Setting Expectations for Students- "Strong Voice" and "What to Do"

As we settle into the rhythm of the new school year, it is critically important to establish clear expectations for students from the first day of school. We are already off to a good start, but it is important to continue to keep the momentum and build on early successes. Each week builds on the week prior, but early in the year it is especially important to establish a tone of success and urgency in the classroom.

This year as a staff we will undertake a study of Teach Like a Champion 2.0. Two strategies from the new edition are fundamental for establishing strong culture from day one.

Access to TLAC 2.0 Videos & Resources
If you do not have a copy of this book, access the videos from the video by doing the following:

1. Go to the following website: http://my.teachlikeachampion.com/books

2. At the top of the page, click on “Resources" and then “Your Library”
3. The login information is as follows:

Username-lyonacademypd
Password-champion

Strong Voice- Technique 55, p. 412-416 (previously Technique 38 in TLAC 1.0)
This technique demonstrates the importance of affirming your authority as a teacher in the classroom through intentional verbal and nonverbal habits, especially at moments when you need control.

The 6 elements of Strong Voice are:

• Use a Formal Register: Register refers to the tenor of a conversation, encompassing eye contact, body position, gestures, facial expression, and rhythm of language. Delivering an important message in a casual register can ultimately undercut the formality of the message.
• Use Economy of Language: Follow the principle that “fewer words are stronger than more.” Wordiness communicates that you may be nervous and/or your words can be ignored. Focus just on using the words that are most important for students to hear.

• Do Not Talk Over: Communicate the importance of what you have to say by refusing to speak over students. In some cases, that might require that you interrupt yourself mid-sentence to wait until a student(s) quiets down.

• Do Not Engage: Once you have set a topic for conversation or delivered instructions, don’t change course even if a student tries to divert your attention. This allows you to establish a culture of focused accountability. Students must act first and explain later.

• Square Up/Stand Still: Communicate authority by standing up straight or even leaning in close.  When giving instructions, stand still.

•  Exude Quiet Power: Talking loud and fast communicates anxiety or that you’re not in control. Instead, lower your voice and remain cool and calm.

Other Strong Voice Resources:

1. http://teachlikeachampion.com/blog/managing-emotions-dan-cotton-strong-voice/ 

2. http://specialed.about.com/b/2011/02/13/teach-like-a-champion-technique-38-part-one.htm

3. http://specialed.about.com/b/2011/02/21/teach-like-a-champion-technique-38-part-two.htm

Classroom Examples:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s_WwYIKoOk

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kUDyNeiEv0

What To Do- Technique 57, p. 417-421 (previously Technique 37 in TLAC 1.0)
This technique emphasizes the importance of using specific, concrete, sequential, and observable directions to tell students what to do, as opposed to what not to do. This technique is profoundly simple, involving giving directions in a format that clearly describes what you want in concrete terms.

Check out this video to see the technique in action: http://teachlikeachampion.com/blog/video-day-recipe-getting-kids-asked/  

The 4 characteristics of What to Do are:

• Specific: Effective directions outline manageable and precise actions that students can take. for example, instead of advising a student to "pay attention," I might advise him to put his pencil on this desk or keep his eyes on me. It is easy to remember, solution oriented, and hard to misunderstand. 
  
• Concrete: Effective directions involve, when possible, clear, actionable tasks that students know how to execute. If I tell my student to put his feet under his desk rather than to "stop fooling around," I have given a tangible direction that I am sure he knows how to follow. Concrete directions require no prior knowledge, and this eliminates the sort of gray area wherein a student might plausibly claim not to know.

• Sequential: Effective directions should describe a sequence of concrete, specific actions. In the case of my student who needs help paying attention, I might advise him, "John, put your feet under your desk, put your pencil down, and put your eyes on me." In some cases, I might add, "When I write it on the board, that means you write it in your notes."

• Observable: It is hard for me to monitor a student's degree of paying attention accurately. In contrast, it is easy for me to monitor whether his legs are under his desk. If I follow up a lack of follow-through with a consequence, my student might protest, "But I was paying attention." It is much harder for him to say, "But my legs are under my desk" when they aren't. I can clearly see whether they are, and he also knows perfectly well that I can see whether he has complied. All of this makes him more likely to follow through.

Other What To Do Resources:

1. http://specialed.about.com/b/2011/02/05/teach-like-a-champion-technique-37.htm