Thursday, August 28, 2014

Lessons Learned from the Little League Champions




This Week with Sara Fitts takes a look at the lessons learned from watching the fabulous US champions in the Little League World Series last week.  The Jackie Robinson West All Stars team from Chicago represented the United States in the Little League World Series.  While the team from South Korea won the world title, Jackie Robinson West won the US championship and our hearts.  

While watching this amazing team of 11 - 13 year-olds and their fabulous coaches, it occurred to me that they were providing many lessons that all teachers and students can carry into this academic year.

Among the many lessons that I believe were learned are the following:


  • Believe in yourself and in your colleagues/peers.
  • Stay focused.
  • Play your position - whatever it is at the moment.
  • When things are not going well, don't yell!  Stay positive and encourage your team.
  • When things are not going well, believe in yourself even more.
  • When things are not going well, simply put everything in proper perspective.  What's the worst that could happen?  So?
  • When things are not going well, keep your eyes on the ball.  More mistakes happen when you don't.
  • When things are going extremely well, never become arrogant.  Things often change quickly.
  • When things are going extremely well, continue to keep your focus.
  • When things are going extremely well, cheer on your team!
  • When things are going extremely well, celebrate the moment.  Again, things often can change quickly.
  • Never miss an opportunity to say "nice job."
  • Never miss an opportunity to say "good try."
  • Never miss an opportunity to say "you'll get it next time."
  • Never miss an opportunity to praise your team.
  • Never miss an opportunity to encourage your team.
  • Never tell anyone they are worthless human beings.  Never berate your team.
  • Motivate your team with encouragement.
  • Motivate your team with kindness.  
  • There is always a way to say what needs to be said.
  • No matter how strong we look, we are still human beings just playing in the game.
  • No matter how old we look, we are still human beings just playing in the game.
  • And as important as the game is, always remember:  it is only a game (or job!).
I was so impressed by the fact that the coaches never berated the young men.  They encouraged and motivated even when errors had occurred.  They got in their faces - to encourage and motivate, never to belittle.  The lessons learned from Jackie Robinson West from Chicago will stay with me - and I hope with you and your "teams" this academic year.

Have a wonderful academic year!  Work hard.  Teach hard.  Learn.  And don't forget to play hard!


Sara Fitts is an academic and instructional coach and consultant in Manassas, VA.  She is the owner of SLF Consulting.  Motivation is the main ingredient in Sara's Little Formula that she uses to get results for her clients.  Visit http://www.SLFConsulting.com for more information.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Getting Ready for the New Academic Year





Back to School is an exciting time for students and teachers.  Teachers are preparing their classrooms, websites, class syllabuses, and all the exciting activities they plan to bring to their eager students.  I think the most important item for teachers to plan for is the very first day.  It is the day that first impressions are most important.  It is the day when you can introduce yourself instead of your subject.  It is the first day to build the team that will carry you through the entire year.

Some of the team-building activities that I have used (borrowed, discovered, found, revised) over the years still make me smile when I think about the reaction each activity had on the various classes.  And the students have fun getting to know more about their teachers than the teacher's undying love of their subject.

The important thing to keep in mind is that students don't fully engage - even with technology - unless they become involved.  The first day is the day to begin the transformation from student to team member.  The year will be smoother for the students and the teacher.  The year will be more productive for the student and the teacher.  The year will be easier for all involved.  And the first day will be so much more fun!

Here are some ideas that I offer this week:

Seating arrangements can be designed in a number of interesting ways.  One way I have arranged seating is by greeting the students at the door of my classroom with a stack of randomly-numbered index cards.  I hand a card to each student upon entering and they find their desk.  This allows for an alternative to alphabetical order as well as an alternative to sitting with friends.  This seating arrangement method can also be revised with color-coded index cards using 4 colors.  Each student receives a color-coded index card and then is seated at a desk with the same coding.  This method offers a little bit of choice for the student.  

Introductions can be done in a number of interesting and fun ways.  One way is 3 Truths and a Lie where the teacher leads off telling 3 personal  truths and 1 lie.  The students must identify the lie.  They will never forget what they learn about their teacher.  Then the process continues as the class, student by student, introduces themselves in the same way.

Another way to accomplish introductions is Take as Much as You Need.  Taking a roll of toilet tissue the teacher tears off 6 or 7 pieces and then hands the roll to a student with these words:  "take as much as you need" and nothing else.  After every student has taken some of the toilet tissue, the teacher begins by tearing of the first segmented piece and tells something about himself/herself.  Then he/she tears off another piece and tells something else.  This continues until the entire class has introduced themselves.

Team-Building activities might include a team poster that represents the individual team members' commonalities.  This is usually a way for students to interact and find out more about the students in class.

