Key Points from the Book:
What Great Teachers Do
Differently: 17 Things That
Matter
Written by Todd Whitaker
Presented by Marnii Peel
(Great Beginnings Meeting)
Table of Contents
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Introduction
It’s People Not Programs
The Power of Expectations
If You Say Something, Mean It
Prevention Versus Revenge
High Expectations-- for Whom?
Who Is the Variable?
Focus on Students First
Ten Days Out of Ten
Be the Filter
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Don’t Need to Repair—Always do Repair
The Ability to Ignore
Random or Plandom?
Base Every Decision on the Best People
In Every Situation, Ask Who is Most Comfortable and Who is
Least Comfortable
Put Yourself in Their Position
What About These Darn Standardized Tests
Make It Cool to care
Clarify Your Core
Lastly: Recap
Introduction (Into., Ch. 1)
Great teachers are great not because of what they know, but what they do.
This book focuses on some of the following questions:
What do they see when they view their classrooms and the students in them? Where
do great teachers focus their attention? How do they spend their time and energy?
What guides their decisions? And How can we gain the same advantage?
There is no one answer.
Great teachers have high expectations, treat everyone with respect, and make it cool
to care.
Outstanding teachers have potential to become outstanding building leaders as well.
GREAT TEACHERS FOCUS ON CHILDREN FIRST…and when they say something they
mean it.
We will discuss the aspects of a great teacher and what they do and believe in detail.
Looking at effective teachers can help us become more effective teachers.
It’s People Not Programs
Ch. 2
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The quality of the teachers determine the quality of the school, not the programs
of the school.
Assertive Discipline is a program and whether it works or not depends on the
teacher. Whether it is even necessary to use depends on the teacher, not the
program.
It doesn’t matter whether a teacher uses a program or not, what matters is how
appropriately and effectively a teacher uses it.
E.g.: The best and worst teacher praise students, but it works for some and not
others, so it must depend on how effective the teacher uses PRAISE. (Lecture)
The Power of Expectations
Ch. 3
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Great Teachers Establish Clear Expectations at the start of the year and follows
them consistently as the year progresses. (Expect Good Behavior)
Consequences are necessary, but not the focus. Following expectations is the
focus.
Focusing on misbehavior can cause misbehavior (e.g. saying “stop smacking when
you eat” causes more smacking, because it is funny then and at the front of the
child’s mind)
Review Rules after school breaks: Some students forget….
If You Say Something, Mean It
Ch. 4
• Following through is important. If you have stated and have the
consequence posted, that is all she wrote…
• Think before you say something out of frustration.
• Don’t just say you are going to call their parents, call them.
• Analyze your class and determine who or what group is really causing the
disruptions and work on that person or group. (It is not really the whole class
that is a horrible class, it is just 1-4 students more than likely)
Prevention Versus Revenge
Ch. 5
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There are even problems in the best classes with the best teachers and in the best schools. What
do great teachers do when students misbehave?
Great teachers have one goal when a student misbehaves. They think about how they can
prevent that from happening again.
Bag of Tricks of many teachers: eye contact, proximity, redirect the student, silent lunch,
detention, call home, send to office, put in timeout, praise another student for the correct
behavior, etc…None of these things work all of the time.
Never argue with a student…we never win… ALWAYS RESPOND APPRORIATELY AND
PROFESSIONALLY. Keep the trust of your students and the parents.
(No yelling, arguing, cursing, over critical comments, etc.)
High Expectations—For Whom?
Ch. 6
• Great teachers have high expectations for students, but have even higher
expectations for themselves.
• Teachers do what they would also expect their students to do. (e.g. not
grading papers while in a faculty meeting because you would want your
students to pay attention and not doing something else instead of listening
to you)
Who is the Variable?
Ch. 7
ME???
• When we center on our own behavior, we feel empowered to make a
difference.
• Great teachers accept responsibility. Great teachers know they are the
variable in the classroom. If the students are not doing well on the tests, they
say, “what do I change?”. If the students are misbehaving a lot, they say,
“what do I do?”.
• This is the difference between an effective teacher and an ineffective teacher.
Focus on Students First
Ch. 8
• Change and new programs or school policies are good if it benefits the
students. Great teachers have vision and make the changes.
• Teaching Matters and makes a difference.
Ten Days Out of Ten
Ch. 9
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Effective teachers treat everyone with respect, everyday. Even the best teachers may not like all of their
students,, but they act as if they do.
Great teachers understand the POWER of PRAISE.
To be effective, Praise must be:
1. Authentic(genuine)
2. Specific
3. Immediate
4. CLEAN (Don’t give it to get them to dos something
and don’t use the word ‘but’. ( You did good, but….)
5. Private
Specific: The behavior we acknowledge if probably a behavior that continues
Private: Having good grades my not be cool, but they need that praise, so go private with it.
Be the Filter
Ch. 10
• We are the filters for the day-to-day reality of school. Our behavior sets the
tone.
• When asked, “How is your day going?” How do you respond?
• If we always approach things in a positive manner, then this is what the
students reflect.
• Our responses affect the school, whether it is about a student, parent,
unexpected change, extra work, etc. How we respond is key.
