Weekend Reading: It's Your Ship, Volume 2

A continuation of my post last week about It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy.

Chapter Three: Listen Aggressively

1. Give people your undivided attention when they're speaking to you.
2. See the ship through the crews' eyes/see the classroom through the students' eyes.  Do check-ins/interviews to see what people like the best, what they like the least.  If you get to know your people (and respect them) you wouldn't be able to look at them in a poor light.  When possible, implement some of the changes/suggestions.
3. Find round people for round holes - try to match people's personalities to jobs that fit them.
4. Use the power of word magic - back your words with actions.  Also keep encouraging your people.  Tell them they're the best damn ship in the navy, after a while they will believe you and act accordingly.  If you are confident and truly believe and embody what you say people will catch on and follow suit.

Teacher's Take

1. I wish I could say I do this all the time.  I know often when my students speak to me I'm distracted by another student's behavior or their calling for my attention.  I know how frustrated I feel when someone wouldn't pay attention to me, and I can only imagine that my student would feel likewise.  Whether or not students stay in school and work hard has to do with how valued they feel.  I can definitely work harder to truly give my attention to students when they're talking to me.  Also I think using layered curriculum in the classroom truly helps give students a lot of one on one attention they wouldn't receive otherwise.
2. Even though I was a high school student in the not so distant past (and am currently a graduate student) when you're in front of the classroom sometimes you lose perspective on what it's like to be sitting at a desk trying to learn.  I had a little wake-up call myself at the beginning of this semester when I was in class.  The professor was flying through her PowerPoint presentation, we were all struggling to take notes at her pace.  At one point someone asked her if she could slow down. She said, "Just write down the highlights,  not everything on the slide.  We need to get through this, besides, copies of the notes are on my website."  She then continued through the presentation at ludicrous speed.  Even though I knew the PowerPoint was available online I really learn best when I take notes from the lecture.  As I was sitting there simmering in my frustration at her I realized I often do the exact same thing to my students.  When they ask me to slow down they're giving me feedback - you're going way too fast for me to learn!  If I just ignore them and tell them to get the notes on my website later does that show them that I value their learning?  Does that show them that I value their input?  Does that make them want to be invested in the educational process?  Do I need to answer these questions for you?
3. Here's another example where layered curriculum comes to the rescue.  With layered curriculum students can utilize and demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways.  I can teach all the students the same lesson, but they can all demonstrate what they learned through a method that best suits them - political cartoon, newspaper article, letter, diary entry, pamphlet, campaign poster, etc.  If they can show me they learned the material and understand it, what do I care what format it's in?
4. Students can read you much easier than you think.  If I sigh and moan about how much I hate a unit (cough:nationalism:cough) they'll pick up on that and it will become contagious.  If I tell them how this unit is the greatest thing ever and they're learning fascinating intriguing stuff that most people don't know they'll believe it, and I start to believe it true.  And maybe it will become the greatest unit ever . . . maybe . . .

Chapter Four: Communicate Purpose and Meaning

1. Articulate a goal that inspires a diverse group of people to work hard - make people feel like their work is important and meaningful.
2. Make your crew/students think, "We can do something!" - use whatever resources you have, bulletin board, website, etc, to share new ideas and explain goals as well as keeping people informed.
3. Make sure information travels clearly from the top to the bottom.
4. After creating a great brand, defend it.  Make your crew/students realize they represent you.  Don't threaten, but make the consequences of misbehavior clear.
5. Freedom creates discipline - after every major action/event the group gathers to critique it.  People/students should check egos at the door and be prepared to take criticism, meaning you should too, others will follow your example.  When people feel they own an organization they take a greater role/are more invested in it.

