Leader's Guide For MTPd 2023

Volume 55

A time-tested program with over 500 million copies of THE MASTER TEACHER lessonsdistributed since inception!

Dear Colleague,

Thank you for purchasing the Master Teacher Weekly Pd Program! This is our how-to guide for effectively implementing the program in your school. It’s our way of helping you help your teachers every week to get better and make a difference.

Remember, each lesson in the program is designed to develop teachers from foundational teachers to Master Teachers.

Please note two important features…

Included in this booklet are The Engagement Builder™ and The Discussion Generator™, which help you facilitate group discussions around each weekly lesson. We have included these for all 36 lessons so you will always have them when you need them.

As always, you have our best wishes for a great school year. If you have any questions, you can contact me personally at the email address below.

Sincerely,

Tracey H. DeBruyn President

tdebruyn@masterteacher.com

Distribute the First Lesson of THE MASTER TEACHER

Hand out only one lesson each week!

Remember this principle of teaching and learning: Short lessons that have volumes of information lead to the best learning and retention. Therefore, even though you may receive the program all at once or a month at a time, only give your teachers one lesson each week. If you distribute several issues at one time, they lose both their timeliness and ease of use. That’s because the lessons are aligned to the weeks of the school year and each lesson is designed to be read in just a few minutes. The program won’t take a lot of your teachers’ time during the week and they can implement the strategies immediately. By the end of the school year, they will have completed 36 weekly lessons. Online users will get a weekly email with a link to the eLearning portal to access the lesson.

1. Feature Article

The content is specific to one of six areas of professional focus: Professional Responsibilities, Learners and Learning, Learning Environment, Instructional Effectiveness, Assessment, and Leadership.

2. Tips for Immediate Application

Each lesson contains tips covering key topics like managing behavior, relationships with students, relationships with colleagues, student engagement, and teaching techniques.

3. Points to Ponder

Questions are provided to initiate collegial dialogue during individual, small-group, or large-group teacher training in order to allow staff to continue making connections regarding the relevance of the training topic.

4. Inspirational Quote

The quote offers third-person support to the message of the feature article and is designed to inspire and confirm the work and mission of teachers and the school.

Posttests

plan the first day of school, consider how you can leverage stories to help students absorb important

form small groups, show the picture they selected, and share its significance through a story. With permission, some students might share an interesting or compelling story from a classmate with the entire class. You will be amazed at how quickly students connect, how comfortable they become, and how fast trust emerges. Of course, while the first day might be for storytelling, storytelling is not just for the first day. As the year unfolds, look for opportunities to use a story to convey needed messages, provide reassurance, reinforce an important value, or share your confidence that challenges will be met and success will follow.

The Master Teacher knows that powerful, well-told stories can

The Master Teacher understands and taps the learning value of stories. Stories are a part of the fabric of learning communities. They can provide context for current problems, answer important questions, and remind us of values we cherish. Like great teachers throughout history, the Master Teacher collects, composes, and shares stories

As noted earlier, the benefits of storytelling are not confined to the first day of school. Storytelling can play a valuable role in building culture, modeling problem-solving, and making connections throughout the year. We can make it a practice for students to share stories, possibly through class meetings or as part of the start-up routine at the beginning of class. The topics can vary from recounting personal happenings to learning-related experiences. As students share stories, they share their knowledge, build trust, bond, and create a common language. Stories also help students get to know one another beyond being classmates and occasional team members.

Invite students to share their learning struggles and strategies through storytelling. When students recount their experiences, they can often make more sense of their strategies and better understand connections between their actions and the outcomes they experienced. For example, we might ask one or more students to talk about the challenges they faced with a specific project or task. We can help frame their story with questions such as What did you find to be difficult about the assignment? What did you try? How did it work? and What did you learn?

We can also use storytelling to draw students’ attention to values and behavior we want to foster. When we observe a student or students demonstrating actions we want to highlight, we can share what we observed as a story using four elements: What was the situation? How did the circumstance present a challenge? What action did the student or students take? What was the result? In just a few minutes, we will have shared an important lesson and reinforced the behavior of the student or students involved.

