(All notes from Tried & True by Daniel B. Coupland)
1 - Find and follow the school’s mission statement. It usually has to do with the three H’s: the head, the hands, and the heart.
7 - The teacher is responsible for the classroom. The school gives him authority in the classroom because his “knowledge and character are superior to that of [his] students.”
9 - Make your expectations clear. Be explicit about how students can succeed in your classroom.
13 - Establish routines. Take time to teach them and keep reviewing them. Ask administration for feedback on your routines.
17 - Routines tell students how to behave during certain classroom activities. Rules tell students how they should behave at all times in the classroom. “Students’ willingness to follow the rules depends in no small measure on their perception of 1) how thoughtful you are when you design the rules, 2) how committed you are when you explain the rules, and 3) how consistent and impartial you are when you enforce the rules.” [This could apply to parenting, too] Make sure you can enforce the rules without interrupting the flow of class - perhaps by posting them on the wall and directing a student’s attention to them when he is misbehaving.
23 - If you aren’t willing to enforce a rule, you shouldn’t have made it.
25 - Praise students.
30 - When talking to parents, explain that their child “is making choices that interfere with his or her education and the education of others.” Use these basic steps: 1) identify the problem, 2) outline a solution, and 3) ask for any questions or comments. Be sure to tell parents something good about their child.
35 - Once again, what do objectives look like for Humanities classes?
55 - Give students time to process. Wait after asking questions. Give them time to prepare.
56 - “Think-pair-share”: students think about their own answers, pair up and discuss, then share with the class.
60 - Give students ways to respond other than “I don’t know.”
80 - Teach study techniques: summarize, many short study periods instead of one long one, intersperse brief study breaks
81 - Give feedback [Think like a coach]. Think about the goals of the assignment and provide feedback relevant to those goals. Tell the students what you’ll be focusing on. Teach students how to assess their own work and the work of their peers.