Music with lyrics or not?
(Question asked during seminar)

Teacher: Is music without lyrics preferable to music with lyrics?

Well, that depends. I would think that for quiet activities such as independent reading or independent work on an assignment, using instrumental music might be better. This might be especially true at the beginning of the year when everyone in your room is getting used to having any kind of music playing.

After a brief period of adjustment, though, I'm thinking that you should be able to play just about anything and it won't be a distraction. (By anything, of course, I mean music that is appropriate for the classroom. Rap and heavy metal should probably be kept at home and away from the kiddies.)

I remember playing a live concert of the three tenors one year. As much as I don't really dig opera, the more I listened to it--and we played the piece at least once a week--the more I came to enjoy it.

That's my opinion. You're welcome to your own.

The Check Off Sheet revisited
(Seminar interaction)

In a previous post--Week of August 4th, Using Class Cards with teachers--I talked about calling upon teachers to respond to my question: "Which student should I go see right now?"

We were discussing the information provided by the math Check Off Sheet.

I was running through the same interaction as before, i.e., calling upon teachers to respond to my question and then putting their cards in separate piles based upon their responses.

Although I was pleased to see how many teachers knew that I should be talking to Marshall, #19, there were still a couple of them who thought I should be talking with Fabian, #11. That's just how it goes.

Anyway, I'm happy to report that I was able to apply the lesson I learned during my interactions with the teachers in Los Angeles to the teachers in today's group. After calling upon about ten of them, I returned to someone who had answered correctly. And it was this person who was the one to teach the lesson about knowing it was Marshall we should be seeing since his number was circled on both Monday and Tuesday. This teacher was also able to explain that the reason we couldn't see Fabian was because he is currently absent. Ah, much better than me doing it all.

In fact, I'm now realizing that having a teacher do the teaching can be extremely beneficial to the involvement of the others in the group. If I had been the one to explain the whole Marshall-is-circled-and-Fabian-is-triangled routine, it would have seemed natural. After all, I was the "expert" and have been using this New Management system for years. Therefore, it would not be too troubling to those in the group who didn't understand the material as well as Rick Morris does. Come on, they're thinking. He lives this stuff, I don't.

However, if I'm a member of the audience and one of my colleagues was able to figure out how to decipher the Check Off Sheet, then maybe I'm thinking I should have been able to do the same thing and maybe, just maybe, I'll become a bit more engaged in what's going on.

Just a thought.

The Price is Right theme song
(Seminar interaction)

I was demonstrating the use of TV theme songs for initiating procedures when I played the theme song for The Price is Right.

I have large name cards made of tag board. They're each about 12 X 4 and have a student's first and last name printed on one side in large letters.

As the music begins, I start to shuffle the cards. (Honestly, it's hard not to imagine Bob Barker about to call out some contestant's name followed by, "Come on down!") At some point in the song I stop shuffling and hold up one card so that everyone could see the name. I then did my best Bob Barker impersonation by shouting out, "Lauren Seymour...come on down!" What followed, of course, was some wild cheering from the class and an exuberant Lauren heading to the front of the class. Great fun.

Anyway, I played the music for the teachers and got a somewhat mild response from the teacher whose name I called. I'm guessing that the reserve she displayed was the result of not realizing it was okay to cut loose a bit. What was fun to witness, though, was a teacher in the back of the room who really got into it. She waved her arms in the air and acted just like the contestants do on the actual show. It was a kick to see and a reminder of how much enjoyment I got from bringing fun into the classroom.

So, thanks, Maria. Your reaction was just what I had hoped to see.

Book recommendation
(Email request)

A principal writes: Seven of my teachers were with you at yesterday's seminar in La Habra. They are all raving about the great day that they had with you! Several of them have told me about a book that you highly recommend. They said that you told them that everyone who is teaching should read this book.

Last year we read The Art and Science of Teaching by Marzano in a collegial book club. Pretty dry, but good content and a great springboard for conversation. I have been looking for a new book for the coming year all summer, have read several, but none have really grabbed my attention in the way I am hoping for, so I would love your recommendation.

The book I can't recommend highly enough has to do with discipline. It's called Setting Limits in the Classroom and was written by Robert MacKenzie. It is, without a doubt, the best book I've ever read on the subject. His ideas, which are logical and easy to understand, will have a real impact upon how your teachers interact with their students.

One of the things I like most about the book is that it's real. More practice than theory, it's filled with actual observations the author has made of teachers trying to deal with typical student misbehavior.

MacKenzie states that most misbehavior is just limit testing which is a very healthy way to look at things.

By reading these observations, your teachers will come to realize that being punitive or permissive--the two most common discipline styles--just won't work. The secret is action. This is based on the fact that children, as Piaget discovered, learn through their experience. It's not what they hear that changes their behavior but what happens to them as a result of their behavior that has a lasting impact.

I realize that books on discipline are not a normal choice for staff study; nonetheless, you can't go wrong here. If you're going to order a set for your teachers, you might want to try half.ebay.com. They have the new edition for $9.00 a copy. The first edition--still a great book--is just a buck!

Setting Limits in the Classroom on half.ebay.com

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