1. “Seven Simple Secrets: What the Best Teachers Know and Do” Annette Breaux and Todd Whitaker (2006)
Dr. Lynn Fulton
Ms. Lisa Troutman

2. Planning JOY! Planning Clear Objectives Personal Connections
Active Involvement
Planning
Gather Materials
Teach & Model w/ Learners
Learners’ Practice
Summarize, Review, Assess
JOY!

3. Classroom Management

4. “One of the best-kept secrets of the very best teachers is that they have very few discipline problems.”
Seven Secrets pg. 98
They do have discipline challenges
As long as there are students there will always be discipline challenges
Never allow those challenges to become problems

5. Expectations
Establish clear expectations through modeling, learner ownership, classroom meetings, culture of collaboration.
Processes and Procedures are the KEY. Teach and practice them until all learners perform them with ease.
Few rules are necessary. Rules focus on the negative and apply to few students.
Establish very clear expectations
Follow them consistently / Consistently reinforced
Don’t focus on “What am I going to do if students misbehave?” / Focus on the future
Expect good behavior
Have procedures – a consistent way that they expect something to be done
In Contrast Rules
Often focus on undesirable behaviors
Made for the few

6. What do we find in the classrooms of the most effective teachers?
Procedures are taught and practiced and then practiced some more.
Very few rules and lots of procedures - both stated in positive terms
Procedures are rehearsed over and over
When a student “forgets” they are gently reminded
When more than one student is forgetting the procedure there is re-teaching and practice
Actions communicate that the teacher assumes they have simply forgotten and need a little more practice and it is handled quickly and effectively
For repeat “forgetters” they used short private conversations (0bserved in teachers of all ages)
Student told that the teacher would be happy to provide as much practice as necessary to help the student become proficient
Consequences used as last resort and rare
Everyone knows what to do and how to do it.
Four prompts: Tell them what they were doing, ask them what is the expectation, have them show you the behavior, ask if they need more practice

7. “Remember,
if you can prevent
the fire,
you’ll never
use the fire
extinguisher!” Seven Secrets pg. 38

8. Misbehavior… What does the learner really want. 1
Misbehavior… What does the learner really want? 1. Survival – basic needs met 2. Love and Belonging – acceptance by peers and teacher 3. Power or Recognition – esteem, goal achievement, respect 4. Freedom – choice in our lives, fair play 5. Fun – when all else is satisfied, ultimate goal William Glasser, Choice Theory
Goal: to keep it from happening again
Motivated to prevent
Don’t want students angry as a solution
Is concerned with how student behaves in future

9. Great Teachers Don’t Don’t Yell Argue Use sarcasm
Treat students with respect
Students we are tempted to yell at have been yelled at so much, why would we think this would be effective with them?
As professional adults, we never win an argument with a student … We would like to win but the student has to win
Great teachers know it is never appropriate in the classroom…
Found in the thesaurus for sarcasm -
mockery
scorn
disdain
cynicism
Read from page 28 Twenty-four students on the side of the teacher

10. Effective Teachers Treat students with positive regard
Understand the power of praise
Looks for opportunities to find students doing things right

11. Praise is… Authentic Specific Immediate Clean Private
Authentic means praising for something that is genuine, recognizing them for something that is true
if recognition is authentic it never grows weary
Effective praise is specific – behavior we acknowledge is often becomes the behavior that is continued
You can identify those areas that do have merit and acknowledge them
Immediate means recognizing positive efforts and contributions in a timely manner – providing authentic and specific feedback when good things happen or soon afterward is important element to making reinforcement effective
Clean – means several things
Not related to something else – good homework doesn’t relate to rude remark made later
Cannot include the word “but” – remember only the part after the but
need to separate statements and not join with but
Private – vast majority given in private, sometimes not “cool” in front of other students - when in doubt always do in private
Ben Bissell (1992)

12. Instruction Pre-planned Differentiated Engaging
Related to learners’ lives, needs
Multiple tasks and activities
Collaborative opportunities
CHOICE

13. Attitude
One hallmark of effective teachers is that they create a positive atmosphere in their classrooms and schools.
Treat everyone with respect –
Even the best teachers may not like all their students – but they act as if they do.
If you act like you don’t like them, then it doesn’t matter how much you like them
If you act like you like them, then whether you like them at all becomes irrelevant

14. What is best for the children? Attack problems – not people
Professionalism
Continuous Learning for ALL
Professional Development
Professionals think, act, and dress professionally.
Negativity is poisonous
Children 1st
What is best for the children?
I choose to be positive, professional, and empowered to help kids.
Attack problems – not people

15. Motivation and Inspiration
Children don’t care what you know until they know that you CARE!
Make every child feel cared for.

16. For these are ALL our children, We shall profit from or pay for whatever they become. James Baldwin