The Master Teacher What separates master teachers from

The Master Teacher What separates master teachers from the rest of us is that they know how to think about teaching. They have integrated the facts of teaching into their thinking and, as a result, they do things automatically. From the outside, it looks like they have the gift. But on the inside, it is simply a matter of rigorously applying a few simple principles to their teaching. Robyn R. Jackson Never Work Harder Than Your Students and Other Principles of Great Teaching (2009, p. xiv) 2

Master Teacher Mindset The master teacher mindset is really a disposition toward teaching. It is a way of thinking about instruction, about students, about learning and teaching in general that makes teaching fluid, efficient, and effective. Robyn R. Jackson Never Work Harder Than Your Students and Other Principles of Great Teaching (2009, p. 2) 3

Introduction to the DVD After viewing the introductory video segment, consider the following questions in a Think-Pair. Share activity. • When you were a student, how did your best teachers make you work harder and love what you were learning? • What does being a master teacher mean to you? 4

Workshop Ground Rules • Take responsibility for your own learning. • Participate actively. • Use the note-taking guide to track the principles and things you’d like to try. • Listen to learn. • Be respectful of participants and the presenter. • Honor time limits. Are there other rules you would like to add? Do we all agree on the rules? 5

Desired Outcomes By the end of the session, you will be able to • Explain the concept of never working harder than your students. • Define the seven principles of great teaching in your own words and give examples of them. • Present a rationale for each of the seven principles. • Identify problems that occur when the principles are not used in the classroom and suggest actions. 6

Desired Outcomes (continued) • Self-assess how well you apply the mastery principles in your own classroom. • Develop an action plan to address principles you want to work on. • Identify potential applications, strategies, or activities to enhance your practice of the seven principles. • Summarize your learning in a reflection activity. 7

Seven Principles of Mastery Teaching 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Start Where Your Students Are Know Where Your Students Are Going Expect to Get Your Students to Their Goal Support Your Students Along the Way Use Feedback to Help You and Your Students Get Better 6. Focus on Quality, Not Quantity 7. Never Work Harder Than Your Students

What Do You Already Know About the Seven Principles? Pre-Assessment Carousel Activity 1. How would you define each of the principles of teaching in your own words? 2. Do you agree that these are the major principles that master teachers use? Why or why not? 3. Are there others that you think are just as important? 9

How Do You Practice the Principles in Your Classroom? • Complete the survey provided as a handout to self-assess what you already do in your classroom practice related to the mastery principles. • Score the survey. • Use the results to help you set some goals related to the principles. • Focus on these goals both during and after the video and workshop. 10

Format for Viewing Video Segments • Examine the seven principles one at a time during the video segments. • Use the Note-Taking Guide handout to reflect on what you see and to connect with your current classroom practices. • After each segment, identify and discuss problems that occur when the principle is not evident in the classroom. • Determine some possible solutions with a partner or your table group, using the Problem-Solving Discussion Guide handout. 11

Principle 1: Start Where Your Students Are • In what ways do you get to know your students and the currencies they bring to your classroom? • Problems: Students can have problems related to motivation, participation, behavior, or interpersonal conflicts if they feel insignificant, powerless, or slighted in the classroom. What strategies or activities can you use to avoid these problems? 12

Principle 2: Know Where Your Students Are Going • How do you plan your units and lessons to ensure that students have an identified pathway to reach the desired results of the unit or lesson? • Problems: Instruction may seem disconnected. Students may not be able to transfer what they have learned to other activities, identify what’s important, or see the relevance to their own lives. What can you do in your planning for units and lessons to address these problems? 13

Principle 3: Expect to Get Your Students to Their Goal • How are your expectations of yourself related to your expectations of students? • Problems: The brutal facts or realities in your classroom or school can sometimes cause you to have low expectations of yourself and your students. What actions can you take to increase your expectations of yourself and your ability to ensure that all students can reach the goals you have defined? 14

Reflect on What You’ve Seen So Far • Think about the scenarios of the first three principles of great teaching that you have just seen. • Complete and examine your note-taking guide on these first three principles. • If you have questions, write them on an index card and give them to the presenter for responses or discussion. 15

Principal 4: Support Your Students Along the Way • What strategies or activities do you plan ahead of time to support students or to intervene if they have difficulties? • Problems: Students may fail a test, may not understand or retain the material, or may lack the background knowledge they need to do well in your class. What plans can you have in place to address these problems? 16

