What Successful Teachers Do

101 Research-Based Classroom Strategies for New and Veteran Teachers

Neal A. Glasgow, Cathy D. Hicks

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781632205766
• eBook ISBN: 9781632209917
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Teaching Methods

Written for novice and seasoned professionals alike, this updated edition of a powerful bestseller provides research-based best practices and practical applications that promote strong instruction and classroom management.The authors translate the latest research into 101 effective strategies for new and veteran K–12 teachers. Updated throughout, and with an entirely new chapter on supporting reading and literacy, this edition presents the strategies in a user-friendly format: The Strategy: a concise statement of an instructional strategy
What the Research Says: a brief discussion of the research to provide readers with a deeper understanding of the principles involved
Classroom Application: how each strategy can be used in instructional settings
Precautions and Possible Pitfalls: caveats to help teachers avoid common problems
Sources: a reference list for further readingWhat Successful Teachers Do is a valuable resource for strengthening teachers' professional development and improving student performance.

1

Interacting and Collaborating With Students

Strategy 1: Use different motivational strategies for girls and boys.

What the Research Says

When it comes to motivation, girls tend to be generalists while boys tend to be specialists. Interest, rather than intellect, often lies at the heart of the differences between boys and girls in specific discipline areas. Girls tend to be interested in a wide range of subjects, while boys tend to concentrate their interests more narrowly.

A study was conducted with 457 students; 338 students attended special mathematics- and science-oriented schools while 119 students attended regular schools but had excellent grades in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. At the beginning of the two-year study, students were asked to rate their interest in later studying science. Several times over a period of two years, teachers were asked to rank their students’ interests in science. The ranking of the girls worsened over time.

Girls and boys were asked to rate how much they liked doing a variety of mathematical-physical and linguistic-literary tasks. Mathematical-physical tasks included finding variations of solutions to problems, solving especially difficult tasks, creating tasks by oneself, doing puzzles, and playing chess. Linguistic-literary tasks included making puns; following dialogues in literature, drama, or a radio play; having discussions with intellectuals; and finding contradictions or inconsistencies in texts. The results showed that girls are interested in a variety of areas and that they tend to concentrate their studying in all subjects or content areas rather than investing in one at the expense of the others, as boys tend to do. Over time, girls’ interests expanded while boys’ interests narrowed.

Classroom Applications

On average girls often seem not to be as motivated in science and math as boys while achievement or grades might be equal to or better than boys as a group. This phenomenon does not happen because girls have less talent in science than boys. It is because of their greater interest in a wide range of other topics. Consequently, girls will be more easily motivated if science and math concepts touch a wider range of subjects. A greater context and relevance helps students develop a better framework in which to place content-specific facts and concepts.

Most specific curricular content does not exist without a more general context or relevance that touches a range of related issues. For example, try going beyond the book facts to make these connections.

• Relate the structure of the atom or radioactivity to Madame Curie and women’s issues she may have experienced during her life.

• Link creativity, discovery, and imagination in arts to creativity in science and other areas where this type of thinking is important.

• Connect creative writing to surrealist painting and the beginnings of psychoanalytical thought and brain research during the same time period.

• Relate the development of technology to sociology or human history. What role did technology play within the social and cultural constructs at specific times in history? Have students work on projects that correspond with their interests and write papers or reports.

Precautions and Possible Pitfalls

Don’t be disappointed if efforts to motivate girls do not produce observable desired effects. For older girls, entrenched identities tend to have been set in the younger grades. Continue to give all girls the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to achieve in science. Try narrowing efforts to a few promising and less resistant girls. A little positive reinforcement and recognition can help. Identify quality work done by girls and have it acknowledged beyond the classroom in the school paper, science fair, or student competitions, and so on. These efforts might plant seeds that will blossom in later years.

Sources

Brickhouse, N., Lowery, P., & Schultz, K. (2000). What kind of girl does science? The construction of school science identities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(5), 441–458.

Pollmer, K. (1991). Was behindert hochbegabte Mädchen, Erfolg im Mathematikunterricht zu erreichen? [What handicaps highly talented girls in being successful in mathematics?]. Psychologie in Erziehung und Unterricht, 38, 28–36.

Strategy 2: Add humor to student interactions.

What the Research Says

When students are asked to describe exemplary teachers, one of the main characteristics they choose is a sense of humor. Students frequently recall that their favorite teachers made them laugh and, more important, made learning fun. Glasser (1986) included fun in his list of the five primary needs of humans, along with survival, belonging, power, and freedom. He further asserted that all behavior is a constant attempt to satisfy one or more of those needs.

