Inside vs. Outside Solutions

Recently, the LYS team completed the assessment of a struggling high school campus serving a high poverty clientele.  Things were not good. Teachers were not even pretending to follow the district’s scope and sequence. The quality of delivered instruction (when there was instruction, not a given) was sub-par. Student engagement was extremely low, with sleeping and watching YouTube rivaling actual on-task behavior.

When I asked the Principal what his main priority was for the next year, his response was, “Strengthen our volunteer mentor program.”

I suggested that his time would be better spent implementing, supporting and monitoring The Foundation Trinity, he was skeptical.  He was putting all his eggs in the “If the mentors can convince the students that school is important, then the teachers could do their job and the school would be successful,” basket.

That’s quite a stretch, and frankly, a passive approach and mind set.  It is never our recommendation to wait for outsiders to rescue you.  Instead do the hard work that matters, make your own luck and actively improve student lives. 

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: Texas ASCD Summer Conference, Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference; The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• 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

Changing Habits is Hard

It is not easy to change a habit in general.  In the classroom environment, it is darn near impossible.  Between unchanging environmental cues, tenure, and stress the habits of teachers are cemented into place. So, expecting teachers to change a practice because we told them to is naïve. Believing that threats and memos will get “lazy” teachers to do something different borders on stupidity. 

What we all must accept is that changing the instructional habits of teachers is a team effort. Teacher and coach (leadership); and it starts with the coach (leadership).

As the coach, I first have to narrow the focus of change to a specific practice.  Second, I have to provide a high volume of in classroom cues for the teacher to attempt the new practice.  Third, I can’t be mad if when I visit the classroom, unscheduled, the teacher isn’t doing the targeted practice at that time. Fourth, I have to recognize that a teacher attempt that resembles the targeted practice is a win. 

Then, only if leadership has engaged as described, all the teacher has to do is respond to the cue with an honest attempt to implement the targeted practice.

Put this process in place 15 to 30 times in a span of about six weeks and guess what you have?

A shiny new instructional practice in classrooms. Isn’t it pretty?

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: Texas ASCD Summer Conference, Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference; The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• 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

Relevance is...

Relevance is not a teacher’s explanation, “You will need this when you balance your check book when you are older…”

Relevance is the student connecting today’s content to some other part of her world.  That could be other content concepts, other courses, or outside of school.

Now, why is this important.  Forget all the edu-triva and mumbo-jumbo, relevance is important for one reason. Retention. The more a student connects today’s content to other parts of her World, the stickier today’s content becomes. Relevance is glue.

The easiest ways to increase student connection of today’s content to other parts of her World are to embed more of the following in your daily lessons.

1. More multi-step process questions. 

2. More purposeful student talk, with the appropriate prompt.

3. More critical writing, with the appropriate prompt.

In summary, have your students engage in more complex tasks, talk more, and write more, and you will effectively increase relevance in your classroom.

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: Texas ASCD Summer Conference, Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference; The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• 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