What Great Teachers Do Differently - High Expectations - For Whom?

What Great Teachers Do Differently - High Expectations - For Whom?
The next chapter in What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker talks about expectations.  This chapter, although very short, dealt a huge punch.  Whitaker talks about that as teachers we all have high expectations for our students, regardless if you are a superstar teacher or not.  But what sets great teachers apart from everyone else, is having high expectations for themselves.

The teachers with high expectations for themselves are the ones who when they see their students struggling, they say to themselves "what can I do differently to help this student".  Teachers with low expectations of themselves will often have the opposite reaction, "what is the student doing wrong that they aren't getting it".  The great teachers have such high expectations of themselves that they will do anything they can to make sure the students are understanding what they are trying to teach.  The same can be said about kids paying attention.  If the students are not engaged, great teachers look within and look at their activities as to why students are engaged.  Teachers with low expectations are quick to blame the students for not being engaged.

New Series - The First Days of School

During the months of January and February we highlighted a feature called Brandon's Brainwork.  I hope it gave you the opportunity to reflect and think about a few aspects of your teaching.  Our last series of the year will be based on The First Days of School by Harry & Rosemary Wong.  Each week we will highlight a certain chapter in the book and provide resources to go with the chapters.



Laying the Groundwork
According to Harry Wong, the three characteristics of an effective teacher are:

1. Has positive expectations for students success.
2. Is an extremely good classroom manager.
3. Knows how to design lessons for student mastery.

Over the next couple months we will highlight different pieces of each of these three characteristics.

Positive Expectations

• AKA...High expectations.
• Means that the teacher believes in the learner and that the learner can learn.
• Whatever the teacher expects from the learner is what the learner will produce.
• It is essential that the teacher exhibit positive expectations toward all students.

Classroom Management

• Practices and procedures that a teacher uses to maintain an environment in which instruction and learning can occur.
• Discipline has very little to do with classroom management.
• The teacher must establish a productive and cooperative working environment.

Lesson Mastery

• Student's demonstration that a concept has been comprehended or a skill can be performed at a level of proficiency determined by the teacher.
• Student success in the subject matter of the class will be the result of how well the teacher designs lessons and checks for mastery.

Brandon's Brainwork- High Expectations

High Expectations
Having high expectations for all students is critical in receiving quality work from your students.  I was reminded of this recently when my daughter (who is in Kindergarten), was sitting watching a movie and out of the blue decided to tell me "dad, do you know your prefrontal cortex is the front of your brain and the hippocampus is behind your ears?"  This statement totally blew me away, but it got me thinking about having high expectations for all students.

Most teachers would say they have high expectations for their students, but closer examination may reveal that this is not true.  A simple, yet effective, task could be going through your class list and identifying those students that you may or may not have high expectations for.  After identifying students, then being cognizant of how you interact with each of the students.

A great resource on creating and communicating high expectations for all students comes from The Department of Safe Schools, Single School Culture for Academics, from The School District of Palm Beach County, FL.  It is based on the Marzano framework, is short and to the point, and has lots of great information about high expectations.

Communicating High Expectations for All Students from The School District of Palm Beach County, FL

I also like to refer to Austin's Butterfly when talking about high expectations.  This teacher has high expectations for his/her students and it shows!

Questions to Consider
1. Do I really have high expectations for all students?
2. Do I accept mediocre work, just because it's easier?
3. Do my actions or words show my expectations of my students?