1. What stories might you tell to help your students get to know you and what to expect from you as their teacher?

2. How might you help students connect with the content and skills they will learn through stories you share?

3. Discuss with colleagues the stories they tell students as a means to lessen anxiety and build connections on the first day.

The telling and hearing of stories is a bonding ritual that breaks through illusions of separateness and activates a deep sense of our collective interdependence.

Volume 55No. 1

The Master Teacher knows that powerful, well-told stories can become anchor points for the culture we create. Once told, they can be referenced and retold when needed. They can be added to and modified as the year-long story of each class unfolds. Stories become our history and shapers of our memories. The first day of school is a great time to

–Founder and Executive Editor

Arthurs, S. (2018, August 15). Build student trust by sharing https://www.edweek.org/ teaching-learning/opinion-build-student-trust-by-sharing-stories-

and w

What makes storytelling so effective harvardbusiness.org/what-makes-storytelling-so-effective-forCulture-Builder. com. https://www.culture-builder.com/everyday-culture-building/

Posttests are additional questions you can use to offer teachers a way to earn Professional Development Points (PDPs) or Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for reading and reflecting on THE MASTER TEACHER Weekly Pd PROGRAM lessons.

Print-Only Users:

If you choose to award credit, we recommend 0.5 credit per lesson (including reading the lesson and completing the posttest questions), for a total of 18 possible credits. You can download the posttest questions online at www.masterteacher.com/ mtpd-program and find the Leader’s Answer Key on pages 16-17. This process will need to be completed by the program administrator in your school.

Online Users:

At the end of each online lesson, posttest questions are provided to check for understanding. Upon successfully passing the test, the lesson is considered complete. A completion certificate is generated, and the teacher will receive 0.5 credit. For your convenience, a comprehensive transcript of all completed lessons is provided.

Note: The criteria and requirements for PDPs and CEUs can differ from state to state and even from district to district. Please make sure that the material provided meets your state’s regulations before having your teachers complete the questions and awarding credit. THE MASTER TEACHER® does not award credits.

For the First Week Implementation is

INDEX for easy reference

Welcome Cards

Examples of the PROGRAM (print and online)

Start by signing the Welcome Cards and addressing each card to the appropriate teacher. Many administrators tell us they provide a personal note for each teacher inside the card. They say that when they do, they are overwhelmed by the positive responses from their teachers.

Kick Off the Program!

Distribute the Welcome Card, the Easy-Finder™ Index, and the first lesson of THE MASTER TEACHER Weekly Pd PROGRAM to each teacher. Online users will get an email with a link to the eLearning portal to access the lesson.

Then, use the kick-off speech/memo to introduce the program to your staff (available online at www.masterteacher.com/mtpd-program).

For Each Week Easy

Lesson

Teachers will receive the lessons in either print or online version, unless you specify otherwise.

Print: Unless you have opted to receive the whole program in one shipment, four lessons will be mailed to you each month for each teacher, so you will never miss a week of providing professional help and inspiration.

Online: Teachers will automatically receive a weekly email notifying them that the newest online lesson from THE MASTER TEACHER Weekly Pd PROGRAM is available to access. A link will be provided in the email for ease of use.

Group Discussion

The effectiveness of the lessons is maximized when the lessons are read and discussed weekly with your team. With whatever frequency you are able to use the lessons, we suggest the following:

Engagement Builder™

Start your weekly staff email with The Engagement Builder™ that corresponds to each weekly lesson (see pages 7-15).

Discussion Generator™

End your weekly staff email with questions from The Discussion Generator™ that correspond to each of the weekly lessons (see pages 7-15). These questions will prepare your teachers to have a discussion during a meeting or to discuss the lessons on their own.

Suggested Discussion Format:

Use The Discussion Generator™ questions (see pages 7-15) or the Points to Ponder provided on the back or at the end of each lesson to initiate brief but rigorous discussions with your staff. Discuss lessons in a faculty meeting, PLC, or grade-level meeting. We suggest using the following method to achieve exceptional results:

First: All teachers review the lesson.

Second: Teachers pair-share using the Points to Ponder questions or the additional questions from The Discussion Generator™.

Third: Small groups of pairs share their thoughts, insights, and learning.

Fourth: The entire group shares their reflections with everyone.

In under 30 minutes, you can engage the staff in a professional development experience that will have true meaning to them. Over time, these experiences will build an inspiring culture. Negative attitudes will turn into “I’ll try it” attitudes. Disheartened teachers will become recommitted. Teachers who have been on the sidelines will jump into action. Passion will be found everywhere.

Plus, you will enjoy the benefits of being a part of these incredible conversations. And you will also enjoy the appreciation from your staff for making them possible.

Professional Responsibilities

Learners and Learning

Learners and Learning

Professional Responsibilities

Learners and Learning

Learning Environment

Learners and Learning

Instructional Effectiveness

Learning Environment

Professional Responsibilities

Learners and Learning

Learners and Learning

Professional Responsibilities

Instructional Effectiveness

Professional Responsibilities

Assessment

Professional Responsibilities

Learners and Learning

Learning Environment

Instructional Effectiveness

Learners and Learning

Professional Responsibilities

Instructional Effectiveness

Professional Responsibilities

Learners and Learning

Leadership Learning Environment

Leadership Learners and Learning

Instructional Effectiveness

Leadership

Building Culture

Building Learning Momentum

Student Relationships

Collective Efficacy and Effort

Discipline

Mastering Meetings

Tapping Student Engagement

Misbehavior

Reducing the “Blame Game” Learning from Students

Building a Trusting Classroom

Generating Motivation

Communicating High Expectations Expectations Among Colleagues

Student Relationships

Discipline

Student Motivation

Parent Relationships

Responding to Student Failure

Countering Team Pessimism

Designing Incidental Learning

Regaining Control

Avoiding Task-Switching Pitfalls

Question-Driven Discussions

Deliberate Practice

Handling Aggressive Behavior

Student Relationships

Countering Learning Loss

Better Communication

Avoiding Misbehavior Mistakes

Surviving Tough Situations

Strong Student Relationships

Moving Beyond Fear of Change

Motivation

Deepening Learning

A Successful

for the 2023–2024 School Year Annual Planner

Weeks 1–4: Getting Off to a Great Start

WEEK 1:

The First Day Is For Storytelling

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Powerful, well-told stories can become anchor points for the culture we wish to create.

The Discussion Generator™

• What are some stories your teachers told you while you were in school that helped you build connections with them or to the content?

• How might telling students why you decided to become a teacher be the most compelling story of all?

• What stories about former students might help your current students engage with your class and understand its importance to their current and future lives?

WEEK 2:

Compass Points To Guide The First Weeks Of School

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

The more success we have in developing learning skills and habits with students now, the better students will perform when the established curriculum becomes a more consistent part of their learning experience.

The Discussion Generator™

• What specific priorities will you share with students in the first few weeks?

• What fun ways can you employ to assess where students are relative to the core skills they will need for success?

• What will you do to meet the social and emotional needs of students?

WEEK 3:

Make Every Interaction With A Student Count

How I will best use this lesson:

WEEK 4: The Power Of “I Can’t Succeed—Unless YOU Learn”

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Whenever we talk with a student, we are creating and defining our relationship with them.

The Discussion Generator™

• When talking with students, how will you show them that you are truly interested in what they have to say?

• In what ways will you convince students that you want to and can help them?

• What are some positive comments you can lean on when closing conversations with students?

The Engagement Builder™

Students must see us as instructing with a strong investment in and commitment to their learning.

The Discussion Generator™

• Do you believe the statement discussed in this lesson? Why or why not?

• What do you think it really means to be a partner with students in their learning?

• How does this statement affirm the potential of students?

Weeks 5–8: When the Newness Wears Off and the Hard Work Takes Over, Best Practices Help Teachers the Most

WEEK

5:

Barking And Biting Words Won’t Persuade

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Being a persuader is a magnificent mindset and a learned and treasured skill.

The Discussion Generator™

• Why is it important to develop the habit of thinking like your students in order to be an effective persuader?