Be the Filter (continued)
Ch. 10
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Great teachers want their students to be more excited about learning tomorrow
than they are today.
Saying that ‘This is the worst group of students we’ve ever had’ does not help
anything. It’s just like a mechanic saying he can’t fix our car because of budget cuts
and the high ratio of mechanics to each car. That doesn’t help your car. Saying the
students are the worst doesn’t help your students.
Perception can become reality.
Great teachers filter out the negatives, are quiet about discussions with and around
students (school issues, etc.) Confronts information just with facts, not feelings.
Don’t Need to Repair—Always Do Repair
Ch. 11
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The best educators work hard to keep their relationships in good repair—to avoid
personal hurt and to repair any possible damage.
The best teachers consistently compliment and praise students and they seldom
need to do emotional repair.
Great teachers take advantage of teachable moments to help other students build
the skill of repairing.
Saying, “I’m sorry that happened” to a parent can defuse the situation. (no blame)
Don’t Need to Repair—Always Do Repair
Continued Ch. 11
• Model and teach the skill of repair
• Think of the example on page 69 when Johnny gets sent to the office.
• Tell the student exactly what to say and why it is good for him/her to do it
that way. (What’s in it for me?) THE HIGHWAY PATROL
The Ability to Ignore
Ch. 12
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Great teachers have the ability to ignore trivial disturbances and the ability to
respond to inappropriate behavior without escalating the situation.
Know when to go with the flow, when to take a stand, and how quell minor
disturbances without further distracting others.
Know which issue demands immediate attention and which will wait for a more
teachable moment.
When the students know your buttons are easily pushed, they go for it..
Too many criticisms may stunt growth and no one wants to see the over critical
coming….
Random or Plandom?
Ch. 13
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Great teachers have a plan and purpose for everything they do. If plans don’t work out the
way they had envisioned, they reflect on what they could have done differently and adjust
their plans accordingly.
Ineffective teachers just complain.
E.g. Two students keep picking each other as partners and just talk and play instead of
working. Who’s fault is that really? Ways to get around that is to give out numbers, colors,
etc. and pair students randomly. If you have the same color or number, you are partners.
There are other ways. An effective teacher pulls from the ‘bag of tricks’. Effective teachers
take responsibility, sit with students and not other teachers during assemblies and pay
attention during faculty meetings instead of waiting by the door for it to be ooovvverrr.
Random or Plandom? Continued
Ch. 13
• Great teachers intentionally arrange, rearrange, alter, and adjust the
structures that frame their teaching.
• The teacher may have to change the room around, change the seating plan,
rearrange instructional tools, instructional approach, or time management
to promote learning.
• Great teachers don’t have to prove who is in charge of the classroom.
Base Every Decision on the Best People
Ch. 14
• Before making any decision or attempting to bring about any change, great
teachers ask themselves one central question: What will the best people
think?
• Great teachers make decisions following these 3 guidelines:
1) What is the purpose?...............................
2) Will this actually accomplish the purpose?
3) What will the best people think?...............
Base Every Decision on the Best People
Continued
Ch. 14
• Getting onto the whole class for what one student didn’t do may not be the
best way to go about it. What about the students that did it?
• ‘Shoplifters will be prosecuted’
• This sign only scares the one’s that
Wouldn’t do it anyway!!!!
In Every Situation, Ask Who Is Most Comfortable
and Who Is Least Comfortable
Ch. 15
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Great teachers continually ask themselves who is most comfortable and who is
least comfortable with each decision they make. They treat everyone as if they
were good.
Treat everyone good. This may make some uncomfortable. But, when people
become uncomfortable, they change in some way. Don’t treat the one’s that
usually do something wrong as if they are going to do something wrong. Treat
them like the best ones. (pages 92-93)
If we seek input from our best, most capable students and colleagues, we are most
likely to make the right decision. (page 95)
Put Yourself in Their Position
Ch. 16
• Great teachers have empathy for students and clarity about how others see
them.
• Great teachers know that all kinds of students will come to them and some
need to be taught the things we think they should already know.
What About These Darn Standardized Tests?
Ch. 17
• Great teachers keep standardized testing in perspective. They focus on the
real issue of student learning.
• Standardized tests measure only a part of what schools should be doing.
• Effective teachers focus on the behaviors that lead to success, not the
beliefs that stand in the way of it.
• Standards are not the center of the school, but are important to how the
school looks to officials and others.
Make It Cool to Care
Ch. 18
• Once we create an environment where it is cool to care, there are no wrong
decisions.
• When a teacher’s sensitivity to students increases, so does the opportunity
to reach them.
• Great teachers care about their students. They understand that behaviors
and beliefs are tied to emotion, and they understand the power of emotion
to jump-start change.
Clarify Your Core
Ch. 19
• No matter what others want us to do, we must focus on what is right for our
students.
• As educators, we must adhere to our core values.
Finally
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The teacher is the filter for whatever happens in a classroom.
The quality of the teachers determines the quality of the school.
Success of a school comes from the people not the programs.
It is important to treat everyone with respect and dignity everyday.
The teacher is the architect, the lessons the foundation, and the students fill the
building with life and meaning.
Every teacher has an impact. GREAT TEACHERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE