Effectiveness – Page 5 – Happy Schools

Don’ts and Don’ts of Teaching (Part 2)

July 25, 2019

Don’t send kids to the office. No matter how many times a principal says, “just send them to me,” it’s not a good idea. When you send kids out, it soon becomes the only thing they’ll respond to. So you might be thinking now, “what should I do when students are misbehaving?” I have no pat answers about the complex question of how to handle challenging behaviour but I do know that if you avoid the mistakes I mention here, you won’t have as many discipline problems. Unfortunately, if you do make these mistakes, anything you try to do to fix your discipline problems will be as ineffective as sending kids to the office. Don’t allow students to shout out…

Don’ts and Don’ts of Teaching (Part 1)

July 18, 2019

Stevef

Effectiveness

One piece of advice that I’ve seen in numerous books about teaching is to always phrase classroom rules positively. Instead of phrasing a rule as “no talking,” for instance, teachers should phrase it as “talk in turn.” The theory is that when students are told not to do one thing without being told what they should do instead, they may not know their options. Proponents also argue that phrasing rules in the positive is less confrontational; rebellious students will be less apt to break a positively stated procedure than a negatively worded rule. I don’t buy this. For new teachers, especially, classroom rules need to be rules, and a rule should be stated in the clearest way possible. Many of…

Involvement or Engagement?

June 6, 2019

Stevef

Effectiveness

We need to relate to families not as clients, but as partners in school and community improvement. “Hello, is this John’s mother? This is his English teacher, Mr. Ferlazzo. John has had a rough day.” “I like teaching in this school because the parents don’t bother us much.” “We need parent volunteers for the fund-raiser.” “I wish parents here cared enough to get their kids to do their homework.” These quotes (all of which I’ve heard—except the first one, which I’ve said) illustrate how educators often feel about parents: We should contact them when there is a problem, it’s good when they don’t “bother” us, we need them to raise money and we can blame them for all kinds of…

Using the KonMari Method in Schools

March 28, 2019

Stevef

Effectiveness

Author and Netflix star, Marie Kondo’s drive to declutter and simplify our lives is currently very popular. With life being busier than ever, working out what to do with all the ‘stuff’ is difficult and time-consuming. A cluttered workspace adds to our stress by distracting us, wasting our time finding things and polluting our subconscious by making us feel guilty about everything we have yet to do. Author and Netflix star, Marie Kondo’s drive to declutter and simplify our lives is currently very popular. With life being busier than ever, working out what to do with all the ‘stuff’ is difficult and time-consuming. A cluttered workspace adds to our stress by distracting us, wasting our time finding things and polluting…

Developing Self-Control

March 21, 2019

Stevef

Effectiveness

Helping students develop self-control is important, not only for their behaviour but also for their ability to stay on task and complete things. Developing intrinsic motivation (the internal drive to focus and remain on task) is far more helpful than constantly trying to motivate them through extrinsic means – carrot and stick! The following are suggested strategies to help develop self control. Praise Effort Instead of Intelligence Stanford Professor Carol Dweck has researched and written a great deal about the importance of praising hard work and persistence in overcoming challenges and helping people identify the strategies they used. This reinforces a ‘growth mindset’ – one where people feel energised and knowledgeable about how to overcome barriers. Dweck contrasts this with…

Prepare Now for Happy Reporting Later

March 14, 2019

Stevef

Effectiveness

Reporting periods for many school staff are a time of tension and stress, where tempers are tested and a good night’s sleep becomes a distant memory. Instead of dreading its approach and using weak coping strategies like counting down the days till the holidays, try planning early (read, super-early – like, now!) to make reporting time much calmer. Preparing for reporting well in advance is not only an investment in your wellbeing, it also keeps you more focused on the goals you want your students to achieve. Think about why reporting occurs. Do you participate out of compliance? Or do you genuinely wish to communicate with students and their families on learning progress? If you take the time to clarify…

Moments of Truth – Keeping parents on our Side

March 7, 2019

Stevef

Effectiveness

A Moment of Truth is any interaction in which the client or customer comes into contact with our services and forms an impression of our school. The concept originated in Scandinavian Airlines by President and CEO Jan Carlson. In the case of Scandinavian Airlines, Moments of Truth for passengers are the times when they come into contact with the staff of the airline. This used to commence with the reservation stage (often this is now completed on the internet), followed by the check-in counter, the boarding call, entering the aircraft, the safety briefing and serving the meal. Each of these are Moments of Truth, times when passengers come into direct contact with the airline and form an opinion of the…

Time in the Learning Zone

January 31, 2019

Stevef

Effectiveness

My greatest learning experiences have always come when I have been challenged and taken out of my comfort zone:- learning to ride a bike, abseiling out of a tree and my frustrating efforts learning Cantonese are prime examples. For true learning to occur we have to be at least slightly uncomfortable. We need to have some level of disorder and discomfort. Things comes together as we learn and resolve the situation. You can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs! Learning comes when we move from a state of confusion to resolution. I like the analogy of being on the ‘edge’ when rock climbing. If we just stay on the flat we are never going to climb. As learners we…

Avoiding Year End Burnout

December 6, 2018

Stevef

Effectiveness

The final term of the school year is a crazy, busy time in schools. End of year events, final assessments, reporting and planning for next year, swamp us at a time when we are nearing exhaustion. Many of us are running low on reserves at the end of the year. Events that wouldn’t normally irritate us can become blown out of proportion. It is inevitable that the photocopier will jam when we are rushing to make copies, that difficult parent will arrive when we are feeling frazzled and the boss will want ‘just a minute’ when we are running late. The following five strategies can help at this difficult time of year:- Focus on One Task at a Time Whilst…

Managing Your Energy Levels

November 29, 2018

Stevef

Effectiveness

Working in schools, no two days are ever the same. Schools can be unpredictable places. Unexpected challenges can appear at any stage of the day. We are unlikely to get bored. However, there can be a rhythm or flow to many days. My energy levels and focus on an average work day has a predictable flow to it. I tend to be far more productive in the mornings. At about two in the afternoon, I hit the wall and am far less productive and struggle to think clearly. There can also be a pattern to your energy levels during the week. On Mondays I am usually full of energy and focused on the week ahead. The momentum often continues on…