• Why is it important to be yourself in order to persuade?

• What words do you find are the most important for students to hear in order to be persuasive with them?

WEEK 6:

Earn Student Respect And Participation With Eight Actions

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Learning is a personal choice made individually by each student each time you teach a lesson.

The Discussion Generator™

• How, specifically, can you let individual students know you see them and intend to help them?

• Specifically, how will you give students a feeling of ownership?

• What vision, beliefs, and intentions do you hold that are important to share with students in order to earn their respect and help them feel they belong?

WEEK 7:

Remember: Engagement Only Opens The Door To Learning

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Engagement alone is not learning, nor does it always lead to learning.

The Discussion Generator™

• Why is being clear about the purpose of the learning essential for actually causing learning to happen beyond initial engagement?

• How does goal setting increase the likelihood of learning?

• How will you use progress benchmarks to help guarantee learning?

WEEK

8:

Eight Discipline Traps To Avoid

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

The student, not the misbehavior, is the most important piece of the puzzle in discipline situations.

The Discussion Generator™

• What usually happens when you wait too long to resolve a behavior issue?

• How can coming on too strong actually derail your discipline efforts?

• Why is it so important to uncover the specific needs students are trying to fill when they misbehave?

Weeks 9–12: Before and After the First Grading Period, Teachers Need Special Guidance

WEEK 9: Why Blaming Is A Dead-End Proposition

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

The root cause of blaming is fear.

The Discussion Generator™

• What assumptions do you hold about parents or students that might cause you to blame them when things go wrong?

• What might you be giving up when you blame?

• How can we actually become more powerful if we refuse to blame?

WEEK 10: Every Student Offers A Lesson We Need To Learn

How I will best use this lesson:

WEEK 11: How To Change Rules Or Practices That Aren’t Working

How I will best use this lesson:

WEEK 12: Six Keys To Getting Students To Do Their Best Work

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Teaching every student requires your attention and commitment.

The Discussion Generator™

• How has a story a student shared with you in the past made a difference in your teaching?

• Describe a time when you found out about a student’s special talent. How did it change how you chose to develop that student?

• How will you choose to unearth and nurture the dreams of your students?

The Engagement Builder™

When rules and practices aren’t working in the classroom, it’s a sign of something deeper going on.

The Discussion Generator™

• What do you like about the concept of restorative justice? What don’t you like about it, and why?

• What are some additional ways you can have students own the rules in the classroom?

• Why is restoring dignity to students imperative for maintaining a positive classroom culture?

The Engagement Builder™

Purposeful work taps what students value and see as worth pursuing.

The Discussion Generator™

• How will you encourage students to play a meaningful role in defining a quality work product?

• In what ways can you more effectively seek to arouse students’ curiosity?

• How might you create an audience for students’ work that would cause them to “amp up their game”?

Weeks 13–16: Keeping Productivity High During the Holidays

WEEK 13: Five Ways To Leverage Standards To Lift Learning

How I will best use this lesson:

WEEK 14: A Student’s View: Expectations That Matter

How I will best use this lesson:

WEEK 15: Adopt Bold Teacher Actions That Work

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

We can make standards more accessible by translating them into student-friendly language.

The Discussion Generator™

• How can/do you use standards to develop better assessments?

• How can standards help you give better feedback to students?

• How can you coach students to use standards to plan, guide, and track their own learning progress?

WEEK 16: Five Techniques To Calm Angry Students

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Expectations are one of the forces of influence that can last long after our students leave us.

The Discussion Generator™

• How can you more effectively let students know you are committed to them and their success?

• How can you more effectively let individual students know you have confidence in their abilities? How is that likely to make a difference to them?

• How can you make it clear to students that you are there to help and guide them?

The Engagement Builder™

We need to always be aware that when problems arise, there is one thing students expect us to do—act.

The Discussion Generator™

• In what areas of teaching would you like to be bolder but find yourself reluctant to do so? What is stopping you?

• How can you reveal to students your understanding of and intentions to address problems?

• What are some small ways you can put bold ideas into action?

