The Dock School Leader Podcast

How can you teach like other teachers, the ones you look up to so much? Don't even try, says Anthony. Instead, embrace the way you're made while disciplining your own weaknesses.

Anthony contrasts sociable, energetic teachers with quiet, studious ones, and encourages each of us to consider how our strengths also predispose us to certain weaknesses—weaknesses that can hinder us from fulfilling our potential. Without trying to copy others, we can grow into more effective servants.

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This video is an excerpt from Teachers' Week 2019. For full-length recordings, visit Christian Learning Resource.

Password security: not everyone's favorite topic. IT staff and large corporations can worry about that. Why do you need to be concerned?

In fact, hackers steal the passwords of millions of people like you, and small organizations like yours. Austin knows this danger. As a busy administrator at a small school, he also knows how hard it can be to keep passwords manageable. His solution? Rather than use one password for every online account, outsource the headache to a reputable security app like LastPass. Remember the login for LastPass, and the app will do the rest.

In this video, Austin shows how easily you can use LastPass to reduce the load on your memory, make your information more secure, and empower your colleagues.

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New teachers face a daunting task. There are classrooms to decorate, students to manage, and lessons to teach. Paul reminds us to avoid unrealistic expectations. None of us are masters of a craft the first time we practice it. Rather than hold yourself to an unreasonable standard, Paul urges a functional approach: start with something that will work, then improve as you can. He highlights crucial tasks that new teachers should place prioritize.

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Clayton has spent nearly 30 years in Christian education—much of it pioneering a school in the city of York. But not everyone has the ability to start new projects. How do the rest of us fit in? Visionaries need people who are unlike them, says Clayton. He reflects on the people and tools that have supported his leadership, and describes the strength brought by staff who serve, colleagues who collaborate, and board chairmen who take charge. Even the strongest hiker can use some help with spiderwebs, and even the most visionary leaders need the perspective and commitment of their team members.

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Language: it's a wonderful, rich, and complex system for communication. But some of the principles of language don't make much sense until students have learned to understand the system as a whole. How can you help your students remember the apparently disconnected principles? Stewart encourages us to connect the elements of grammar so students gradually build up an interlocking picture of how the language works. As each grammatical concept is added to what they already know, students are empowered to enjoy and use the power of language.

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You've agreed to teach music. Now what? Yuriy describes the goals you should consider for your classes, and lays out a step-by-step method for teaching sight-singing.

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Isn't technology great?

Possibly. Technology can speed up whatever we're doing. But if we're not sure about our goals for technology, it will likely get in our way, says Austin. He describes new technologies his school is embracing, and suggests that we take another look at some highly effective technologies that have been with us for centuries.

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When you ask your class a question, how many students can answer? Too often, says Rebecca, only one. The student you call on will engage while the others sit passively. But with turn and tell, every student is engaged and at least half of them are required to talk. Rebecca describes the benefits of turn and tell, the reasons to use it, and little techniques that make it work in your classroom.

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In schools that use individualized curriculum, students take responsibility for their own learning. But that doesn't mean they should be deprived of the advantages of working together as a class. Diana and Marla discuss the competitive activities they use to hone students' skills and brighten their days. They answer questions about how to keep competition healthy and how group activities mesh with individualized studies.

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If your students can sight-read shaped or conventional notes, a world of classic and modern hymns is unlocked for them. They can learn new songs and harmonize the old ones accurately. But how can you train them in effective sight-reading? In this video, Allen shares a simple practice he used to learn sight-reading, and now employs in the classroom.

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