Habits of Highly Successful Teachers By Mrs Abida Mahmood Qurban & Surraya Educational Trust Walton Rd Lahore Cantt Inspired by the idea of Stephen Covey They Lead 1
They Train They teach 2
They Inspire They Motivate 3
They Touch Lives And they Change Lives Forever 4
TEACHERS Making a difference as a teacher Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny. Teachers sow good habits in children.. 5
What is a habit? Habit is a principle that we internalise. It is the overlapping of knowledge, skill and attitude. Skill Attitude Habit Knowledge...[teachers] come to trust their insights and judgements at the same time as they begin to decrease their dependence on decontextualized principles and techniques of good practice (Brookfield, 1990) 6
Effective habits of Teachers Be Proactive Begin with the End in Mind Put First Things First Think Win/Win Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Synergize Sharpen the Saw Find your voice and inspire others Renewal Find your voice Sharpen the saw Public Victory Synergize Seek first to understand then to be understood Think win win Private Victory Put first things first Begin with an end in mind Be Proactive 7
1. Be Proactive Stop worrying about the things you can t control, like the weather, the illiterate parents of your pupils and what your colleagues are going to wear. Focus on what you can control, your attitude, your decisions and your response to whatever happens to you. Gain control over your moods. Circumstances beyond control Too much to cover Students ill prepared or not interested Not enough time Teaching not rewarded 8
Work within circle of influence Choices Responses Circle of Control Ourselves Attitudes 2.Begin with the End in Mind A goal not written is only a wish. Write down your goals. Why are you in the teaching profession? What is the aim of your life? essence precedes existence intention (mental representation) then action central role of mission statement learning objectives of the lesson 9
Begin with the end in mind Teaching is about making some kind of dent in the world so that the world is different than it was before you practiced your craft Brookfield, S.D. (1990). Covey writes, How many really buy into it and use it as your frame of reference for making decisions? Without involvement there is no commitment. Mark it down, asterisk it, circle it, underline it. NO INVOLVEMENT, NO COMMITMENT 10
Begin with an end in mind PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT If you don t have a personal mission statement it s time for you to have one now. Your Nabul- aein. You have been created to do something, as now you are in teaching you are influencing the lives of many. What do you intend to do with your life as a teacher? Mission statement of a teacher Enable me to teach with WISDOM For I help to shape the mind Equip me to teach with TRUTH For I help to shape a conscience Encourage me to teach with VISION For I help to shape the future Empower me to teach with LOVE For I help to shape the world 11
3.Put First Things First Take fifteen minutes at the beginning of each week to plan your week. Teaching needs a lot of planning- long term planning, term planning, day to day planning, lesson planning- obviously the school will have policies on planning but it s up to you to prioritise your tasks. Identifying missions and values Plan Daily Plan weekly Set Goals Identify missions and values 12
Strategies for teaching 1.Moderate classroom incivilities with pro social immediacies 2. Wait 3. Begin before feeling ready 4. Work and teach in brief, regular sessions 5. Stop 6. Moderate over attachment to content and overreaction to criticism 7. Moderate negative thinking and strong emotions 8. Let others do some of the work 9. Welcome learning and change 10. Build resilience by limiting wasted efforts The magical matrix Crisis Fighting fires Deadlines Relationship building New opportunities Creativity, Planning Busy Work True Procastination Some mail, reports meetings, etc. Know how to say no 13
4. Think Win - Win When Regan was president, he had a sign in his office that read, We ll accomplish more if we don t care who gets the credit. Get into the habit of sharing recognition and praise whenever you get it. People will love you for it. You are not the only best teacher around, learn from other great teachers, be the first one to ask to learn. It would help you to grow. Take pleasure in sharing. Two brains are always better than one. Win-win Interdependence Emotional Bank Accounts- making people trust you Understanding the individual- especially pupils Attending to the little things Keeping commitments Clarifying expectations with pupils and administration Showing Personal Integrity Apologizing sincerely for withdrawals 14
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood Learn to use these words, What do you think? We think that we as teachers are supposed to give advice if someone comes to us for help. If we learn to understand by listening to everybody especially our pupils, life will be much happier. (spelt conference) Listening leads to Vulnerability The Adjunct Professor's Guide to Success: Surviving and Thriving in the College Classroom One of the greatest rewards of teaching is allowing yourself to be sufficiently vulnerable that you empower students to share more of themselves with you and their peers than might at times be comfortable. 15
6. Synergy Synergy is achieved when two people work together to create a better solution than either person could alone. It s not your way or my way but a better way, a higher way. Learn to appreciate differences. The next time you run into someone and feel yourself judging that person because they dress, talk, think, speak, or look different, stop yourself and think about what you do have in common instead. Remember they might be judging you the same way you judge them. Synergy We as teachers need to learn with open mindedness and teach pupils to do the same, to share, to celebrate differences, to achieve as team members and to find new and better ways of teaching and learning. 16
Diversity = Creative Sparks = Opportunity Synergy is more than compromise or cooperation. Compromise is 1+1=1½. Cooperation is 1+1=2, Synergy is 1+1=11, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. 17
7. Sharpen Your Saw Social/Emotional: Meet people and see the positive side in them. Spiritual: Pray regularly Mental: Learn, read Physical: Exercise Sharpen your saw Abraham Lincoln was once asked, What would you do if you had eight hours to cut down a tree? He replied, I d spend the first four hours sharpening my saw. 18
8. Find your voice and Inspire Others to find theirs Your talent (natural gifts and strengths) Your passion (those things that naturally energize, excite, motivate and inspire you) Your need (what the world needs to pay to you) Your conscience (small voice within you that assures you about what is right and prompts you to actually do it.) Concluding Remarks "There are no formulas for good teaching, and the advice of experts has but marginal utility. If we want to grow in our practice, we have two primary places to go: to the inner ground from which good teaching comes and to the community of fellow teachers from whom we can learn more about ourselves and our craft ( Palmer, 1998). 19
Interdependence Seek 1 st to understand Synergize Public Victory Think win win Find your voice Independence 1 st things 1st Private Begin with Be Victory Proactive an end in mind Dependence Being a teacher you are destined for great things. Always remember, you were born with everything you need to succeed. You don t have to look anywhere else. The power and light are in you! 20
"I've come to the frightening conclusion That I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my personal approach that creates the climate. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humour, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides Whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated And a child humanized or de-humanized." Let s work together for a better Pakistan! Thank you 21