EDUCATORS
EDge
Volume 2, No. 2
January 2017
A mentor program newsletter
informing and supporting
beginning and experienced
teachers
Setting High Academic Expectations
by Valorie Rigby
A teacher at an Albuquerque high school was experiencing discipline
problems with a particularly vocal student named Sara. Whatever
Sara decided was going to happen in class usually did because of the
tendency of the rest of the students to follow her lead.
A Highly Effective Teacher:

Explains clearly

Is well-prepared

Makes difficult topics
easy to understand
Finally, out of frustration, the teacher initiated a private conversation
with Sara, telling her she was a class leader and that other students
followed her example. Once Sara thought of herself as a leader and
was treated as such by the teacher, she significantly reformed her behavior and her academic performance improved as well.
Whether you have one year of teaching under your belt or 20 years
of teaching experience, the temptation to size students up and treat
them accordingly afflicts all of us at some point. Most teachers are
aware of the Pygmalion effect, the belief that people live up to the expectations placed on them by others, yet not every teacher practices
the lesson learned in George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion. In the
play, Eliza Dolittle transforms from a “common guttersnipe” to a beautiful, sophisticated member of society because of the way her teacher
and mentor, Professor Higgins, treats her.
Researchers consistently find that high expectations are “the most
reliable driver of high student achievement, even in students who do
not have a history of successful student achievement” (Lemov 263).
Underpinning the “high expectation” theory are the notions that expectations (good or bad) become self-fulfilling prophecies, which in turn,
are sustained by the teacher and student.
When teachers expect more, students perform better and take greater risks, thus fulfilling the expectation that they can achieve.
High Expectations
continued on p. 3

Uses examples, details,
analogies, metaphors,
and variety in modes of
explanation to make material not only understandable but memorable

Makes the objectives of
the course and each
class clear

Establishes a context for
material
In This Issue
 An app for educators p. 2
 Classroom management

techniques p. 3
Important Dates p. 4
Page 2
EDge
Q: What is one thing you hope
your students learn from you?
“That their language and culture are assets
of incredible value and worth that enrich everyone in our country.”
Teacher, Washington
From Across the
Nation: What Educators Are Saying
From the US Department
of Education
“That asking questions is not a sign of weakness or ignorance, but instead it is the first
step in learning and enlightenment.”
Teacher, New Jersey
"Give students time
and space to process
and be heard."
Teacher, New York
“We have to have relationships to achieve
success.”
Principal, Oklahoma
An app for
Educators
The Educators Edge will occasionally bring
you apps we've found that teachers may want
to use in their classroom. This week: Kahoot.
What’s more fun in a classroom than
playing games? Kahoot is a free app for
teachers to quiz, survey, and start discussions with their students. Anyone
with a device and internet connection
can play, and it’s simple for
to
set up. In a quiz or skills practice scenario, the teacher sets up the questions with
multiple choice answers in advance.
Kids get the code, set up a name, and
they’re ready to play!
“Be hopeful, so you
light the fires of optimism in the students’
idealistic minds.
Teacher, New Jersey
“You can’t underestimate the importance
of teacher morale.”
Principal, Maine
Page 3
EDge
Teaching Secrets cont. from p.1
you expect performance from all of them.
Consider the following strategies that can increase student achievement through high teacher expectations:

Find student achievements that can be praised and
give reasons for the praise.

Call on all students when questioning, not just the
those with their hands up or who know the answers.

Truly listen to what all students have to say. Let
them know you are interested in their comments.

If students can’t answer the questions, give clues
and/or rephrase the question so they can experience
success.

Allow wait time. Students need time to process the
question before answering. Silence is ok.
Teachers form expectations and impressions with regard
to their students. It is inevitable. The point is to be aware
of biased reactions and to understand that different expectations lead to different treatments. All students deserve high expectations.

