Happy Hump Day! It’s all down hill from here!! I hope everyone is having a great week! If you’re in the path or have been in the path of this severe weather, I hope you’re safe! We were awaken at 3 a.m. last night by the tornado sirens but all is well at the Kindergarten Smorgasboard!
This morning I was checking my Facebook and came across a post with an article about what makes a successful teacher different from other teachers. I was skeptical at first, but as I read the article I was very impressed. Today I want to share some of those ideas and how well I do or do not follow these successful teaching techniques.
http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/25-things-successful-teachers-do-differently/
1. Successful teachers have clear objectives. Every morning as part of our monring meeting, we go over our goals for the day. These are in simple kid friendly terms. I read the goal (objective) and the monsters respond, “YES!” which means, YES WE CAN DO THAT! At the end of the day, we go back over the goals and if we met the goal, the monsters yell “YES, CHECK!”
I love having them know what the goals are for the day because it gives them (and Mr. Greg) a sense of purpose and keeps me focused. I once heard that sharing the objective with students can increase learning 80%! (This was during some workshop…so no clue about the source!)
6. Successful teachers expect their students to succeed. My monsters will tell you that Mr. Greg expects them to be the best. Period. End of discussion. I accept nothing less than the best from every student. I understand that each monster has their own personal best and that is what is expected. If you set the bar high, they will grasp that bar!
8. Successful teachers use praise smartly. This is something I am working very hard to improve. There is a lot of information about there about praise. Keep it private. Make it specific. Don’t use the words “I like.” It’s so hard to not use “I like how….” I try to use “I see 1 person doing this.” I will count how many people are doing what was asked until we reach the number of kids in the class. And being specific is a challenge. I am notorious for saying “Good job!” I try to be aware of what I am praising for and let the monsters know. “Thank you for that great bubble!” It’s a daily challenge.