It is no secret that teachers who engage students have found the use of humor as a positive way of putting students at ease, gaining attention, and showing students that the teacher is indeed human. According to Quina (1989), if teachers and students can laugh together, they can most likely work together as well. In these days of standards and high-stakes accountability, if students are comfortable and enjoy the learning process, they are more likely to remember more of the material presented.

Csikszentmihalyi and McCormack (1995) indicated that only after a student has learned to love learning does education truly begin. What student doesn’t reflect fondly on a teacher who used stories, analogies, or amusing anecdotes to enhance learning and aid in the retention of knowledge?

Classroom Applications

Humor does not simply mean telling jokes. Humor involves putting a positive spin on reality. Negative humor deals with sarcasm and cynicism, which is never appropriate in the classroom. The teacher who uses humor in a positive way models for students a better way to deal with everyday adverse situations, teaches students not to take small crises and assignments too seriously, and creates a more welcoming atmosphere.

In addition, humor helps a student deal with stress, can enhance his or her self-image, and counteracts unhappiness, depression, and anxiety. It can stimulate creative and flexible thinking, facilitate learning, and improve interest and attention in the classroom.

Humor can be an extremely useful tool in building rapport. A teacher who can laugh at himself or herself, and can laugh with (but never at) students, can help establish a positive, inviting classroom climate.

The use of humor can do a lot to generate interest and grab a reluctant student’s attention. The teacher who dresses up as Lincoln to deliver the Gettysburg Address, or who has students write and perform a rap song to learn the endocrine system and its functions, will make the information presented memorable for the students.

One of the many characteristics of a good teacher is to aid students as they become active learners. A goal of many teachers is to have students enjoy not only the class, but also the subject matter. Humor can help achieve this goal.

Precautions and Possible Pitfalls

The teacher must be careful not to use inappropriate humor that could be offensive or sarcastic or that makes references to ethnic, racial, religious, or gender differences. This type of humor is totally inappropriate in the classroom and is almost always at the expense of students. The teacher must also be sensitive to cultural differences as well as age-appropriate humor. It is important for each teacher to find a distinct style of humor. If teachers are not comfortable using humor, they can start off slowly by reading a funny quip or quote. One veteran teacher, knowing her lesson would involve extensive lecturing that day, used an overhead cartoon when students complained they had been sitting for a long time. The text stated, “The mind can hold only what the seat can endure.”

Sources

Csikszentmihalyi, M., & McCormack, J. (1995). The influence of teachers. In K. Ryan & J. Cooper (Eds.), Kaleidoscope: Readings in education (pp. 2–8). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Glasser, W. (1986). Control theory in the classroom. New York: Harper & Row.

Quina, J. (1989). Effective secondary teaching: Going beyond the bell curve. New York: Harper & Row.

Strategy 3: Be sensitive to possible gender and ethnic differences.

What the Research Says

Historically, girls and certain ethnic minority groups have underachieved in schools. This is especially true in science and math classes. Research suggests that girls and boys may have different science preferences and self-perceptions depending on the specific area of science. Fourth-grade girls were found to prefer biological science while boys preferred physical sciences (Kahle & Damnjanovic, 1994; 1997). This may impose obstacles to success for students inside and outside the classroom. Stereotypes often convey incorrect explanatory information about specific groups, such as Blacks are lazy, girls are bad at science and math, and so forth, that may be used as negative attributions for performance by adults and the children themselves.

One study identified three underlying attributional structures of all stereotypes.

1. Stereotypes that, when used, become internal controllable attributions and explanations for controllable behaviors or states of affairs and imply internal, stable, controllable causes. Examples: Whites are bigoted, certain girls are promiscuous, Mexicans are lazy, and so on.

2. Stereotypes that suggest a trait, attribute, or behavior that is beyond the person’s control. Examples: jocks are dumb, old people are senile, women are weak, Irish are lucky, and so on.

3. Stereotypes that imply external causes that lie outside the individual being stereot...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors
• 1. Interacting and Collaborating With Students
• 2. Managing the Classroom Environment, Time, and Discipline
• 3. Organizing Curricular Goals, Lesson Plans, and Instructional Delivery
• 4. Using Student Assessment and Feedback to Maximize Instructional Effectiveness
• 5. Celebrating Diversity in the Classroom
• 6. Integrating Technology in the Classroom
• 7. Enhancing Reading and Literacy Skills
• 8. Developing a Professional Identity
• 9. Fostering a Positive Relationship With Families and Community
• Index