Never Work Harder Than
Your Students
by Robyn R. Jackson
Completed in Collaboration by
Ashley Fenn, Katy Ryan, Teresa
Sindelar, Heidi Mort, and Kasi
Walker
Introduction
The hardest part to starting a new adventure in life is
knowing where to begin. By looking in the introduction, you
can discover where you are on your road to becoming a
master teacher.
• Do you want to start on the factors where you are
lacking the most?
• Do you want to read the chapters that will be most
beneficial to you
• Remember that each chapter lists strategies that have
to use in your own style and to meet your own needs.
Good Luck on Your Professional Journey!
Chapter 1
Start Where Your Students Are
• Students and teachers have different values.
o Master Teachers discover how to align the most important values
• There are eight non cognitive characteristics that are
predictors of academic success later in life in college (values
students need to be successful.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
positive self concept
realistic self-appraisa
successful navigation of the system
preference for long-term goals
availability of a strong support person
leadership experience
community involvement
knowledge acquired in and about a field
Chapter 2
Know Where Your Students Are
Going
• As the teacher know your final destination.
For most, that would be the standards.
• Every standard has a GOAL.
Content Goal-Knowing the meaning or Process Goal-applying the
meaning
• Match all your activities and assessments around your goals.
Allign each goal with a clear purpose that leads to the learning goal.
• Communicate Effectively
Have a clear discrption of your goals
Chapter 3
Expect to Get Your Students There
• A master teacher MUST have Expectations!
o Expect from yourself and your students.
• How you might ask...
o Communicate with your students prior instructors.
Know them before you meet them.
o Understand your own learning expectations for your
students.
o Set Goals to reach your expectations.
• Have FAITH in yourself, your education, and your
students
Chapter 4 Support Your Students
• Become more proactive about supporting students.
o Anticipate confusion.
o Set up red flag mechanisms to signal when
intervention is necessary.
o Demystify the academic process by explaining to
student what they are doing and for what purpose.
• To prevent confusion teach by moving from concrete
ideas to those that are more abstract.
o When confusion arises use questioning and error
analysis.
• Look for ways to support those students exhibiting
mastery of the content.
o Add more ambiguity or complexity to assignments.
Chapter 5 Use Effective Feedback
• Assignments and assessments provide the TEACHER
with valuable feedback to guide future instruction.
o Design instruction to help students meet objectives.
 Collect a variety of data.
 Analyze data in multiple ways.
 Set up red flag mechanisms to alert a need for
intervention.
• Assignments and assessments can provide STUDENTS
with valuable feedback.
o Teach student how to collect their own data
and understand what their grades mean.
o Teach students how to learn from failure.
o Teach students to use feedback to set goals.
Chapter 6
Focus on Quality, not Quantity
• Teachers should be purposeful about the important
concepts and not throw too much at the students
It is not the amount of work that is important, it is the quality and
mastery of the work that matters
• Eliminate "busy-work" and make all work meaningful
• Teachers must get out of "coverage mode"
Don't try to teach everything, decide what is important and teach
those "need to know" concepts well.
• Teachers need to decide to what degree concepts need to be
mastered
Not every concept needs to be fully mastered and allow the
students to showcase their knowledge in a variety of ways.
Chapter 7
Never Work Harder Than Your
Students
• As the teacher, don't do ALL the work
every person has a role and responsibilities
• A Few of The Teacher's Responsibilities:
 Be well-prepared to teach
 Model behavior expectations
 Demonstrating enthusiasm and encouragement
 Assessing student progress
• Give Students Responsibilities
Have students be in charge of daily routines, homework,
attendance, etc, and provide a logical consequence if not met
• "Do not solve their problems; help them acquire the tools they
need to solve their problems on their own"
Chapter 8 Putting it All Together
• Be consistent in applying mastery principles.
o Every lesson, every day.
• Be persistent and patient.
o Pursue mastery through purposeful practice.
• First, integrate one or two principles .
o Start slow, add more as your skills develop.
• Find an accountability partner.
o Collaborate.
• Reflect, evaluate and adjust.
o Be open to change and focused on the goal.
Appendix Tools
Tool 1: The Master Teacher Trajectory
Tool 2: Developing an Action Plan
Tool 3: Sample Action Plan Evidence
Tool 4: Reflection Sheet
Tool 5: Master Teacher Observation Form
Tool 6: Using the Mastery Principles to Solve
Instructional Challenges
Tool 7: Classroom Problems by Principle
Tool 8: Guidelines for Forming a Study Group
Tool 9: Developing a Student Intervention Cycle
References
Jackson, R. R. (2009). Never work harder than your
students and other principles of great teaching.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development.