SEVEN SUGGESTIONS FOR EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM TEACHING

By Patti Connolly
1. Review your academic goals on a regular basis.

2. Plan each block at least one week before it begins with your academic goals clearly
stated. Include the progression of new concepts presented and which stories you will
tell in the block penciled in. The detail work is left for the weekends.

3. Work on singing and speech work. In your classroom, play the first note or phrase of a
song on a recorder or flute to help you and the class sing on key. In terms of speech,
begin working with the verses and prayers you recite in class first.

4. Foster a deep experience of storytelling by imbuing the story with more descriptive
images (i.e., instead of “she was given nice things”, describe the things…”she was
given a shimmering gold chain and a dress of the softest linen”) Give the class a few
moments at the end of the story for an out breath to soak up the story. Experience
that time of silence as a meditative practice for yourself as well.

5. Experiment with retelling variations. See attached page for suggestions.

6. Help the class learn to listen to you after a transition time by thinking up more creative
signals for letting them know that a transition is ending. Use a bell or glockenspiel for
examples. Play a game every now and then with them during which they get to
practice coming to quiet when you ring the bell, play the glockenspiel, etc. Let them
know that when a teacher is standing in front of the room that that is their cue as well
to be ready to listen. This is a big help to specialty teachers by the way. When they
begin to talk when you are talking, stop and patiently wait to talk again when they
come to quiet instead of talking over them. I often look down at my feet, which seems
to be a universal sign of “uh, oh, s/he’s waiting for us”.

7. Be always mindful to let the students do more of the work, be it spelling, cleaning up,
setting up, filing, reading, talking…it’s endless.

TEACHER’S IMPACT ON STUDENTS’ LEARNING

Notes on the subject by Patti Connolly
Numerous studies reveal the tremendous impact schools and teachers can have on student
achievement:
• Study conducted by Sanders and Horn (1994, reviewed in Marzano, 2003) reveals a 39
percentage-point difference in student achievement between students with “most
effective” and “least effective” teachers.

• In classrooms headed by teachers characterized as “most effective,” students posted

achievement gains of 53 percentage points over the course of one academic year,
whereas in classrooms led by “least effective” teachers student achievement gains
averaged 14 percentage points (Marzano, 2003).
 • Teachers who adjust the difficulty level of material to student ability have higher rates
of achievement in their classes (Kemp & Hall, 1992).

• Teachers who have higher rates of communication with parents are viewed as more
effective (Taylor, Pearson, & Walpole, 1999).

• Greater academic progress occurs when lessons begin with review (Kemp & Hall, 1992).

Effective teachers:
• Clearly articulate rules and include children in discussions about rules and procedures
(Kemp & Hall, 1992).

• Provide a variety of opportunities for students to apply and use knowledge and skills in
different learning situations (Kemp & Hall, 1992).

• Are able to pace the amount of information presented to the class, check student
progress continually by asking questions of all students, and relate new learning to
prior learning (Kemp & Hall, 1992).

• Use systematic feedback with students about their performance (Kemp & Hall, 1992).

• Run more orderly classrooms. Achievement has been higher in classrooms where the
climate is neither harsh nor overly lavish with praise (Kemp & Hall, 1992).

HOW TO NURTURE HEALTHY CLASS DYNAMICS

Ideas suggested by Patti Connolly
With the class as a whole (or How to Nurture Healthy Class Dynamics)
• Visualize what you want your class to be academically, socially and emotionally. Just like
there is school spirit, there is also a class spirit that you can foster by seeking
understanding on a deeper level.
• Remember that the overarching idea is that you are the healthy authority through your
own self-development.
• Self reflect on what is not working well. An example is questioning of oneself “Is there
something in the way I set up the lesson (the “breathing”) or my class management style
that caused the children to talk so much?”
• Develop and nurture intrinsic rewards instead of using behavior modification techniques,
such as a rewards system on the chalkboard.
• Create class behavior guidelines together, deciding on a few key rules that cover most
situations such as “We are kind to all” and “We are here to learn”.
• Study the temperaments and use them to support your students’ healthy development, for
examples how you seat the children in class, how you tell stories, and how you give
consequences for behavior.

With individual children

• Discover each child’s true nature and best qualities using objective observation, non-
judgment, active listening, and meditation exercises, as examples.
• Invite and nurture this true nature, this “higher self”, of each child through visualization,
meditation, creating an individual verse for each one, and/or positioning him/her in the
class with clear intent as examples.
• Remember that we are helping to remove what we perceive as hindrances for each child
without using judgment. This usually takes years, not months or weeks. We must be
patient with the child and ourselves.
• Form a unique and loving relationship with each child through home visits, one-on-one
after school outings, learning more about the child from his/her parents, child study.
• Especially look for opportunities to understand and work positively with those children
who “push your buttons”. They are your greatest colleagues.
 FOURTH – EIGHTH GRADE IDEAS
FOR NURTURING HEALTHY CLASS DYNAMICS
• First and foremost, model the appropriate behavior you expecti for the children as much as
possible. Admit and apologize when you have behaved in a manner you are not proud of.
They see you as someone they look up to now and need to see you as worthy of their
respect.
• Plan your lessons so that they have appropriate amounts of incarnating (sitting, listening,
drawing, writing, reading) and excarnating (out of desk, talking, moving, modeling,
cutting with scissors) activities (this is called “soul breathing”).
• Appeal to their developing sense of individuality by involving the student in solving a
problem, for example ask him/her what the consequence should be for a misbehavior.
This as-short-as-possible discussion and determination of consequence is at recess time
and is just between you and the student.
• Use class meetings as a way to work with social issues or behaviors that are not working for
you and/or the students. Devise a system with the class of bringing up issues and use
healthy communication and problem solving models with them.
• Find biographies (that take the place of pedagogical stories) of people who have had a
similar challenge as a student or students.
• Acknowledge what has been done and then state what still needs to be done.
• Every student needs to see that s/he is a multi-faceted person. Help free your students
from playing a certain role in your class by looking for opportunities to show the student
a new picture of himself, putting him in a situation where e can see himself differently,
remind him of positive accomplishments, let everyone know how you feel about him.
• Be creative and congruent in matching the consequence with the misbehavior, for example
if a student throws something at another, have him/her practice throwing a paper ball
into a trash can.