parents, late night readings of yet another Six-Traits writing probe, and of course those pesky and demanding principals.

This is a time of rejuvenation and sharpening the saw... (no, not as a behavioral management technique!). It is a time to remember why you chose this sacred and time honored profession.

I have placed some videos in the Audio/Video page of our website. I think you'll enjoy them. Some are funny and some will put you in the mood to reflect. Surf around in the "Instruction and Behavior" section and then I recommend you go into the "Character & Success" section. There's a new video entitled, heroes-softball. It'll warm your heart. When I watched it I automatically thought of wonderful mothers and many teachers who had positive influence on these young women.

Enjoy, and please share your reflections with us!

See you in July...

Dr. Winsor

Dealing with drama: School and Social Skill Builders.

Welcome to the rutting season - the time of year when hormones are a-raging!

Yes - every teacher, administrator, parent, or youth leader knows exactly what I'm talking about. Hormones are running rampant through the endocrine system of fourth graders on up! Okay, I agree, even amongst some of the second and third graders... please don't tell me the Kindergartners and first graders are infected too!

The warmer the weather - the higher the infection levels. It’s like a hormonal incubator out there.

Sometimes we become exasperated with our pre-teens, tweens, teens, and post-teens. We ask, “What is wrong with these kids?” “Why can’t they just get along with each other?”

Part of the challenge is found in the natural environments of today’s children. The media is filled with drama! Not only the old-school technology of television, music and movies, but also the new technology of Facebook, MySpace, Tweeter, text messaging and other technology that this old dude is not aware of. All of these technologies can be systems for intensifying drama and assisting the dreaded drama coordinator.

The drama coordinator’s job in life is to make sure everyone knows the latest bit of drama news… it’s like having your own TMZ/Extra/Hollywood gossip crew on your campus. As you know, this is very damaging to every aspect of a learning environment.

What can be done? In the wild you stand back and let nature takes its course… eventually the loser walks away and the winner is the king of the playground. Even though our campuses might seem like “The Wild Kingdom” it is best to be proactive about these things.
Here are some hints and tips.

1) Be proactive. Don’t wait until the drama is at fever pitch to do something. Teaching social skills should begin during the first weeks of school and reinforcement should continue throughout the year.
2) Teach concrete steps for social skills. Here are two examples:
How to Respond to Rumors
Step 1 – Pause / Stay calm
Step 2 – Consider the source
Step 3 – Consider the severity
Step 4 – Ask, “Do you believe it?”
Step 5 – If “no” say, “Good” and change the subject.
Step 6 – If “yes” say, “You can believe it if you want, but it isn’t true.” And change the subject.
Alternate Step 6 – If the accusers are verbally abusive – Hold up one hand with palm facing the abuser. With a firm voice say, “Hey, don’t talk to me that way, I don’t like it” then turn and walk away.

How to Stay Calm
Step 1 – Listen to your body’s triggers
Step 2 – Isolate tense body parts
Step 3 – Inhale slowly through nose and think of better solutions
Step 4 – Exhale slowly through mouth and relax
Step 5 – Concentrate on body control

3) Teach social skills as well as you would academic subjects.
a. Language enriched lessons
b. High student involvement in creating social skill steps
c. Create specific time and structure for social skills discussion
d. Engage critical thinking skills
e. Role play social skills scenarios
f. Frequently reinforce the use of social skills

At The Principal’s Office we have created an entire system for teaching, implementing, and reinforcing productive school and social skills. Our system is called “School and Social Skill Builders.” This system includes a wide variety of school and social skills that will help students today and throughout their lives.

If you would like help getting through the rutting season at your school, all you have to do is give a whistle! Here’s the tune…

480-204-7489
DrBrian@ThePrincipals-Office.com

Master Teacher Behaviors

If you want to put away the paddle for good, master these behaviors:

1) Surfing
2) Self-Control
3) FEEDING Rules
4) 25 Words or Less
5) Put away the snake
6) The "eyes" have it!
7) Short, specific, to the point
8) 1 + 1 = Action
9) Behavior noticed
10) Compliance Window

On Saturday morning from 9:00 until 12:00 we will go into depth of these master teacher behaviors as well as other tips to survive and thrive to keep learning alive!

See you then!

Dr. Winsor

RTI Virtual Conference now available!

Hello everyone!
Last week I attended the first fully virtual conference. It was wonderful... except for the food! But, I didn't have to stand in line at the restroom and I attended in my jammies! Last time I tried that I wasn't nearly as successful.

