Aaron Conner

Teach Like a Champion Strategy Reflection Journal

ENTRY #1
Technique # 1 No Opt Out
Description: The No Opt Out technique is one of my favorites. The book describes it as not letting a
student off the hook. When a student is asked a question they may have the tendency to say I dont
know when they do not what to answer the question. This method allows the teacher to hold the
student accountable for the answer but gives them options for obtaining the information such as asking
other students for support or looking to a reference.
Observation/Implementation: Much like last semester, I have seen my teacher use this with her students
who have trouble with a specific subject in class. For example, there is a student who shuts down when
he is asked to answer a question that he doesnt think he knows. The teacher stays with him and allows
him to ask for help but he still has to give her an answer. I have also seen this used by myself and my
peers in Cub Club with students who struggle with a math problem.

Technique # 3 Stretch it
Description: Technique number three is called stretching it and for a good reason. The main goal of this
technique is to draw out more information from a topic and to cause the students to think more
critically about the topic that they are on. A simple answer will not suffice here and each student is
encouraged to present more information and insight into the question given. The teacher must come up
with follow on questions for a variety of topics which helps the students become well versed.
Observations/Implementation: This semester my teacher has been spending time teaching the students
about Alabama history. She has the students read a passage about pioneers in Alabama but then she
gives questions and writing prompts that cause the students to put themselves into the pioneers shoes.
Our professors also really emphasize this technique in our class. They make sure that we immerse
ourselves in the topic we are learning, example being the discrepant activities.

ENTRY #2
Technique # 8 Post it
Description: This technique is when the teacher posts the objective and other information in a visible
spot in the room. Most of the time this is the board but teachers can also post their objectives on
bulletin boards or other highly visible areas. The reason for this is to let the students know what they are
going to be learning about before they are in the middle of the lesson. This also serves to remind the
teacher of the lesson objectives and helps to keep them on task.
Observation/Implementation: I have seen even more posters and projects hung from the walls in my
teachers classroom that list the rules and expectations that she expects the class to abide by. Recently
she has put up a list of items that count as disrespect and that she has had problems with in the
classroom. The students can see the board at all times and are often referred to it when they have a
behavior problem.

Technique # 11 Draw the Map
Description: Drawing the map is another way to say seating charts. The book says that when establishing
a seating chart, teachers need to consider when students should interact in school, how students
should interact in school, what should the way student's sit signal and incentivize about the various
kinds of interactions, and which kinds of interactions support which kinds of lesson objectives. This
allows the teacher to set up an effective seating chart that will allow students to have social interactions
but at the appropriate time.

Observation/Implementation: This technique reminded me of the video that we watched on Schoology
that showed the use of specific seating charts allows for less distraction and more focus on what matters
in the classroom, instruction and learning. My teacher has the students separated into four different
tables and has supplies in the middle of each so that the students can access any materials that they
would need for a project.

ENTRY #3
Technique # 16 Break it Down
Description: Break it down is the technique in which the teacher gives an incorrect answer and
challenges the students to question what the teacher has said. Also the teacher breaks down what the
task is by providing examples, giving the students context clues about what they are doing, giving a rule
to follow, showing the students what the missing step is, repeat the students answer and check for
understanding, and taking away the wrong answer. This is a great technique to help students who are
struggling by peeling back some of the extra information and providing them with a straight forward
approach.
Observation/Implementation: My partner and I have used this method often in class when we are
working with our Cub Club kids. We use different questions and answers to help them notice errors in
math and we challenge them to help each other out by providing correct answers. We take the problem
and show them the step by step process and give them direction in the area that they should go. We
would also leave part of the problem out and assess whether or not they could fill in the missing
information which they often could.

Technique # 18 Check for Understanding
Description: This technique is great for insuring that all of the students have a solid grasp on the content
that was taught to them. Over time the teacher will keep a record of who is succeeding in the subject
and those who consistently fall behind should be retaught. This is an assessment on the go tactic that is
very good at preventing certain students from falling through the cracks. The technique is very similar to
data collection but is more personal and has an on the go format.
Observation/Implementation: My teacher gave out a 200 question reading assessment and asked the
students to complete this in two days. They worked hard and completed the assessment but the results
were extremely varied. Some of the students showed extreme comprehension as well as a total grasp
on the topic. Other students had difficulty even completing the test and scored poorly on the
assessment. The teacher used this assessment to check for understanding with her students and
planned the rest of her semester based on the results.
ENTRY #4
Technique # 22 Cold Call
Description: One of my favorite and most crafty techniques is the cold call. This is when the teacher calls
on a student regardless if they have their hand raised or are paying attention. This is like the opting out
technique in that it forces all students to be proactive and pay attention to the lesson because they
never know when the teacher is going to call on them. The cold call does not always have to be the
student who is not paying attention but rather a random student so that all students are eager to get
called on and say the correct answer.
Observation/Implementation: Just like last semester, my teacher will often call on the students who are
not paying attention or who do not normally raise their hands to volunteer for an answer. We have also
started doing the same with our cub club kids. We have stopped asking for the students to raise their
hands and we have started just choosing different kids for each problem so that the students are always
on their toes and ready to answer.
Technique # 32 SLANT
Description: SLANT is an acronym for Sit up, Listen, Ask and answer questions, Nod your head, and Track
the speaker. This is a guideline for students to follow in regards to classroom behavior. I personally love
this one because acronyms are easy to remember and can be strategically placed in the room so that
students can always refer to them and teachers can reference any of the letters if a student is not
behaving correctly.

