Create a Consistent Pattern

A recognizable, consistent pattern can reduce stress, free-up mental capacity and increase reaction speed.  As a principal, I didn’t view this as an interesting factoid; I recognized it as a competitive advantage.  So how did I leverage this competitive advantage?  

My teachers and I replicated a consistent room set up, from class to class to class.  Important messages, locations for pertinent information, decorations, and furniture arrangements were essentially the same, in every classroom.  So what did this redundancy and consistency get us?

Reduced student stress, deeper student thinking and accelerated student skill acquisition.  All of which was ultimately measured by the fact that my students significantly outperformed similar students in neighboring schools.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations), Learning for a Change Spring Summit (Keynote and Multiple Presentations) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Your Critical Writing Cheat Sheet

You want students to write critically in your class.  Why? Critical Writing is the most effective and time efficient way to increase both rigor and relevance in all content, in any instructional setting.  Don’t argue... it’s a fact.

The secret to increasing the amount of critical writing that occurs in your classroom, no matter who or what you teach, is to leverage the “Critical Quick Write.” The Critical Quick Write is not polished or formal writing.  It is writing to increase connections and cognition.  Two elements that need to be increased dramatically in the typical classroom. 

So now the questions become “when and where?”  The answer, pick your spot for a given lesson and then have students write to the following prompts.

The Critical Quick Write Warm-up Topics (partial list)

Steps

Process

Strategy

Connections

Critical facts and concepts

The Critical Quick Write Main Lesson Topics (partial list)

Note making

Steps

Process

Connections

Examples

Similarities / Differences

Applications

The Critical Quick Write Lesson Closure Topics (partial list)

Process

Connections

Strategies

Non-examples

Similarities / Differences

Applications

Pro/Con

Evaluation

Other uses

These quick writes can be accomplished in less than 5 minutes and force the student to think deeper about content and connect the content to other concepts and ideas.  The key is frequency. The more students do this the better their thinking and understanding becomes.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations), Learning for a Change Spring Summit (Keynote and Multiple Presentations) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

On Average, Average Tells You Nothing

Most commercial classroom observation systems (and almost every homemade system) aggregate all the classroom observations conducted over the course of the year and presents either the average of all the collected data or a frequency chart of all the collected data.  This seems objective and scientific and school leaders often base their evaluation of staff on these reports.  But really, these types of reports tell you nothing.

Think about it, every observation is weighted equally, regardless of when it occurred or the level of staff training / support.  And this definitely does not present any representation of growth or improvement. 

Instead, what is needed is observation data presented in a series of date windows.  This will show movement / growth / improvement over time.  Data presented in this manner lends itself to staff coaching and motivation.  Which is how classroom observation data should be used. 

And what classroom observation system does this better than any other...

PowerWalks.   

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations), Learning for a Change Spring Summit (Keynote and Multiple Presentations) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

When Observing a Class - Do Something if Necessary

This year I’ve been training a large number of professional support staff on how to conduct formative classroom visits. This is a good thing.  But these new observers aren’t Assistant Principals or Principals and that has highlighted a blind spot in our observer training, which I’m rectifying now.

You are the observer, and you visit a classroom. The teacher is doing an excellent job of teaching the class and keeping students focused on the task at hand.  But there is one student who is doing his level best to take over and disrupt the class. 

What do you do? 

If you aren’t an administrator, your instinct is to do nothing.  This would be wrong. Because this student is attempting to show his peers that he runs the class.  If he does this with two adults in the room he is showing his peers that he runs the school. This has to be corrected. Here is what you should do.

1. Go stand by the disruptive student.  This will solve the problem 90% of the time.  If the student continues to disrupt...

2. Quietly remind the student to pay attention to the teacher and/or start working on his assignment.  This will generally solve the problem.  If the student continues to disrupt...

3. Ask the student to step in the hall with you. In the hall, tell the student there are now two options. Option A – Get it together, go back into the class and start working.  Or Option B – Go to the office and deal with the consequences.

If the student picks Option A, escort the student back in the classroom, make sure the student gets settled and give the teacher a wave of support.

If the student picks Option B, escort the student to the office.  Let the AP know that the student was disrupting an entire class and disrespected and was defiant to two educators (you and the teacher).  Let the AP determine the appropriate consequence.

You would be hard pressed to find a better way to support teachers and hard working students.   

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations), Learning for a Change Spring Summit (Keynote and Multiple Presentations) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of October 30, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of October 30, 2016 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Brad Weston! He is the new Assistant Superintendent in Jefferson County Public Schools!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

2. The best human systems are often the simplest and least sophisticated ones. (By @DrKing_BBJH)

3. 'Standard Practice' becomes ‘Malpractice' when research demonstrates there is a better way to conduct our business. (By @sherrington2)

4. All the decisions that benefit adults over students (which are most of them) generally make the job of leading schools more difficult. (By @LYSNation)

5. We oppose the privatization of our public schools, and the government intrusion of our private schools. School Choice Vouchers mean both. (By @pastors4txkids)

6. Direct, personal feedback really is the simplest and most effective form of motivation. (By @DrKing_BBJH)

7. The quality of any school system cannot exceed the quality of people within it. -Barber & Mourshed, 2007 (By @sherrington2)

8. "Dialogue NOT monologue..." ...and that requires a lot of planning. (By @tlonganecker)

9. Teach teachers to teach like they have never taught before. (By @tra_hall)

10. "Everything you want of significance is right outside of your comfort zone." (By @CoxHerb)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations), Learning for a Change Spring Summit (Keynote and Multiple Presentations) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook