What they are, why they are important and how to use them everyday!
The book "The Twelve Touchstones of Good Teaching" will give us the tools we need in the classroom to be effective, efficient, and engaging each and every day.
The 12 Touchstones fall under three categories: Be Demanding, Be Supportive, and Be Intentional. (you will create a do-comfirm list)
Be Demanding: 1) I use standards to guide every learning opportunity 2) I ensure students set personal learning objectives for each lesson 3) I peel back the curtain and make my performance expectations clear. 4) I measure understanding against high expectations
when you use standards to guide every learning opportunity, you should begin with the end in mind. We should take a close look at what prepared high school graduates need to be successful. we can use common core standards to help shape lesson plan and make it more demanding and intentional. standards should be unpacked for impact: (we look at multiple concepts) 1)vocabulary 2) facts (know that?) 3)details (deep, enduring understanding) 4)skills (essential questions) 5)procedures 6)abilities (we look for evidence of learning)
it is imperative we integrate culturally relevant instruction and strategies in lesson planning. it ensures the performance expectations are clear, students are engaged and there is meaningful learning.
the unc school of education has a website full of examples to aid you in adding cultural pieces to your planning.
BE SUPPORTIVE: 1) I ENGAGE STUDENT INTEREST WITH EVERY LESSON 2) I INTERACT MEANINGFULLY WITH EVERY STUDENT. 3) I USE FEEDBACK TO ENCOURAGE EFFORT 4) I CREATE AN OASIS OF SAFETY AND RESPECT IN MY CLASSROOM.
Teachers start every lesson, every day wondering how to hook student interest. at the start of lesson, we should make connections; 1)learn how to connect, 2)focus on mastery, 3) be well rounded, 4)draw from real world, and 5)engaging. we should strive to use a variety of techniques to motivate learning throughout lessons and units, including providing choices in learning activities, framing lessons around mysteries or puzzles, and using novelty and variety in the classroom. numerous studies find Student motivation accounts for more variance in student success than ability. student interest in core subjects declines as they progress through school. it is for this reason teachers should clarify performance expectations, creative learning progressions in rubrics, and ensure know where they are now and where they are going. Teachers interact with students, getting to know them and demonstrating interest in them as individuals and as learners. They also bring a positive personality (or persona) to the classroom, displaying enthusiasm for learning and modeling for students how their particular subject areas can be worthy of lifelong pursuit. Research shows that students with weak relationships with teachers are more likely to disengage from school. Conversely, strong positive links have been found between student performance and teacher-student relationship variables, such as empathy, warmth, nondirectivity, and sensitivity to students’ social and emotional needs. Teachers provide students with frequent and timely feedback that links to learning objectives. Teachers also keep feedback noncontrolling and growth oriented, helping students see how their efforts are the key to success and giving students opportunities to self-and peer assess. Teachers also ensure their feedback is actionable and tailored to individual student needs. Effective feedback has among the strongest influences on student success of any instructional practice. Feedback is most effective when it is linked to learning objectives and is noncontrolling. It should also help students develop a growth mindset, seeing intelligence as a malleable trait. Teachers establish clear rules for behavior and consequences for misconduct, ensuring that all students feel safe to learn and contribute to classroom discussions. Teachers also display “withitness,” quickly respoinding to infractions or concerns as they arise. Teachers enlist students in creating positive environments, calling out positive behaviors. Many students find their schools to be unwelcoming places. Until more basic needs of safety and respect are met, students will find it difficult to learn. The most effective behavior management techniques balance punishments for misconduct with rewards for good behavior and also enlist the entire school community in enforcing clear expectations for behavior throughout the school. be supportive: 1) I engage student interest with every lesson 2) I Interact meaningfully with every student. 3) I use feedback to encourage effort 4) I create an oasis of safety and respect in my classroom. Teachers plan lessons to ensure bell-to-bell learning for students. They also establish routines to ensure efficient transitions and classroom logistics. They work with colleagues to minimize interruptions to instructional time due to announcements, assemblies, and other distractions A few wasted minutes per class period can add up to weeks of lost learning time. Time of instruction has a greater effect on student achievement than socioeconomic status. Even more important is academic learning time—the actual time students are on task learning Teachers introduce new knowledge by helping students connect it prior knowledge. They help students make meaningful patterns, assembling disparate bits of information into coherent patterns. They consider what students will think about with each assignment and aim to focus thinking on deep knowledge. The goal of learning is deep knowledge—the ability to connect ideas, see patterns, and apply leaning in novel situations—which, in turn, is key to memory. Effective teaching strategies do not always work; they must be applied with intentionality according to the knowledge teachers are helping students develop. Teachers use frequent checks for understanding to know which concepts or skills students are struggling to master and reteach as needed to help students develop mastery. They also provide students with opportunities for deliberate practice, focusing on developing the skills and knowledge they are struggling to master. Research shows one key to elite performance is having a coach pressing performers to concentrate their practice on areas where they’re needed most. Research has also found a much stronger effect for practice than homework, which suggests that homework assignments should be constructed as opportunities for deliberate practice. Teachers use structured classroom discussions and writing assignments to help students extend their learning. They use project-based learning and complex or heuristic problem- solving assignments to help students integrate and apply new knowledge in novel situations. Such assignments do not replace but, rather, build on content knowledge be intentional: 1) I make the most of every minute 2) I help students develop deep knowledge 3) I coach students to mastery 4) I help students do something with their learning. TEACHERS USE STRUCTURED CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS TO HELP STUDENTS EXTEND THEIR LEARNING. THEY USE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AND COMPLEX OR HEURISTIC PROBLEM- SOLVING ASSIGNMENTS TO HELP STUDENTS INTEGRATE AND APPLY NEW KNOWLEDGE IN NOVEL SITUATIONS. SUCH ASSIGNMENTS DO NOT REPLACE BUT, RATHER, BUILD ON CONTENT KNOWLEDGE WHEN STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO EXTEND AND APPLY WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED, THEIR NEW KNOWLEDGE TENDS TO FADE FROM MEMORY.. THE ABILITY TO SOLVE COMPLEX PROBLEMS OR HEURISTIC TASKS IS PRIZED IN THE WORK WORLD AND BY STUDENTS, WHO ARE MORE ENGAGED WHEN GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN THROUGH REAL-WORLD APPLICATION.