This is information worth having. I put the link on the website in the "Audio/Video" page. Click on the banner, computer screen or words and it will take you to the conference. Once at the lobby of the "conference center" look in the lower left corner and click on locations. Then find the link that reads "general sessions."

One of my favorite sessions discussed the impact the stimulus funds will have on data driven strategies like RTI. Since we are among the experts in the world on RTI, I am very encouraged about the future of The Principal's Office!

Enjoy!

Bria

Power Praise Phrase!

When using Power Praise Phrases, remember to
1. Use the student’s name,
2. Be specific in the description and
3. End with a target praise!


Hey, Jimmie… beautiful sharing, that is very kind!
Berry… outstanding behavior today, you are becoming very responsible!
Demetrius… awesome job on your spelling, you must really be studying!
Kaitlan… that was an A+ job on your math, excellent diligence!
Shawn… you are on task… you just made my day… excellent focus!
Jenny… what a trooper with your eyes and ears on the teacher, you are very attentive!
Wow Keith, you turned your homework in... now that’s responsibility!
Randi... your playground behavior was wonderful today, super citizenship!
Wow… look at you guys enter the classroom quietly...if I smile any bigger my face will split!
Andrea it makes me so happy when you follow directions immediately, thanks!
Jade, thank you for coming to school today… you are a valued person in our class!

Teacher examples:
I have spent hours in Ms. Misty Mahaffey’s Kindergarten class at Burke Basic School in Mesa, Arizona. She is a master at Power Praise-Phrases and celebrations. Every few minutes she would stop the class and say, “Wow, (student name) that was awesome! Everybody say, ‘Awesome!’” and the entire class would shout, in rhythmic unison, “Awesome!” I have counted 16 celebrations and 18 praise-phrases in 40 minutes. Those kids shouted awesome, super, great job, fantastic, fabulous and many others I can’t remember. More importantly, those students were having a bunch of fun learning. It was an exciting atmosphere of positive energy.

A few years ago I spent time in Ms. Bebe Teibo’s Kindergarten classroom at Academy of Excellence in Phoenix, Arizona. She also is a master at celebrations and praise-phrases. Ms. Teibo used cracker-jack, lookin’ good and friendly applause throughout her entire day. She also did something very unique… she would stop suddenly, look at the children and say, “Is this the first grade?” The children would shout, “No, this is Kindergarten!” She would insist, “Are your sure it’s not the first grade?” The children would giggle and shake their heads, “No, we’re in Kindergarten!” Then Ms. Teibo would power praise-phrase them, “Well, the way you guys are working, it looks like first-grade… you guys are going to be the best first graders ever!” Pure delight showed on the children’s faces as dopamine rushed throughout their brains solidifying the things they were learning.

Along with the praise-phrases and celebrations, these two authoritative teachers demonstrated absolute mastery of the other master teacher behaviors such as circulating the room frequently, moving in on misbehavior, exhibiting total self-control and using a quiet non-emotional voice to correct misbehavior. Through their celebrations they demonstrated that they were in total “positive” control of the classroom.

Give it a shot and let me know the results!

April Anxiety: Take your class back!

Master Teacher Behaviors R. Brian Winsor, Ph.D.

Over the past many years I have had the blessing of observing in 100s of classrooms. I have sat in awe as teachers have used music and singing to promote an enriched environment. I have marveled at the complete, positive, control teachers demonstrated over their classrooms and I sat and grinned as other teachers used celebrations throughout their lessons.

These teachers represent classrooms and students with a wide variety of backgrounds, grades, ethnicity, socio-economic status and abilities. Then, I ponder on other classrooms that are stressful and struggling. I ask myself, “What are the differences between these teachers?” The one thing that the master teachers have in common is absolute, positive authority in the classroom.

In our summer workshop series we discuss three types of teachers. The first type is authoritarian in nature. This teacher tries to control classroom behavior through emotional force. This teacher uses intimidation, threats, is frequently angry and uses high rates of negative correcting statements. You might hear this teacher make statements such as:

“This is the worst class I’ve ever had.”
“Okay, if you can’t be quiet you’ll miss recess.”
“If it’s not done right this time I’ll throw it away!”
“Excuse me!? Just because I’m with a student does not give you permission to speak!”
“Put your name on your paper… I’d hate to throw it away because I don’t know who it belongs to.”
“Jill, is there a reason why you’re talking? Didn’t I say to work quietly?!”

These statements usually ooze with a sarcastic voice tone.

I have observed enough to know with certainty what kind of classroom behavior this type of teacher produces. The students are typically unhappy, argumentative to one another, low in quantity and quality of academic work. These classrooms are normally disastrous for substitutes and ancillary teachers such as music and art.