Circulate among all your students, letting them know
Teachers who actively employ a positive self-fulfilling
Essential Classroom Management Techniques for First Year Teachers
#1. Get the students’ attention and speak only when they are quiet and ready.
Attention Getters:

Use a variety of "quieters" (wooden castanets, frog clicker, metal New Years ratchet...)and spread them around the
room. Spend a lot of time practicing quieting procedures; when using quieters students should freeze their bodies
and their voices. After practicing quite a bit they become tuned in to those noises.

n a loud, teacher voice say, "Everyone put your hands in the air." Not one hand, both hands. This way students
aren't fiddling with something else and they are focused on the directions you have to give. Again, practice the procedure.

Develop a signal that requires everyone’s attention. This could be clapping a rhythm that students have to repeat
or a bell the teacher rings to get attention.
#2. Use hand signals and other non-verbal communication
Don’t underestimate the power of non-verbal communication. Make eye contact with every single student in the room
for gaining 100% attention. Sometimes shaking your head or silently saying “no” is enough to stop misbehavior. Other
non-verbal communications include standing by a student, pointing to a place in the text or on the board to redirect focus, or simply frowning or smiling to let the student(s) know you approve or disapprove.
#3. Establish Consequences for Misbehaving
Good classroom management starts the first day of school. Once students learn there will be consequences for misbehavior, they usually come around.

Determine what consequences will be effective with your students. Ask yourself what students don’t want to have
happen—for example, adolescent students hate staying after class, being moved from a seat they've chosen, or
receive the disapproval of their peers. Make those your consequences.
EDge
Important Dates for Mentors and Beginning Teachers
Mark your calendars for the optional April 25th Mentor Program Networking Event and the optional May 9th Mentor/BT Celebration and
Recognition.
4:30-6:30 (Drop in hours- not a formal meeting/attendance optional)
Lincoln Complex, Building M, Rooms A/B
April 25th: The APS Mentor Program is an amazing network of
over 600 mentors. We are always looking for mentors to grow our pool
of Level 2, Level 3 or National Board Certified teachers willing to mentor a beginning teacher. Not yet a mentor? Already a mentor and want
to do more? Learn about professional opportunities for mentors and
network with other mentors, learn about statewide organizations and
district resources. We look forward to seeing you and a colleague!
From 4:30-6:30 drop in for refreshments and networking!
May 9th: Celebrate and be recognized! Whether you are a beginning
teacher who successfully completed a year of mentorship or a mentor
who supported a beginning teacher- celebrate and be recognized. From 4:30-6:30 drop in for refreshments and recognition!
Page 4
Contact Us
Bianca Belmonte-Sapien
Mentor Program Director
253-0335 X 67051
[email protected]
Holly Reimholz
Administrative Assistant
253-0335 X 67052
Send documentation to:
[email protected]
Educators Edge edited and
designed by Valorie Rigby—
Submit any suggestions of
question to [email protected]
Questioning
Technique
From Teach Like a
Champion
What to Try with Students Who Do Not Participate
(from Why Didn't I Learn This in College by Paula Rutherford)
Encouraging all to students to participate academically is a worthy goal
for all teachers, but getting them to actively engage is not always easy.
The following suggestions can help with reluctant learners:

Use wait time after asking a question—Three to five seconds.

Give choices. “Is it A or B?”

Repeat questions using simpler language.

Use positive non-verbal encouragement such as nods, smiles, eye
contact.

Have students work in pairs and report their partner’s answer.

Interact with students during small group discussions.

With students who tend not to participate, call the name before asking the question as in, “Jeff, how did. . .?”

Listen in during small group discussions/work to see if the student is
responding/participating in that setting. If so, either you or a student
in the group can paraphrase what the student said.
by Doug Lemov
“No Opt Out” - A sequencing technique that
begins with a student
unable to answer a question should end with the
student answering that
question as often as possible.

You provide the answer, the student repeats the answer.

Another student provides the answer; the
initial student repeats
the answer.

You provide a cue;
your student uses it to
find the answer.

Another student provides a cue; the initial
student uses it to find
the answer.