The Engagement Builder™

Fighting fire with fire never works with angry students.

The Discussion Generator™

• Describe a situation in which the disarming technique would have worked with a student. Why?

• Why do you think the reiteration technique is effective?

• In what situations is the isolating technique most effective?

Weeks 17–20: After the Holidays, You Will Arm Teachers With the Right Attitudes and Techniques

WEEK 17: Twenty-Five Ways To Say “Job Well Done”

How I will best use this lesson:

WEEK 18: Six Strategies For Engaging Aggressive Parents

How I will best use this lesson:

WEEK 19: Productive Teacher Responses To Student Failure

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Praise should be personal.

The Discussion Generator™

• How is saying “I am proud for you” different and better than saying, “I am proud of you”?

• Why does saying “I admire you” have special significance to students?

• Describe a situation when it would be most appropriate to tell a student, “Thanks for being you.”

WEEK 20: A Whole Team Effort To Counter Pessimism

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

What begins as a confrontation can become a productive collaboration.

The Discussion Generator™

• How will you communicate to aggressive parents that you are on the same side?

• How will you keep your ego out of the conversation?

• Think of an aggressive parent with whom you are currently dealing. How can you be firm about what you believe needs to be done while still honoring the parent’s perspective?

The Engagement Builder™

Productive failure can actually increase student engagement and interest.

The Discussion Generator™

• How can the strategy of productive failure lead students to get deeply engaged in the “why”?

• Describe a plan you have put into place with a student who was experiencing chronic failure. How did it work?

• When it comes to a student’s ability to overcome failure, how important is the act of showing the student you care?

The Engagement Builder™

Hope—which is the best of all things—often begins with one person who opens the door for a better way.

The Discussion Generator™

• Do you believe pessimism may be the reason some teams find it easier to live with the status quo than to try to change things for the better?

• What strategies can you use to confront a pessimistic colleague and cause them to want to change?

• How can you help your team do a regular inventory of what has gone right without looking like a “Pollyanna”?

Weeks 21–24: Giving Teachers Perspective and New Skills Will Keep Morale High in This Pressure-Packed Month

WEEK 21:

Three Ways To Capture Important But Hidden Learning

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Rarely do we note and honor learning that is not captured on assessments as important to the learning profiles of students.

The Discussion Generator™

• How is incidental learning an important aspect of learning in life beyond formal education? Why is it important that we draw attention to it?

• Why is it important to ask students what they think is the most important thing they learned?

• Respond to the idea of giving students extra credit for reflecting on their incidental learning.

WEEK 22:

Ways To Fight Feeling Overwhelmed

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Feeling overwhelmed is not evidence of a flaw, fault, or failure!

The Discussion Generator™

• Who can help you right now if you are feeling overwhelmed?

• Is what is overwhelming you truly important in the grand scheme of things, or is it only urgent?

• What assumptions are you making about why you are feeling overwhelmed that need to be challenged?

WEEK 23:

Eight Common Classroom Practices To Abandon—Now

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Over time, what we assumed to be effective has often been shown to be less impactful than we thought.

The Discussion Generator™

• Why might using “learning styles” to align instruction not actually lead to improved instruction?

• Describe a situation in which a slower learner was actually a better learner than a fast learner.

• Why do progressive consequences and behavior charts not work to control the behavior of many students? How can they even be harmful to your students?

WEEK 24:

Five Strategies To Get More Students To Ask Questions

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

The information we glean from student questions is often essential to the framing and timing of our instruction.

The Discussion Generator™

• How could establishing a routine for students to pose questions help your teaching and students’ learning?

• How much time should you give students to formulate their questions?

• Why should you always urge students to come up with and ask questions?

Weeks 25–28: Readings for Rejuvenation and Perspective

WEEK 25: When Learning Requires Heavy Lifting

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Regular practice is about putting in time, while deliberate practice focuses on skill improvement.

The Discussion Generator™

• What are some ways we can convince students to use deliberate practice?

• How can having students set their own goals cause them to want to employ deliberate practice?

• What examples of expert performance can you provide to students as a form of feedback?

