"Teach Like a Champion" by Doug Lemov

During this time of year, where teachers have so much on their plate, I found a great reminder to us all!  In the book, "Teach Like a Champion", by Doug Lemov, he explains the technique, " THE J-FACTOR".  Mr. Lemov explains this technique in chapter seven,  titled, " Building Character and Trust". 

"It turns out that finding joy in the work of learning- the J-Factor- is a key driver not just of a happy classroom but of a high-achieving classroom. It's useful if not exactly a revelation, that people work harder when they enjoy working on something- not perhaps in every minute of every day, but when their work is punctuated regularly by moments of exultation and joy"(pg. 215)

Here are five categories of J-Factor activities that champion teachers use in their classrooms: 

Fun and Games: Draw on kids' love for challenge, competition, and play! For example, play games where the kids and the teachers move around the room. Several games that gets them moving are Math Baseball, Around the World and relay races.

Us and them: (one of my favorites), Kids like everybody else, take pleasure in belonging to things. This is where the teachers make the classroom a family. "Through unique language, names, rituals, traditions, songs,  and cultures it establishes "Us" ness."  When the class develops secret signals, it makes the class feel like a family and builds a bond of "usness".

Drama, song and dance: Music, dramatic play, and movement raise spirits and also establish a collective identity. They also power up memory. 

Humor: Laughter is one of the base conditions of happiness and fulfillment, which makes it a powerful tool to building an environment of happy and fulfilled students and teachers. Make up funny rhymes, songs, dances to get the laughter started.

Suspense and surprise: As we know routines are a must in the classroom in order to help with classroom management but adding a surprise to the lesson keeps them guessing and excited. Some ideas include putting  spelling words in an envelop or fishbowl and have kids pull them out then guess the rule for that group of words. Or they have to find a math problem hidden around the room in a blue envelope then they must solve and show a friend. 

Yes, we do have to keep up with curriculum and CCSS but remember we can have the J-Factor too!       

PARCC Releases Test Items for Teachers

PARCC has recently released test items which are available on the Partnership Resource Center website.  Educators have access to not only newly-released PARCC test items, but also K-2 formative tasks, speaking and listening tools, and professional learning modules for teachers.  Future resources include the ability for teachers to create their own on-line Test Builder for classroom assessments as well as access to diagnostic assessments.

There are three important areas of the website for teachers:

1:   The Guide to PARCC Released Items is a helpful document to read before accessing the released items.  Please click on each hyperlink to access: 

Guide to PARCC Released Items

2.  The guides to English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics provide teachers with the background of the scoring process, examples of rubrics, and general scoring decisions. 

Guide to ELA/Literacy Understanding Scoring

Guide to Mathematics Understanding Scoring

3. The actual released test items may be accessed at the link below. Searching by grade level will give you all test items as well as scoring rubrics that are currently available.  These items provide invaluable information for classroom teachers in preparation for the PARCC. 

PARCC Released Test Items

Some Key Points from

A Principal’s Guide to Special Education

David F. Batemen and C. Fred Bateman

In chapter three of,  A Principal's Guide to Special Education, the author discusses the importance of documentation in the pre-referral process for special education eligibility. The pre-referral process is a function of general education through child find and Student Assistance Team. “During the pre-referral process teachers should document everything that demonstrates the extent of the student’s difficulties and any attempts that have been made to effect change. Even if the teacher has notified the principal of the problem, it is necessary to go beyond discussion to documentation.” (p. 46).  Documentation is particularly important when attempting to establish a learning disability which requires looking at a student's pattern of strengths and weaknesses.

Mr. Bateman also reminds principals that the pre-referral process, should not be a reason to delay a referral.  “It is important to emphasize the the pre-referral process of working to improve the child’s performance should not delay a referral (34 C.F.R. §§300.304-300.311).”  Schools must act accordingly when there is reason to suspect a disability and find a balance between obtaining required documentation, but also referring when there is obvious signs of a disability. The process of pre-referral can be expedited, but should never circumvented.

One last note, in Chapter 3, Mr. Bateman references a timeline, “the decision about whether testing is necessary must be made within 10 days (p.47). Please note, there is not a legal timeline regarding when the referral should be made in either the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or the New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC). Schools should look toward your Handbook of Special Education Procedures (p. 204) regarding your district's referral procedures and guidance from United States Department of Education (USDOE). 

Consistent with the U.S. Department of Education interpretation, (The LEA) declines to specify the timeframe from referral for evaluation to parental consent, or the timeframe from the completion of an evaluation to the determination of eligibility, as we are not in a position to determine the maximum number of days that should apply to these periods in all circumstances. (See 71 Fed. Reg. 46637 (August 14, 1006))

Stay tuned for additional highlights from this book. A copy of Mr. Bateman's book is available for each principal in our Region IX districts. Please contact Dahn Freed for your copy today.

Better Than Carrots or Sticks!

An Invitation to Learn:

How do we invite students into learning? This was a question investigated by researchers Purkey and Stanley in 1991. When we invite students into learning, we engage in what the authors call “invitational education” (p. 13), which they contend rests on the following four elements:

•  Trust that the environment will remain safe and consistent. This means that adults and students both are good to their word and held accountable to it.

• Respect that is mutual and unconditional, even when members of the school community are not at their best. Respect is a fundamental belief in the dignity of every person regardless of age or role.

• Optimism, which is at the core of why we all go to work every day. We believe that our students can learn and that communication that belief will result in progress.

• Intentionality-the key to turning optimism into results. Simply believing in something won’t make it come true—you have to act upon (p.22)

If this intrigues you, pick up our “Read of the Month,” Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management by Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey.  This short, easy to read book  provides a practical blueprint for creating a cooperative and respectful classroom climate that students and teachers work through behavioral issues together.