Teacher's Take

1. A classroom generally tends to be a diverse group of people.  Making your activities/lessons appeal to a broad range of talents and abilities will make people feel more capable/likely to work, and will also make your life easier.  Once again, layered curriculum comes in really handy here.
2. I would like to do more of this with my website.  I would like to post more positive messages and examples of outstanding student work.  I do that in my classroom, but on the website would make it more public so students could receive encouragement from parents and others who rarely enter the classroom.
3. In the classroom there isn't really a top/bottom structure, it's more teacher and students.  I always try my best to convey information clearly to students.  In the school in general it's good to be open with people at all levels about what you're doing in your classroom, because you never know what kind of encouragement, support, or resources you'll receive.
4. In the book Abrashoff points out that the more he told his crew they were the best damn ship in the navy the more they believed it and embodied it.  While the collective goal of my classroom is to learn, I can help promote this by telling students why the information is relevant and interesting and make connections to their lives.  When they believe the information is pertinent and they're working towards a higher cause they're more likely to become invested in their education, and so are you (this relates to number 4 above).
5. In my classroom we certainly don't do group critiques of projects or assignments (this might be relevant in an art or drama classroom), but in using the layered curriculum model I give students the freedom to create whatever kind of final product they want to demonstrate their learning (within reason of course), and I do sit down with every student to go over their final products for each layer.  When sitting with the student I often question them on what they are trying to show me with their final product and what they learned through the process and I give them suggestions for improvement.  Sometimes I get feedback from the students such as, "I didn't really understand what I was supposed to do" or "I never understood the concept of nationalism anyway."  I realize this feedback is a golden opportunity for me to re-assess and revise some of my instructional techniques as well as for students to improve their performance in the future.

More on classrooms and school design.

While my questions from yesterday's posts about school design remain unanswered (for now . . .) one think is clear - students absolutely notice their environment.  Most schools have some unpleasant/undesirable aspects to them, whether it is from age, lack of maintenance or otherwise.  If we think the students don't notice and/or don't care we're incorrect.

I found these pictures students sent in of their favorite and least favorite things about their school eye-opening.  The gross water fountain, locker room, bathrooms, etc. really do lower their morale.  Items such as a trophy case can be awe-inspiring and pressuring at the same time.  Comfortable chairs, artwork, and things that recognize and celebrate everyone are well-received.

As a teacher my main focus is on my own room.  I try to set my room up to be both aesthetically pleasing yet still show that my focus is on education.  I made sure that rules and posted and resources are accessible to students, yet I also try to show some of my personality and display outstanding student work.  Overall though, I want my room to be a comfortable learning environment for my students.  That's why this year I started off the first day with a scavenger hunt in which the students find various items in the room and try to get to know each other a little bit.  My hope was that in getting to know the classroom they would feel comfortable coming in everyday, knowing where resources and materials are, and knowing what is on/off limits to them.  I think it was a success and I plan to do it again next year.  Here's the PowerPoint I shared with my students after they completed the scavenger hunt.

Welcome to world history cp!

View more presentations from lherzl.

Weekend Reading: It's Your Ship, Volume 1

Over the summer I was reading a lot about classroom management.  Partially this was due to a course I was taking, but also a lot of it was out of curiosity.  In my undergraduate courses I never learned anything about classroom management.  I learned all about curriculum planning, differentiation, literacy, special education, but never classroom management (or grading . . . but that's a whole other post).  The most I can remember coming up about classroom management was when one professor told us if we had good lesson plans and knew our stuff classroom management would never be an issue . . . ha!

Fortunately I had a great student teaching experience, and spent a year and a half as an instructional assistant before I entered the classroom as an independent teacher so I did have the opportunity to observe what worked well and what did not work at all.  Also, like all first year teachers I had a lot of "learning experiences" about how to more effectively manage my classroom.  Now that I'm in my third year of teaching I have a much better grasp on the groundwork of classroom management, but I still find it worthwhile and informative to educate myself further on the subject.  One of the books I read on the topic of management in general this summer was It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by Michael Abrashoff.  This book came recommended by one of the school guidance counselors.  Although Abrashoff is referring to managing people in general (and more specifically people who have enlisted in the navy) he makes a lot of great points and observations that could be used in various contexts, including the classroom.

Chapter 1: Take Command

1. Top reason people leave jobs (or quit/lose faith in school) is not being treated respectfully, being prevented from making an impact, not being listened to, and not being rewarded with more responsibility.
2. Micromanaging won't lead to individual initiative.
3. Get everyone involved and working toward a common cause/give them something to work towards.
4. Implement a process that people will enjoy carrying out - little gestures go a long way/allow individuals to innovate.
5. Don't give up on people until you've given them every opportunity to  learn and grow.
6. Be as efficient as possible.
7. Aim high, have a positive effect on people's lives and create the best organization possible.
8. No one is capable of making every decision - train people to make judgments of their own.  Choose a limit at which you must be consulted on decision  making, then let people make their own decisions up to that point.