Another good team-building activity is a Scavenger Hunt.  Some items in the scavenger hunt might be "the students who have had classes together since kindergarten" or "the students who have the same birthday" to get you started.  This can be a very good exercise for students of all ages.

The point that I'm making is that in order to really make students want to work for you, I think they need to know that you care about them.  If you want to find out interesting things about them, then it shows you care about them.  This can make a huge difference in the way the academic year goes - for the teacher as well as for the students.

This Week with Sara Fitts will discuss more ways to spice up the first day in the days ahead.




Thursday, August 07, 2014

The Best Apps for Teaching and Learning




Today's post is a listing of the best apps for teaching and learning today.  Some are free and others are as much as $3.99 - but technology engages and improves the teaching and learning process.  So there is definite benefit in each of these apps.

Studious is a free app that helps organize.

Notability can be used effectively with DropBox, Google Drive, and Box.  Notes can be taken and shared in class.

Haiku Deck is an app for presentations.  Students and teachers enjoy using this one.

ShowMe is especially helpful for teachers as they plan their lessons.  Teachers can prepare presentations for classes across all content areas and age levels.

Prezi is also for presentations.  There is a free version and a fee version.  Educators and schools are eligible for special discounts.  Prezi presentations have more flare and hold attention longer than some PowerPoint presentations.

Edmodo can be utilized in classrooms in a myriad of ways.  Again, regradless of content area or age of the student, Edmodo engages student learning.

Popplet and Popplet Lite (the free version) works in business as well as in education.  This app provides ways to map ideas with technology rather than on the old chalkboard.  It is very engaging and easy to use.






Sticky Notes is a fun way to remind students of upcoming tests and homework and also can be used very effectively in class to list ideas, dates, etc during discussions.

Graphing Calculator is fabulous and well worth the $2.99.  The cost of graphing calculators is roughly $110 - $130 now and classroom sets are becoming a thing of the past.  This is an excellent way to use technology!

Frog Dissection ($3.99) and The Chemical Touch ($0.99) are excellent apps for science classes.  Students are much more engaged using these apps.

These apps simply provide an easy way to integrate technology into classrooms and improve the learning environment.  These apps are not only fun to use, they are an efficient way to work as well.

If you haven't tried a few of these apps, now is the time as we are gearing up to go back to school.  I hope you find them helpful.


Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Another Way to Engage Students with Technology

Most teachers assess their teaching and their students' learning several times during class as well as at the end of the class.  Exit tickets or exit slips are used at the end of the class.  Back in the day I personally used index cards with a math problem from the day's topic as my exit ticket to assess my teaching and their learning.  

But digital exit tickets are much more engaging for all involved now.  Several ways exist right now - with more and more apps being added almost daily - to allow students to use technology to assess their learning.  One way that teachers can use digital exit tickets is to have students send a tweet that provides a summary of what they learned or provide a specific answer to a question.  High school students love Twitter and so do a lot of teachers - so this is a quick way to implement technology while assessing teaching and learning.

Instagram can also be utilized to capture the "look" of learning.  Instagram would be especially useful during class activities and then could be posted to a class blog.

Edmodo is another way that teachers can use digital exit tickets.  Most school systems encourage using Edmodo and this would engage everyone.

Vine videos can also be a fabulous way to sum up a lesson with just 6 seconds' worth of action.  YouTube videos also can create the digital exit ticket.

The point of today's post is to start developing a variety of ways to engage students and to assess teaching and learning using technology.  Many years ago when I was an Instructional Coach in the District of Columbia Public Schools, a math supervisor suggested that iPods would soon be used in classrooms and would engage students and create a climate conducive to learning.  I loved the idea then - and all these years later, definitely have seen the evidence.

Monday, August 04, 2014

More technology in the Classroom

This Week with Sara Fitts is reviewing more technology that can be easily utilized in almost all classrooms regardless of subject area.  Last week I discussed PollEverywhere and Remind. Both of these technologies are immediately engaging and connect teaching and learning with good impact.

Padlet (http://www.padlet.com) is truly a wonderful way to engage students of all ages.  Padlet allows students or an entire class to create a bulletin board or visual display that is engaging, fun, and immediately connected to the topic of study.  Students as well as teachers really enjoy using Padlet.

Teaching and learning need to be fun and engaging for both the student and the teacher.  Technology is a fabulous way to easily connect teaching and learning.  With just a little preparation, the daily lesson is transformed into an amazing array of information that is much more palatable to most students (and teachers) than the dreaded lecture.

If you haven't yet tried Padlet, give it a chance to impress.  I think you'll love it.  And I know your students will!