All of our efforts to improve education eventually come down to the classroom. Policies and mandates must be translated into better teaching practices, or they are of no use.

 

Tools for Teaching describes the teaching practices of highly effective teachers – the “naturals.” In addition, Dr. Jones has developed research-based methods of group management that are extremely cost-effective – that free the teacher to focus on instruction rather than discipline. Advanced skills of classroom management can produce dramatic increases in student learning while reducing teacher stress. Here are just a few examples of teaching tools that work.

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Wasted Time Becomes Learning Time

A typical class period is not on task until five to seven minutes after the bell rings. In addition, a typical lesson transition takes five minutes. Common to both of these situations is dawdling. Students are expert time wasters. They have no vested interest in hustle. They know that as soon as the transition is over they will go back to work.

 

Responsibility Training teaches the entire class to save time rather than waste it. Responsibility Training insures that students are on task when the bell rings, and it gives the teacher 30 second lesson transitions. These two items alone can add 10 minutes of learning time to a 50 minute class period.

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Passivity Becomes Activity

A common sight when observing classrooms is to see students just sitting while the teacher works out. Students are typically passive for over half of the class period. It is exhausting for a teacher to do five “matinees” a day. We call it “bop ‘til you drop.” Then during Guided Practice the teachers are met with hands waiving in the air – the same “helpless handraisers” every day. There has to be an easier way to teach a lesson.

 

Say, See, Do Teaching is another essential tool for teachers. It structures the lesson into a series of “Say, See, Do Cycles” which cause students to continually learn by doing. It becomes the students job to actively engage in learning activities while the teacher checks for understanding. No more Bop ‘til You Drop.

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Meaning Business

The alternative to Meaning Business is “nag, nag, nag.” Meaning Business deals with typical classroom disruptions. It is effective, low key and non-adversarial.

 

Meaning Business increases learning for those who need it most – the low achievers who spend so much class time “goofing off.” With a little training, teachers can increase achievement for the bottom half of a class by as much as 50 percent while eliminating the majority of classroom disruptions.

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Doing It the Easy Way

The natural teachers are not working themselves to death because they know the easy way to get things done. Not surprisingly, however, teachers start their careers doing everything the hard way. They are rookies. What do you expect?

 

Unless someone shows these teachers the easy way to succeed, they will eventually conclude that exhaustion is an unavoidable part of the job. Rather than letting them burn out, far better to give them the teaching tools they need.