Teacher's Take

1. I absolutely agree that a main reason students quit school isn't because it's too hard or they're not smart enough, but because they don't feel respected or that they're gaining anything from it.  
2. I also agree that micromanaging will make students become dependent on the system and they won't be able to think for themselves.  I feel like this can especially be a problem in special education.  When I was an instructional assistant we were often encouraged to be so over-bearing that there was no way the child could make a mistake or slip up, or learn anything on their own.  Teaching a student to be completely helpless and depend on the teacher/assistant/parent/boss to get anything done is not going to make them a productive and valuable member of society.  People learn from their mistakes, and if we don't allow them to make mistakes they won't learn!  
3. In schools the common thing people are "working towards" is grades.  Unfortunately this doesn't motivate all students.  I learned this last year when first trying to implement layered curriculum.  Some students need various types of motivation.  One interesting way of motivating students is through classroom based activities such as PATs which is a token economy system.  You can read more about it here.  Still motivation is a tricky area, you never know what will drive students.
4. I've found that layered curriculum is super helpful in this area.  Students have choice in what activities they're going to do which always helps to quell some of the rebellious, "I don't want to do this and you can't make me!" attitude.  I always put as an option on my layered curriculum activities, "suggest something of your own," students have come up with great ideas!
5. I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, but unfortunately sometimes it's easier said than done.  Also I often feel that students have given up on themselves, and it is difficult to bring them back from this thought process.
6. Agreed!
7. Students rise to whatever standards/expectations you set of them.  Teachers should set their expectations high, and they should be prepared to help students rise to their expectations.
8. I've found that students have a high level of "learned helplessness" and will expect you to make every decision for them and assist them in all sorts of menial tasks.  From day one it's important to set the expectations that students have a level of autonomy so you are not constantly pestered with things such as, "My pencil broke" . . . "Well go sharpen it!"  If students start taking more initiative with little things it's a good gateway into becoming more independent people and thinkers.

Chapter 2: Lead by Example

1. Real leadership is done by example.
2. When someone suggests something ask them, "Is there a better way?"  This makes people search for the best solution to their problems.
3. When there is a problem ask yourself if it's you: Did you give directions clearly?  Did you give enough time/training/resources?
4. Never forget your effect on people - optimism and pessimism are equally contagious.  Also make sure your people (students) know how important they are to you.  Remember you set the tone for your people/students.
5. If you make a mistake take accountability for it.

Teacher's Take

1. You are a role model, whether you want to be one or not.  You get to decide if you can be a positive role model for your students or not.  I'd rather be a positive role model and I think most teachers want to be as well.
2. "Is there a better way?" is also a good way to address student misbehavior.  It's also a good way to prod a student to think about something deeper or re-think an idea they have for a project without sounding like you're criticizing them.
3. When I first started teaching I would often find myself frustrated with my students for not doing what I asked of them.  Upon further reflection I would realize my directions weren't very clear or I was asking students to do something they weren't capable of or didn't know how to do.  Whenever I give a more complicated assignment I try to think of the skills a student would need to complete the assignment and then try to ascertain whether or not they have those skills or I need to teach them (pre-testing or an informal survey works well).  When something doesn't go as I expected I try to first see if the mistake was on my part (it's surprising how often it is . . .).
4. This goes back to number one, being a role model.  Students can read your tone/expressions very well.  I try not to ever forget that.
5. Again, I think this one comes back to being a role model.  So often when students make mistakes they try to make excuses or blame someone else.  Part of being a positive role model for your students is taking accountability for your actions.  If something went wrong and it is your fault, own up to it.  I can't think of a more powerful lesson for your students.  Also while you're owning up for it tell them how you plan to improve for next time (back to number two).
6. I think this is a good way of gauging your actions.  Another good one, if the principal/parent/superintendent walked in right now would I be proud of this moment or not.

Stay tuned for next week for more reflections on It's Your Ship.