WEEK 26:

Handling An Overly Aggressive Student

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Overly aggressive students really, really, really want to be successful.

The Discussion Generator™

• What is your likely first response to a student who is being overly aggressive? Why is that response often the opposite of what will change or moderate the behavior?

• Do you think aggressive students know they are disliked? Do you think they would like to change?

• Why are private conferences a must where these students are concerned?

WEEK 27:

Avoid Six Behaviors That Push Students Away

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

The more we can be like a magnet, the more we can draw students to us.

The Discussion Generator™

• What behaviors that can push students away most resonated with you in this lesson? Why?

• What other behaviors do you think teachers can be guilty of that may push students away?

• Whom in your life can you trust to hold up a mirror and caution you about displaying one or more of these behaviors?

WEEK

28:

Five Learning Strategies To Teach Yet This Year

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

When we help students see purpose in and gain value from their learning beyond grades and tests, we help them position their learning for longer retention.

The Discussion Generator™

• Do you believe that shifting your focus to learning strategies at this time of year can actually help students learn more? Why or why not?

• How can you teach students to self-test?

• How might you teach the approach of interleaving to students?

Weeks 29–32: The Ideas and the Mindset to Keep the Momentum Going

WEEK 29:

Authenticity And Conviction: Your Communication Advantage

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Authenticity plus conviction creates an irresistible force.

The Discussion Generator™

• Identify a person you know who is an extremely effective communicator. Are authenticity and conviction evident in their messages?

• Can a dishonest person also appear to have authenticity and conviction?

• Why is it so important for a teacher to have both authenticity and conviction?

WEEK 30:

Ways To Prevent Unacceptable Behaviors In The Final Weeks

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

All behaviors are purposeful.

The Discussion Generator™

• What steps can you take to keep your own emotions in check so you don’t become part of the problem where behavior issues are concerned?

• Are there times when we should simply overlook some misbehaviors?

• What are some additional reasons misbehavior tends to increase at this time of year?

WEEK 31:

Six Secrets For A Positive Outlook In Tough Times

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

The more time you spend with positive people, the better you will tend to feel.

The Discussion Generator™

• For you, what is the most difficult part of trying to maintain a positive outlook?

• What habits will most help you in trying to adopt a positive frame of mind?

• How will you tap the power of “not yet”?

WEEK 32:

Five Things For Which You’ll Be Remembered Most

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

Much of what we do, including those things that have a lifelong influence on students, never finds its way into a lesson plan.

The Discussion Generator™

• Describe a teacher from your own past who influenced you. What makes that teacher memorable for you?

• Why do you think our commitment to students has such a powerful effect?

• How will you demonstrate these five actions to your students now and in the future?

Weeks 33–36: The Right Teachings for a Strong Finish

WEEK 33: When Change Comes Calling, You Have Four Choices

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

The only constant is change.

The Discussion Generator™

• How can you fight your own personal need for stability when confronted with the need to change in order to embrace a more success-producing strategy?

• Why is it often not enough to simply broaden our focus to employ the full array of strategies and tools we possess?

• What does anticipating change mean to you?

34: “Yes” Is A Magical Word For Learning

WEEK

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

“Yes” is probably one of the most powerful of all words.

The Discussion Generator™

• How will you learn to say “yes” to yourself and your own ideas more often? How might this change the way you operate every day for the better?

• What blocks you from saying “yes” more of the time?

• What do you think a “yes” mindset looks like? How can it change the way others respond to you?

WEEK 35:

Learning Is A Growth Industry

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

A wide range of occupations will require a higher degree of cognitive abilities— such as creativity, logical reasoning, and problem sensitivity—as part of their core skill set.

The Discussion Generator™

• How could becoming a “meddler in the middle” actually be more fun than our traditional way of teaching?

• React to the statement, “Learning is often a social process and learning with others can achieve better outcomes.”

• How can you start blurring the traditional curriculum boundaries to create more meaning for students?

WEEK 36: A Closing Message: Build Student Hope And Confidence

How I will best use this lesson:

The Engagement Builder™

We can assure our students that we see in them the potential for greatness!