Observation/Implementation: I still have not seen this technique employed in the classroom but my
teacher does demand that the students listen and be active listeners and engaged in the classroom
discussion.


ENTRY #5
Technique # 39 Do It Again
Description: Do it again is simple and is exactly how it sounds; when a student fails some task they are
asked to do it again. The repetition allows more exposure time to the student so that they can become
familiar to the topic and become successful in the future. The teacher will constructively point out the
error in the students work and show him or her how to correct the error. The majority of students will
be more prone to be successful at that topic because they remember having to repeat it and they have
had more practice with it.

Observation/Implementation: My teacher often uses this strategy with students who are normally
accurate in their homework or the problem they are working on. If they mess up on one problem or
maybe even a few, she will ask them to go back and do those problems again. They will often times find
a simple mistake, correct it and bring it to the teacher. This is a great way for the students to make
corrections without feeling like they have done poorly or that the teacher is disappointed in them.

Technique # 47 Emotional Constancy
Description: This technique talks about having control over your emotions in front of the class. The book
says that it is important not to let emotions dictate how you handle a situation or how you manage the
class. It also said that it is important to show positive emotion when the class performs well but warms
against acting disappointed when they perform poorly. They say to instead have the class focused on
performing better rather than making you less disappointed.
Observation/Implementation: I have observed, through a few different substitute teachers, both good
and poor emotional constancy. The first substitute that we had was very relaxed but stern. She kept
order in the class and did not go easy or too hard for the entirety of the day. The students enjoyed
having her and we very well behaved. Another substitute came and was inconsistent in her emotions.
She often became angry and would tell students to get to their seats and be silent even when they were
attempting to help others. They struggled through that day.

ENTRY #6
Technique # 2 Right is Right
Description: This method is used to reinforce the correct and complete answer. No partial or incorrect
answer is allowed and the teacher will hold out for the student to answer completely and correctly. It is
important that the teacher does not accidentally reinforce the incorrect answer and the teacher must
understand that by not allowing the students false answer he or she is not being cruel but is in fact
helping the student even more.
Observation/Implementation: My teacher at Robinson, Mrs. McDaniel, often would wait for the student
to come up with the correct answer or would tell them that they had answered it incorrectly. She would
never accept an incorrect answer and always made sure that the student who got the initial answer
wrong was steered in the right direction and that they understood their mistake.

Technique # 4 Format Matters
Description: This strategy is very self-explanatory. The teacher needs to enforce a strict grammar and
sentence structure and correct any errors in format so that the student can progress in further areas in
learning.
Observation/Implementation: I witnessed Mrs. McDaniel enforcing strict formatting when it came to the
students writing. They were given journal topics to write about each day and when she would check
them, she would often mark off points for incorrect grammar and for writing the words over the lines.

ENTRY #7
Technique # 7 The Four Ms
Description: The four Ms are Manageable, Measurable, Made First, and Most Important. These all have
to do with teaching objectives. The objective has to be manageable so that they can be completed in the
50-60 minute window and will not be overwhelming. They must also be measureable so that they have a
built in assessment which will help the teacher gauge performance and progress. Lesson objectives must
also be made first meaning that they are written before the lesson so that the lesson can be centered on
the objective. The objectives must finally be most important meaning that the focus of the lesson and
objective is getting the students to college.
Observation/Implementation: Mrs. McDaniel may not have known that she was explicitly doing the four
Ms but throughout her class, I observed her using this technique with the students and her lessons. All
of her lessons and objectives were manageable and were tied in with another lesson unless it was new
material. Her objectives were always finished with an assessment which made them measureable. She
always came prepared which enforced the made first rule and she focused on the most important parts
of the objective making sure that the students understood the core ideas before moving on. I would
definitely do well to keep these principles in mind as I teach in the future.