The next type of teacher discussed is the permissive teacher. This teacher is warm and friendly but not demanding until chaos reigns. Then this teacher either flips over to the authoritarian style of teaching or breaks down in tears.

This teaching style is characterized by few or inconsistent rules or consequences. There are few if any clear procedures. This teacher is usually unprepared, lacks self-confidence and is afraid of conflict. This teacher also tends to get caught up in nagging cycles and engages in arguments with tough students.

Once again, I have observed enough classrooms to know with certainty what kind of classroom this type of teacher produces. The student academic time on task is low. The students become more loud and unruly as the day progresses. There are high rates of teasing and bullying in this classroom and the teacher experiences high amounts of stress as the day progresses.

There is a better way! This teaching style is called authoritative teaching. These teachers are characterized by absolute, positive control within the classroom. These teachers are completely in control of everything in the classroom including their emotions. They are demanding, firm, loving, consistent and persistent.

These teachers have preplanned rules, consequences and procedures. They have taught the procedures to the students and practiced them until they were automatic. When students fail to follow a procedure they remind and practice the procedure until automatic.

These teachers also have prepared lesson plans that are well thought out. In the classes that I observed with the least amount of behavioral problems the teacher had planned so much learning activity that the students hardly had time to misbehave. These teachers changed activities frequently, involved the students in the learning process, and engaged high energy, dynamic teaching strategies.

These teachers generally praise desired behavior rather than punish or point out inappropriate acts. I have witnessed master, authoritative teachers using positive praise in many ways. Each of these teachers understands that “behavior noticed is behavior worth repeating.”

Now, once again, I have observed enough classrooms to know for certainty what kind of behaviors this type of teacher produces. Each of these classrooms had excited learners with high amounts of student academic time on task. These students were friendly with one another, polite to the teacher, compliant with requests. The amazing part is that the ancillary teachers report that these are the classrooms that are the most fun to teach!

I frequently have teachers call and vent their frustrations for which I am most grateful. Please continue to call and email. As I have listened I have asked myself, “What is the one thing that this teacher is not doing now that would make the most difference?” Here is my advice to everyone who is frustrated in April.

Take your classroom back! It is yours and you have every right to reclaim control. Here are three areas I have noticed:

Procedures.
From the moment the students walk onto the campus until they go home they should be controlled through procedures. Here are three procedures that can change your classroom:

Before Class Guidelines
Line up by the door
Enter the classroom quietly
Go directly to your desk
Begin bell work
Keep eyes and ears on task

On-Task Guidelines
Listen to instructions
Keep eyes and ears on task
Knees facing forward
Begin work immediately
Signal for help when needed
Keep on working

End of Class Guidelines
Put materials away
Sit in ready position
Wait to be called
Push chair in
Stand quietly behind chair

You get the idea. Be sure to teach the procedure and practice repeatedly throughout the day, week and month until it is automatic. Reinforce the students who are following the procedure by saying their names and making praising comments.

2) Lesson Planning,
Somewhere I read that the greatest generator of fear in warfare is the feeling of being unprepared. Can you imagine showing up for a battle without a plan? (Hey, no political commentary!) And yet, a common thread amongst teachers who fail is their failure to thoroughly plan their lessons. In my opinion a lesson plan cannot and should not fit into a 2” square box. Every lesson should entail the following elements:

Anticipatory Set

Teaching to the Objective

Guided Practice

Independent Practice

Closure

Personal Reflection

3) Positive Praise and Celebrations.
During the summer workshops we have discussed some master teacher behaviors. One of the master teacher behaviors is “high rates of natural reinforcement.” The teachers who I observed being the most effective had mastered the art of praise. Here are three elements I observed in each teacher:

Name the child
Before, during or after the praise the teacher most always stated a child’s name.

Describe the desired behavior
Remember that behavior noticed is behavior worth repeating. These teachers understand that and use it to their advantage. Each praise phrase had a specific behavior attached.

Use a wide variety of praise phrases
I was observing in a classroom and tried to count the number of different praises. I couldn’t keep up. This teacher was so adept at using praises that even the students were praising each other.

Summary
I have been very encouraged and even excited by my classroom observations over the years. There are some who are frustrated. This is natural for April. There is no need to be discouraged. I promise, if we all will follow the principles of the master teacher behaviors and practices, stress levels will decrease for us and our students. And… the fun factor will return!

See you soon, Dr. Brian

Tickling Toes to Trigonometry

Visual-Spatial Reasoning R. Brian Winsor, Ph.D.