The Discussion Generator™

• How will you remind students to recount their successes for inspiration?

• Why is it so important for us to remind students that it is their own approval that matters most?

• What other message would you like to give as a gift to your students?

Leader’s Answer Key

MT 5501 The First Day Is For Storytelling

1. D

2. B, D

3. A, D

4. B

MT 5502

Compass Points To Guide The First Weeks Of School

1. C

2. B

3. A, C 4. D

MT 5503 Make Every Interaction With A Student Count

1. A

2. A, C

3. B, D 4. D

MT 5504

The Power Of “I Can’t Succeed—Unless YOU Learn”

1. C

2. B

3. A, D

C

MT 5505

Barking And Biting Words Won’t Persuade

1. B, C

2. D 3. C, D 4. A

MT 5506

Earn Student Respect And Participation With Eight Actions

1. D

MT 5507 Remember: Engagement Only Opens The Door To Learning

1. B 2. C 3. D 4. D

MT 5508 Eight Discipline Traps To Avoid

1. A

B

D

C

MT 5509 Why Blaming Is A Dead-End Proposition 1. B

B, C

A

B, C, D

MT 5510 Every Student Offers A Lesson We Need To Learn 1. D

C

B, C

A

MT 5511 How To Change Rules Or Practices That Aren’t Working 1. A

C

3. D

4. B

MT 5512

Six Keys To Getting Students To Do Their Best Work

1. C 2. D 3. C 4. A, C, D

MT 5513 Five Ways To Leverage Standards To Lift Learning

1. B, D

2. A, C

3. A

4. B

MT 5514 A Student’s View: Expectations That Matter

1. D

2. A

3. C

4. C, D

MT 5515 Adopt Bold Teacher Actions That Work

1. A

2. B, C

3. D

4. B

MT 5516

Five Techniques To Calm Angry Students

1. A, C

2. D

3. B, C

4. C

MT 5517 Twenty-Five Ways To Say “Job Well Done”

1. A, B, D

2. D

3. B, D

4. A, D

MT 5518

Six Strategies For Engaging Aggressive Parents

1. A, B

2. C, D

3. B, D

4. C

MT 5519 Productive Teacher Responses To Student Failure

1. D

A

5520 A Whole Team Effort To Counter Pessimism

MT 5525 When Learning Requires Heavy Lifting 1. B

MT 5531 Six Secrets For A Positive Outlook In Tough Times 1. A, B

5526 Handling An Overly Aggressive Student

Five Things For Which You’ll Be Remembered Most

Three Ways To Capture Important But Hidden Learning

MT 5522 Ways To Fight Feeling Overwhelmed 1. A, C

B MT 5523

Eight Common Classroom Practices To Abandon—Now 1. A, C, D

C, D

A MT 5524

Five Strategies To Get More Students To Ask Questions 1. D

Strategies To

Change Comes Calling, You Have Four Choices

And Conviction: Your Communication

5534 “Yes” Is A Magical Word For Learning

To Prevent Unacceptable Behaviors In

5535 Learning Is A Growth Industry

Message: Build Student Hope And Confidence

Kerns, G. (2020, August 13). How to get your bearings during the first 3 weeks of school. SmartBrief. https://corp. smartbrief.com/original/2020/08/how-get-your-bearingsduring-first-3-weeks-school

Loveless, T. (2012). The 2012 Brown Center report on American education: How well are American students learning? Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings. edu/research/the-2012-brown-center-report-on-americaneducation/

Make every conversation a winner. (2019, October). Communication Briefings, 38(10).

McGowan, H. E., & Shipley, C. (2020). The adaptation advantage: Let go, learn fast, and thrive in the future of work. Wiley.