Principle 5: Use Feedback to Help You and Your Students Get Better • What feedback do you currently collect on students’ progress? How do you use this feedback to help students improve and to adjust your instruction? • Problems: Students may not know how to improve their own performance. They may fail the same types of assignments again and again, and reach the point of frustration and give up. How do you use varied assessments over time to provide quality, ongoing feedback? 17

Principle 6: Focus on Quality, Not Quantity • Given the requirements of state standards, local curriculum, etc. , how do you set priorities for learning what’s most important? • Problems: Curriculum may be “covered” but not “learned, ” students may not retain or understand what they are learning, and lessons may be heavily textbook dependent. How do you address these issues in your planning? 18

Principle 7: Never Work Harder Than Your Students • How do students learn by taking more responsibility for their learning? • Problems: Students may not take ownership of their learning. They may not do their work, or they may be disorganized or not engaged. How do you use the seven principles to determine what work is yours and what work is your students’? 19

Reflection and Questions • Think about the examples and explanations of all seven principles of mastery teaching that you have seen. • Review and complete the Note-Taking Guide and Problem-Solving Discussion Guide. • Review your self-assessment survey results and the goals you developed for yourself. • If you have questions, write them on an index card and give them to the presenter for responses. 20

Action Planning for Next Steps • Using the Action Planning Template handout, identify two or three principles that you would like to work on during this school year. • Complete the action planning template. 21

Great Teaching Through Mastery Principles • Great teachers evolve through continual work based on job-embedded learning with a focus on areas needing improvement. • Teachers shown in this DVD all began as novices with a passion for their work. They received support through mentoring, coaching, leadership, and formal professional development. • Great teaching is also about the passion and the importance of the role of a teacher. 22

Identifying Mentors and Coaches • Whether you are a novice teacher or an experienced one, seek support and guidance as you move toward mastery teaching. • Identify one or two colleagues that you believe can provide this support. • Meet with them one-on-one. Describe the principles you wish to work on and the action steps you wish to take. Ask for their help. If possible, determine a regular meeting time. • Invite these mentors into your classroom as you try new ideas. 23

Teacher Leaders as Coaches and Mentors • Be a good listener. • Find ways to offer support to teachers interested in growing professionally in classroom practices. Examples: – Share best-practice resources that you use and that might be helpful to your colleague. – Offer to co-plan or co-teach a lesson or unit that focuses on knowing where students are going with defined priorities and expectations. 24

Teacher Leaders as Coaches and Mentors (continued) – Invite your colleague to observe when you are doing a lesson that illustrates use of one of the seven principles. – Share your successful strategies and activities related to the principles. – Brainstorm solutions to problems caused by insufficient attention to one of the principles. 25

Overlapping Roles of Teacher Leader, Coach, and Mentor • Collaborator or Consultant – Provides expertise in content, process, and strategies including modeling lessons and providing resources. • Coach – Supports teachers in strengthening planning, inquiry, reflection, and problem solving. – Uses nonjudgmental language. • Staff Developer – Identifies and plans for needs of ongoing professional growth for individuals and groups. – Presents and facilitates opportunities for others to acquire new knowledge, skills, and understanding. 26

Overlapping Roles of Teacher Leader, Coach, and Mentor (continued) • Reminders – Professional growth is an incremental process. – Adult learners have special needs. – Professional growth increases with successful actions that lead to student achievement. – Leading, coaching, and mentoring are opportunities to increase your own expertise and job satisfaction. 27

A Final Thought Teaching, Learning, and Leading Any teacher can become a master teacher with the right kind of support and practice. The journey to great teaching provides many rewards for teachers and students along the way. As leaders, we must provide that support and those opportunities to practice.

Reflection and Evaluation • Consider the desired outcomes presented at the beginning of the workshop and your initial definitions and reactions to the seven principles. How has this workshop affected your understanding of mastery teaching? • Complete the workshop evaluation and return it to the workshop leader. 29

Copyright 2009 by ASCD, 1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22311 -1714. All rights reserved. This Power. Point presentation is intended for professional development by the purchaser and authorized staff, where no fee is charged, and may be • Presented at face-to-face meetings, professional development presentations, classrooms, and school community gatherings. • Photocopied and distributed. • Posted on secure, password-protected Web pages. For all other uses, written permission must be secured from ASCD. Consult the Rights and Permissions information on our Web site at www. ascd. org. 30