Teach Like a Champion Strategy Reflection Journal

ENTRY #1
Technique # 44
Description: In the precise praises section of Teach Like A Champion I learned
that praise should be given three times as much as reprimanding. Precise
praise should be used to acknowledge the difference between
acknowledgement and praise. When praising a student it should be loud, but
when fixing a students actions it should be soft. The praise you give your
students should be genuine praise or else they will believe their work is
inferior.
Observation/Implementation: In my classroom at Trace I observed my teacher
giving genuine praise. I have not observed at any placement teachers giving
soft fixes to the students. Most teachers I have observed scold students
loudly so the other students are able to hear them.
Technique # 24
Description: In the pepper section on Teach Like a Champion I learned that
peppering is using fast paced group oriented activities to review information.
The teacher tosses a question to the students and they respond. The teacher
does not slow down to engage the students, but moves on to the next group
to ask a question. If the student gets it wrong the teacher asks another
students the same question.
Observations/Implementation: I have never seen this implemented in any of
the classrooms I have been in, but now that I know about it I want to use it all
the time. I love this idea! I think this is exciting and engaging for the students
and it lets the teachers know what they need to work on if the students are
fully grasping a concept or idea.
ENTRY #2
Technique # 39
Description: In the technique Do it Again in Teach Like a Champion I learned
that it is important to have students do it again when they fail to do
something correctly like line up in a line. This shortens the feedback loop,
sets standards for excellence, not just compliance, there is no administrative
follow up, there is accountability for the group, it ends with success, there are
logical consequences and it is reusable.

Observation/Implementation: I have seen this used in almost every

placement I have been in so far. I have seen the teachers have the students
line up again, go to their seats again, walk to recess again. Often teachers
use this strategy with their students to make sure that they are doing
everything correctly and to reinforce the rules they have already placed.

Technique # 29
Description: The technique Do Now from Teach Like a Champion explains
that students should never wonder what they should do next. Students
should be productive during every minute of the day. The do now should be
completed without instructions or help from their peers. It should only take
about 3 to 5 minutes to complete, and should be pencil and paper, and it
should preview the days lesson.
Observation/Implementation: I think this will be what I will most struggle with
as a first year teacher. I want to make sure that at all times students are
working diligently. At all of my placements I have observed teachers doing
this. My teacher at Tarrent had the students look at the back board for math
time. They knew they needed to complete the problems on the back board
after they completed assignments.

ENTRY #3
Technique # 42
Description: In the technique No Warnings in Teach Like a Champion I
learned that I need to act early when it comes to using consequences with
students. Teachers need to act early, act reliably, and act proportionally.
Teachers should not give warnings to students because giving a warning is
not taking action.
Observation/Implementation: In my placement at Trace and at Tarrent I saw
my teachers use this. I observed that they often did not give warnings to
students unless they knew that was punishment enough for them. For other
students they needed harsher consequences and they did not often get
warnings from the teacher. I think I will struggle with this technique as well.
Learning to give consequences instead of warnings will be something I will
need to remember to incorporate in my classroom management.
Technique # 21

Description: In the technique Take a Stand: in Teach Like a Champion I

learned that students need to actively engage in the ideas around them by
making judgements about the answers their peers provided. One way you
can do this is habe one student answer a question and then have the other
students snap twice if they agree and stompt twice if they dont agree. This
helps the teacher check for understanding.
Observation/Implementation: I have seen my teacher at Trace use this in her
math classroom. She has the students hold up hand signs if they agree or
disagree. This helps her know what the students are thinking. If a students
disagrees she usually calls on them to explain their thinking as well.

ENTRY #4
Technique #30
Description: The technique Tight Transitions in Teach Like a Champion I
learned that transitions need to be fluid and quick. During transitions
students are not learning so to maximize learning time transitions should be
taught early, and the students know what is expected of them as soon as
they start to transition from something like carpet to desk.
Observation/Implementation: In my teachers classroom at Cherokee Bend
sophomore year I saw her use transitions a lot. She had the students know
that when she used her rain stick they needed to come to the carpet. The
students knew exactly what they needed to do and they executed the plan
quickly and efficiently. Barely any learning time was lost during their
transition.

Technique # 41
Description: In the technique Threshold in Teach Like a Champion I learned
that I need to let students know what is expected of them the minute they
enter the classroom. This is a critical time to establish rapport, set the tone,
and reinforce the first steps in a routine. Getting it right and keeping it right is
a lot easier then fixing it once its gone wrong. This is why it is important that
as soon as students enter the threshold of your classroom that you remind
them what is expected of them.
Observation/Implementation: My teacher at Tarrent used this strategy often
in her classroom. She had great classroom management and her students
always knew what was expected of them no matter what. She was sure to

build rapport with her students as well as remind them what was expected of
them at all times while in her classroom.

ENTRY #5
Technique # 25
Description: In the technique Wait Time in Teach Like a Champion I learned
that is it very important to give the students time after asking a question for
them to think. The answers you will get right after asking a question will not
be rich or well though out. After waiting a little while students can really think
about what they are going to say and reflect more.
Observation/Implementation: I used this strategy in my last math lesson. The
students always shoot up their hands as fast as they can and they dont
really even know what they are answering. I had the students stop and think
for a few seconds and then had them answer the question. This really helped
the students think deeply about the problem and not just say the first thing
that popped into their head.

Technique # 38
Description: In the technique Strong Voice in Teach Like a Champion I
learned that if you want to be an effective teacher, and have command of
your classroom you need to have a strong voice. There are five principles of
having a strong voice, the first is economy of language. This states that fewer
words are stronger than more. The next one is do not talk over, this means
that the students need to be listening at all times to what you are saying. Do
not try and talk over students having a conversation. The next principle is do
not engage, when teaching do not engage other topics until you have
resolved the topic you are currently on at the moment. The next principle is
square up/stand still, this means that you speak also with your body
language. You need to express the seriousness of your directions, turn with
two feet and two shoulders. The last principle is quiet power, this means that
when you get nervous you need to be quiet, so not try and talk louder or fast
and get flustered.
Observation/Implementation: I have seen this used during many of my
observations. My teachers have all good control over their class as well as a
strong voice. They know when they need to speak and when they dont. They
can control the classroom by just the words they say.