One of the defining characteristics of visual-spatial reasoning is the ability to transform abstract concepts into visual images. This is a very difficult process as can be demonstrated in any 5th grade classroom attempting to teach students to multiply and divide fractions. It is very difficult for most students to create a mental picture of 1/4 x 1/3.

Okay… so what?

Do you recall in our summer workshop we discussed the parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex? Let’s have a short biology moment…

Your parietal lobes are located at the rear top of your brain located inside that flat part on the back of your head. The parietal lobes are divided into two major subdivisions. These divisions play different, but complimentary roles. The front part of the parietal lobe (somatosensory cortex) receives information from the body such as touch, pain and temperature. The rear part of the parietal lobe continuously analyzes and integrates all this sensory information to give you a sense of spatial awareness or where you are in relations to your surroundings. This part of your brain allows you to analyze and mentally manipulate spatial objects.

Okay… once again, so what?

Well, remember my earlier experience with my daughter babysitting and little Emily? Imagine if I were to try to teach her to count by using only the verbal sounds “1, 2, 3, 4, 5…” Without the aid of her toes and fingers there is little probability that her brain would have the ability to mentally manipulate that information into “quantity.”

For the brain to manipulate the abstract thought of “one”… it must first be able to paint a mental picture of “one” and attach the picture of “one” to a concept, “quantity.” This is called “visual-spatial reasoning.”

Teaching math to junior high students, then, takes on much the same process as teaching counting to Emily.


Here’s what I mean:

· Teach math concepts with concrete objects which have relevance and meaning to the student. Objects, such as toes, money, m&m’s, and bugs work well.
· Have the students use the concrete objects in a variety of ways in hands-on activities.
· Once the concept is introduced with teacher provided concrete objects, have the students draw math problems using their own unique objects.
· Have students write math activities using their drawings. “I found 10 bugs. I put 5 in my sister’s bed and 4 in my mother’s cookie dough. How many bugs do I have left?”
· Have students share their unique math problems with one another in a Think-Pair-Share-Repair activity.
· Have a math quiz using the drawings and questions generated by the students.
· Use abstract paper & pencil practice with numbers and equations after the broader concept has been mastered.

So, once again I urge you to strip off some socks and tickle some toes!

Have fun!

Learning Math - Anxiety or Aptitude?

A few years ago I received a frantic call from my then 14-year-old daughter who was babysitting for a neighbor. I could hear the loud crying from the 6-month-old baby boy and the louder crying from the 2-year-old little girl.

“Daddy, I can’t get them to stop crying, what do I do?” my daughter cried.

“I’ll be right there, honey.” I said with a big smile. Being the 3rd oldest out of 10 siblings, and a father of 5 children, I had experience with this.

Between the two of us we quickly had the situation under control. I took little Emily into the living room and began reading a book to her and doing some 2-year-old math activities. You know, counting toes and fingers. Of course she loved it, especially when the last toe was accounted for and the tickling started!

As I was hugging Emily I had a profound thought, “I wish it were this fun and simple to teach math to 14-year-olds.” Can you imagine it?! “Okay class, please remove our shoes so that I may tickle your feet when you get the problem correct.” Oh the smell!!!

In reality, there are certain principles in teaching math that are the same whether one is teaching a 2-year-old or a 14-year-old. Let’s explore some “math” issues as it relates to learning and teaching.

The old adage, “which comes first the chicken or the egg” might apply when it comes to learning math. Which comes first, math aptitude or math anxiety? Are some kids just less able to do math and therefore dread math lessons? Or, do some kids dread math and therefore are less able to complete math activities?

In an article entitled, “Math fears subtract from memory, learning” in the June 30, 2001 issue of Science News, Bruce Bower indicated that by the age of 12, many students begin exhibiting signs of math anxiety. These signs include avoiding math courses, performing poorly in math classes, and earning low scores on math-achievement tests. Some may theorize that it is because these students have less ability or aptitude to math in the first place and therefore dread math activities.

This theory does not “add up.” Those of you who have attended my workshop, The Learning Brain: Translating Research to Classroom Practices, will remember that the emotions of fear, worry, and stress, temporarily disrupt mental processing - particularly the processes of short-term working-memory and the higher level skills of critical thinking and analysis. According to a study in the June, 2001 Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, “math anxiety soaks up working-memory resources and makes it harder to learn mathematics, probably beginning in middle school.”

Something to think about as we approach the dreaded state mandated testing season. Let’s have fun out there… rip some socks off and tickle some toes!

