The ABC's High School Teachers Really Need to Know

It's time for us to accept that students communicate primarily through social media.  Instead of running from it,  teachers should embrace it in their lessons and in their classroom communications.  Effective teachers know that they should focus on leading in technology and modeling responsible use.  

Even if we successfully empower students,  if we don't build in time for exploration, as well as model it consistently, our students will not likely individualize or own the learning.  Effective teachers know that relationships must come before the content.  Help develop those relationships with you, each other, AND the content by building exploration into your lessons.  

While educators can never completely separate business and personal, effective teachers know that finding work-life balance, unplugging, and focusing on personal and professional growth are the keys to both success and improved quality of life.  It's possible to be extremely effective, passionate, and empathetic while still having a boundary between work and your personal life. 

Take a little time and regroup before regrading assessments.  Effective teachers know that making rash or "on the spot" decisions about feedback can negatively impact the learning process and the data.  Encourage students to advocate and ask questions, but don't be quick to add add points, curve grades, or throw out questions.  Always ask "why" students performed the way they did and lean on statistics over time to give you better insight.  Students in each class and each academic year perform differently.  If there's a learning issue, reteach.  Don't simply bandage the issue and regrade.  

Effective teachers know that using feedback from assessments is the key to achieving mastery.  Thus,  we can't be scared to reteach.  This may mean our classes across the day don't pace together or even get identical lessons.  Shouldn't that actually be the norm?  If learning is messy and the goal is to achieve mastery, you would certainly expect less standardization.  It has to be about the individual, as well as individual classes.  

It may be cliche`, but effective teachers know that it has to be less us and more them.  Our goal should be to partner with them in the learning - not simply preach all day.  Stay passionate about what you're teaching, but remember, they have to be the star.

Effective teachers diversify their assessment strategies.  This should include occasionally giving open-book/note assessments.  These types of  assessments offer another powerful way to assess a student's ability to apply and analyze information, as well as for a teacher to measure his/her own instructional/assessment practices (i.e. amount of memorization, level of real-world application, etc.).   Grade inflation and diminished study habits are not problematic if open-book assessments are A.) designed for the appropriate learning objectives and B.) part of a diverse and effective set of instructional and assessment strategies.

It's time to change your relationship with standardized testing.  Fair or foul, right or wrong, they are an important metric for identifying where kids are in the learning process.  Are they flawed?  Absolutely.   However, standardized tests  are a metric of learning, and your students need to be successful on them.  We have to stop dwelling on excuses for underperformance.  Instead, we have to focus on more regular practice and parent education.  We also have to prioritize class design and curricula that correlate with standards and tested content.

If you're not using the entire classroom to provide both a better experience for your students and an enriched learning process, you're missing out on crucial opportunities to improve outcomes.  From developing effective lessons to diversifying instructional and assessment strategies, the physical classroom plays a major role.  Effective teachers leverage this to generate better students that are more motivated to explore and learn.

Clear role identification is crucial in generating better academic outcomes.  This is particularly true when it comes to the partnership between teachers and school counselors.  Teachers aren't trained counselors.  School counselors aren't always trained teachers.  We have to have clear boundaries, protocols, procedures, and mutual support to work together effectively.  When we do have this clarity, everyone wins.