COVER STORY
No matter how many hundred of millions of dollars are spent, school reform initiatives will continue to produce unsatisfying results until we unflinchingly address the critical problem of teacher quality. We're Still Leaving the Teachers Behind...
About Marvin Marshall...
Marvin Marshall is a professional speaker and seminar leader who presents his program, "Discipline without Stress, Punishments, or Rewards - Raise Responsibility and Promote Learning," to schools across the world.
His program was developed upon his returning to full-time teaching after 24 years of counseling, supervision, and administration. He has taught primary and upper elementary grades and has been an elementary school principal. He has taught all middle grades and has been a middle school counselor and assistant principal. He has taught all high school grades and has been a high school counselor, assistant principal of supervision and control, assistant principal of curriculum and instruction, and high school principal. He has also served as a district director of education.
Dr. Marshall, who is certified by the William Glasser Institute, presents for Phi Delta Kappa International, for several leading seminar companies, and for schools and school districts. His presentation schedule is on the calendar of his website.
In his book Discipline without Stress, Punishments, or Rewards - How Teachers and Parents Promote Responsibility & Learning, he clearly and concisely demonstrates how the external approaches of relying on rules, imposing consequences, rewarding students for appropriate behavior, and punishing students to make them obey are all counterproductive.
The book can be purchased from the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National School Boards Association, Phi Delta Kappa, at local bookstores, or from his website www.MarvinMarshall.com.
Visit Marvin Marshall's Homepage to read more.
Promoting Learning...
by Dr. Marvin MarshallApproaches of Outstanding Teachers
Reflection and Approaches of outstanding teachers
Reflection has a number of attributes. At the top of the list is that reflection prompts gratitude--which is the key to both happiness and goodness.
In learning, reflection reinforces what we want to remember. This is the reason that I encourage teachers to use some strategy such as "Think, Pair, Share" at the conclusion of every lesson. To use "brain terminology," reflection makes temporary memory more permanent by strengthening neural connections.
Kerry--a teacher in British Columbia who explores the use of internal approaches to inspire students to learn--reflected on the teachers who had taught her over the course of her own schooling.
She shared with me some attributes of her own outstanding teachers--those who clearly stood out in her memory as effective and inspiring.
What characteristics did these educators share?
They had cultivated personal bonds with students by:
Treating them with respect and kindness
Using an honest, direct teaching approach
Showing interest in them as individuals
Sharing stories of their own lives
Maintaining an approachable manner so they felt safe
Displaying a willingness to give extra help and encouragement
They had held high expectations for students by:
Requiring them to work hard
Insisting that they try
Challenging them to think
Expecting them to behave appropriately
They had employed best teaching practices:
Capturing interest through an engaging classroom environment
Providing a reason to want to step into the classroom
Making learning fun
Utilizing a variety of carefully planned teaching strategies
Giving varied and meaningful assignments
Use a little reflection now. Ask yourself the following question:
"If you were a student, would you want yourself as a teacher?"
If you hesitate in your answer, reflect on Kerry's list. For your own benefit, you may discover an area you may wish to improve--aside from the benefits your students will receive.
Ideas for implementing the discipline system that promotes both responsibility and learning using concepts of Stephen Covey (proaction), William Glasser (noncoercion), W. Edwards Deming (collaboration and empowerment) and Abraham Maslow (hierarchy and autonomy) is described at http://www.MarvinMarshall.com
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Questions submitted to Kathleen Carpenter at kathleen@teachers.net will be considered by Marv Marshall for responses in future monthly columns in the Teachers.Net Gazette.
Promoting Learning...
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