First Days of School - Inviting Students to Learn

"Effective teachers have the power and the ability to invite
students and colleagues each day and in every class to learn together."

We will continue our series centered around Harry and Rosemary Wong's book, The First Days of School.  Wong outlines the three characteristics of an effective teacher as:

• Has positive expectations.
• Is an extremely good classroom manager.
• Knows how to design lessons for student mastery.

For the first couple weeks, we will focus on positive expectations.

How to Invite Students to Learn - Chapter 9
Wong's chapter on inviting students to learn is heavily influenced by William W. Purkey's concept of "Invitational Education".  Invitational education is centered around the following:

• People are able, valuable, and responsible and should be treated accordingly.
• Helping is a cooperative, collaborative alliance in which process is as important as product.
• People possess relatively untapped potential in all areas of human development.
• Human potential can best be realized by places, policies, programs, and processes that are intentionally designed to invite development, and by people who consistently seek to realize this potential in themselves and others, personally and professionally.

To fulfill the above propositions, invitational education employs the following:

• Opportunities are everywhere, but little happens until invitations are sent, received, and acted on.
• A positive self-concept is the product of inviting acts.
• One inviting act can make a positive difference even if everything else is disinviting.
• We will always be invited if we are giving the party.
• Human potential is always there, waiting to be discovered and invited forth.
• To maintain a consistently inviting stance is the essence of an effective teacher.

Are you Invitational or Disinvitational?

• Do you greet your students every day?
• Do you smile and listen to your students?
• Is your environment inviting?

Invitation

An invitation is a message that states that the person being invited is responsible, able, and valuable.  "The critical ingredient needed for people to realize their fullest potential lies in the kinds of invitations extended to individuals by the significant people in their lives." (Wong, 64)

Teachers are significant people in any students lives.  Educators need to know the power of being invitational in the learning process.  If a student does not feel safe and invited to learn, the chances they will learn decreases.  Here are a couple examples of being an inviting teacher:

• A teacher says, "this kid can't read"...instead the teacher could say, "this kid can't read.  How can I help him/her?"
• Having live plants in your classroom.
• Greeting students at the door every day.

Four Levels of Invitational Education

1. Intentionally Disinviting - Deliberately demean, discourage, defeat, and dissuade students.
1. Examples: "I failed 12 students last semester."  "I've only given one A in 16 years of teaching."  "You will never amount to anything."
2. Unintentionally Disinviting - Are not deliberately negative, but often say things to demean students.
1. Examples: "If you don't want to learn, that's your problem."  "I was hired to teach history, not all these other things."  "I teach only students who want to learn."
3. Unintentionally Inviting - Generally well liked and effective, but are unaware of why they are effective.
1. Examples: "Aren't you sweet."  "I enjoy teaching."  "Great job!"
4. Intentionally Inviting - Have a professional attitude, work diligently and consistently, and strive to be more effective teachers.
1. Examples: "Good morning, have a great day."  "Please tell me more."  "You can do better; let me show you how."