I received my first and only swats when I was in the third grade. It completely changed my school life - for the worse!I became afraid, timid, unsure of what was expected of me. I find it interesting, this many years later, that no contact was made with my mother before or after the swats were given. A severe disconnect between school and home.

Now, in my years as educator, principal, consultant, and college professor, my heart is with the child! As good as the school system tries to be, often times there is an unintentional disconnect between home-school-student. In order for any behavior or academic remediation plan to work at school there must be a Home - School - Student connection plan. That is very difficult to do! But I can tell you that it is possible and wonderful!

Add your comments about the topic of "Home-School-Student Connection" in regards to academic and behavioral remediation.

We have helped many families by designing and implementing behavior plans that include the home-school-student connections. Visit The Principal's Office website page "Family Support" and push any of the "Help!" buttons and we'll come running!

Until then I'm looking forward to your comments and questions!

Dr. Brian

What is Literacy 2.0?

I was intrigued by this video presented on the NetGenEd website http://netgened.grownupdigital.com/. I have watched it more than once and thought about the teaching methods that I used in the past. One of the students commented that “I can’t create my future with tools of your past.” How often do we use tools or our past in the classroom?

I am not currently teaching in a classroom, but I am working with many current/future educators on a daily basis and know of the prevalence of tools of the past. The internet, with web 2.0, literacy 2.0, Second Life, etc, is not going to disappear. As educators, we must learn about it, respect it and find ways to make it a part of our educational experience and the students’ experiences. We cannot rely on using textbooks, wall maps, posters, pencils and paper (the technology of the past) alone to develop literacy. In the Educational Leadership publication on www.ascd.org, Jason Ohler stated that “Digital fluency is much more of a perspective than a technical skill set. Teachers who are truly digitally fluent will blend creativity and innovation into lesson plans, assignments, and projects and understand the role that digital tools can play in creating academic expectations that are authentically connected, both locally and globally, to their students' lives.”

The literacy involves the use of reading, writing, listening, and speaking in new ways. Teachers and students need to be able to add media graphics, sound clips, videos, etc. Students must develop the ability to integrate the information in a collage of sorts and share the information in a social media. This is a time for great opportunity and challenge in education. The exciting aspect of this is that many students are already there-involved in technology. They have the ability to search the internet, create videos, download music, etc. We need to demonstrate how to use this with curriculum and make it matter to the students in the classroom. They are using the technology. We must add more context and help students further develop the technological skills. Angela Maeirs, on http://www.angelamaiers.com, stated what we want all of our students to feel “Reading is not desk work - it is lifework. I understand it is through and with others that I acquired knowledge, gain perspective, deepen awareness, and begin to understand myself and my place in the world.”

How can we, as educators, help students develop literacy 2.0? What can be done to influence administration to allow this paradigm shift? How have you used technology to encourage student interaction in the classroom? What technology would you like to see developed further in your own school?

A challenge to you: Find a way to use technology in a new way this week. It can be for your own use or for use in the classroom.

One example: Sign up for twitter. Find a way to use it in the classroom or for your own professional development. Here are a couple of places to go to find out about twitter and using it in the classroom.

As always, come back and share!

http://tiny.cc/eMOr9
http://tiny.cc/FUhWV

Our Learning Community

Hello everyone!
I hope your weekend was well and your spring break is or will be peaceful.

Remember, for inspiration, instruction, or a good laugh - check out the video pic of the week!

I would like to open this up to you this week. This is a new website concept and Internet service idea.

A large part of my vision is to create a virtual learning community. This learning community will include parents, students, teachers, administrators and staff. Anyone who served with me in the school system will know of my passion for learning communities and collaboration. I want you to be a part of this site.

My mission is that this website will be a virtual principal's office. I have several faculty members in mind who are master teachers and leaders. These wonderful people can provide incredible knowledge, service and capacity to our learning community.

So, I would like to hear from you. What are some real, pragmatic, right-now useful services you think may be of benefit to our learning community?

Thank you, for your feedback and input! Please pass the "Let's Talk" blog to your colleagues and parents.

See you in The Principal's Office!

Dr. Brian

Introduction to my blog

Hello all my friends!
Welcome to my new website. I am very excited to keep in contact with all my friends across the country.

We will use this blog as a question and answer tool. As you are going about your day-to-day and come across challenges as parents, teachers, principals, and business leaders, post your comments here and I'll give some feedback along with some tools that you can use.

I will post tips for success from time to time and would love to hear your feedback!

I would also love to hear from you! Let's use this to share our expertise with one another and become a great big learning community!

Welcome!

Dr. Brian