Technique # 9 The Shortest Path
Description: This is another self-explanatory technique. The tendency for teachers may be to fluff up
their lessons and have extravagant activities and lessons but forget to spend the majority of the time on
the objective. Basically this is a technique to help teachers stay on task and keep the objective as the
main goal and to use the extra for supplements for the objective.
Observation/Implementation: Mrs. McDaniel was anything but a fluff kind of teacher. She rarely would
spend any time on anything but the task at hand and all of her objectives were very concise. She would
definitely take time to make the content familiar with the students but she never had activities or
worksheets that were not tied in to what she was teaching. I think that this is an excellent way to
manage time and ensure that you are not wasting the day away.

ENTRY #8
Technique # 12 The Hook
Description: The hook is very much like the engagement portion of the lesson plan. The goal is to attract
the students attention to what is about to be discussed or taught. Many different activities or topics can
be used as hooks such as stories, video clips, music, and pretty much anything else that will grab the
students gaze and keep them interested in the topic that the teacher will be talking about for the next
thirty minutes to an hour.
Observation/Implementation: I witnessed the Gifted teacher present a hook for the third graders before
they went off to the Desoto Caverns. She brought in all of the classes and had them look at rocks from
all of the places that she had travelled in her life. They got to look at the rocks and ask questions about
their origins as well as any other question they wanted. They were very engaged during the field trip and

Technique # 13 Name the Steps
Description: Name the steps is a technique of teaching a skill or process. The four parts to Name the
Steps technique are; identify the steps, make them stick, build the steps, and use two stairways. Identify
the steps is when the steps are clear and organized so that everyone understands what is going on.
Make it stick is the part where the teacher uses a mnemonic device to help the steps retain in the mind
of the student. Build the steps is when the student is challenged to use the steps and experiment with
them. Finally using two stairways is using one method for a problem and the other for all other
problems like it. They go hand in hand.
Observation/Implementation: I have not seen Mrs. McDaniel use this step but I would be more than
eager to try this out when I finally have a classroom of my own.

ENTRY #9
Technique # 20 Exit Ticket
Description: Exit tickets are excellent assessments that can be completed very quickly in between classes
or subjects. Students will answer a few short questions or will write what they did in the class or how
they felt about the lesson. Typically the exit tickets are used as a quick reference to student
performance on a particular subject or class.
Observation/Implementation: I have not seen this used in any of my observations but I really like the
idea as a last minute check on understanding. When I am in charge of my own classroom I will definitely
try this technique out and see if it is a good technique or a poor one.

Technique # 21 Take a Stand
Description: Take a stand is a technique that asks students to make a decision and stand by it as they
either defend their view or argue with a peer. The goal is to encourage higher level thinking and to
engage the entire class in a conversation on one topic and to bounce ideas off of each other. The
teacher can use this on the entire class or can go by individuals and have them take a stand against the
teacher or one other student.
Observation/Implementation: Mrs. McDaniel would often ask the students why they said something or
why they did something which reinforced the take a stand technique. The students had to think about
what they were saying and back up their ideals with support. I love this technique as I have to use it in
the army all the time. I will definitely use this when I am a teacher.

ENTRY #10
Technique # 26 Everyone Writes
Description: This technique is when the teacher asks the students to record their thoughts in a journal or
in their notes. The teacher could ask the students to copy what they have written on the board or the
teacher could pose a question and cold call on a student to give their answer to the class. This
encourages students to participate and write a real answer and hopefully motivates the students to
really put some thought into what they are writing since they might share with the class.
Observation/Implementation: Mrs. McDaniel used journals on a daily basis and gave the students a
chance to read their entries in front of the class. This encouraged the students to do their best work
because they knew that they would get graded by their peers and their teacher. I love writing and so I
will definitely utilize this method when I have a class.

Technique # 44 Precise Praise
Description: This is yet another self-explaining technique. The offering of praise is never a bad thing but
offering vague praise is not very constructive. Offering precise praise lets the student know what it is
that the teacher is proud of and will reinforce that behavior in the future. For example, the teacher tells
the student that he is proud of her work. She may be happy that he likes her work but that is it. Now if
the teacher says to her that he is proud of the way she has stayed on task and completed her
assignment according to the objective, she will know what it was about her performance that was good
and she will be more likely to repeat it.
Observation/Implementation: Mrs. McDaniel was good to give precise praise. She did not give it as often
as she could have but when she did the students responded very positively to it. I love this technique as I
see its great need in education. Often times my fellow cadets and I get discouraged by a great amount of
criticism and barely any praise. The praise that we do get is often vague and we do not really feel like it
is sincere. I will definitely work to make precise praise an everyday goal in my class.