Pan, S. C. (2015, August 4). The interleaving effect: Mixing it up boosts learning. Scientific American. https://www. scientificamerican.com/article/the-interleaving-effectmixing-it-up-boosts-learning/

Possing, S. (2022, October 15). How to avoid letting pessimistic people get you down. wikiHow. https://www. wikihow.com/Avoid-Letting-Pessimistic-People-Get-YouDown

Puckett, K. (2017, July). The future of education. The Possible, (02). https://www.the-possible.com/future-of-educationdigital-campus-learning-teaching/

Reimer, K. (2019, November 14). How to use restorative justice in your classroom and school. Monash University. https://www.monash.edu/education/teachspace/articles/ how-to-use-restorative-justice-in-your-classroom-andschool

Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M, & Cheever, N. A. (2013, May). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 948-958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. chb.2012.12.001

Schlechty, P. C. (2002). Working on the work: An action plan for teachers, principals, and superintendents. Jossey-Bass.

Schlechty, P. C. (2011). Engaging students: The next level of working on the work (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Staver, M. (2016, July 1). Leadership isn’t for cowards: How to lead courageously in a turbulent age. Smart Meetings, 15(7). https://www.smartmeetings.com/magazine_article/ leadership-isnt-for-cowards

Teacher message to students at end of year. (2023, April 6). Pure Love Messages. https://purelovemessages.com/ teacher-message-to-students-at-end-of-year/

Thompson, B. (2022, October 25). 12 things to remember when you’re feeling overwhelmed. LifeHack. https://www. lifehack.org/articles/productivity/8-things-rememberwhen-you-are-overwhelmed.html

Thornton, G. (2018, October 22). Authentic communication: What does it mean, why it’s important. Medium. https:// medium.com/thrive-global/authentic-communicationwhat-does-it-mean-why-its-important-51bccc80a008

Tucker, M. S. (Ed.). (2011). Surpassing Shanghai: An agenda for American education built on the world’s leading systems. Harvard Education Press.

Walsh, J. (2022, October 19). How to get your students to ask more questions. MiddleWeb. https://www.middleweb. com/40383/how-to-get-your-students-to-ask-morequestions/

What is incidental learning? (2022, March 2). Learning for Purpose. https://learningforpurpose.com/what-isincidental-learning/

Wigfield, A., & Wagner, A. L. (2005). Competence, motivation, and identity development during adolescence. In A. J. Elliot & C. S. Dweck (Eds.), Handbook of competence and motivation (pp. 222-239). Guilford Publications.

Research References

4 actions that make you unlikeable. (2019, May). Communication Briefings.

21 ways to say “well done.” (n.d.). Team Management Briefings, Preview Issue.

Arthurs, S. (2018, August 15). Build student trust by sharing stories on the first day. Education Week. https://www. edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-build-student-trustby-sharing-stories-on-the-first-day/2018/08

Arundel, K. (2022, April 8). Positive student-teacher relationships boost instructional quality. K-12 Dive. https:// www.k12dive.com/news/teachers-benefit-from-positiverelationships-with-students-research-shows/621803/

Become a persuasive communicator. (2019, September). Communication Briefings, 38(9).

Beware 4 discipline traps. (2020, July). Communication Briefings.

Block, J. (2015, April 15). Learning from students. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/learning-from-studentsjoshua-block

Boris, V. (2017, December 20). What makes storytelling so effective for learning? Harvard Business Publishing. https:// www.harvardbusiness.org/what-makes-storytelling-soeffective-for-learning/

Brasher, A., Jones, A., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Gaved, M., Scanlon, E., & Norris, L. (2015, June). Designing and evaluating incidental learning [conference presentation]. CALRG Annual Conference, IET, The Open University. https://www.slideshare.net/andrew_x/designing-andevaluating-incidental-learning

Carpenter, S. K. (2020, April 30). Distributed practice or spacing effect. In Oxford research encyclopedia of education. Oxford University Press. https://doi. org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.859

Clear, J. (n.d.). Deliberate practice: What it is and how to use it. James Clear. https://jamesclear.com/deliberate-practicetheory

Corliss, J. (2020, October 1). Staying positive during difficult times. Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/staying-positiveduring-difficult-times-2020100121047

D’Arcy, S. (n.d.). Culture-builders are storytellers. CultureBuilder.com. https://www.culture-builder.com/everydayculture-building/stories.html

DeBruyn, R. (2011). The law of blame. In Causing others to want your leadership…for teachers (pp. 85-86). The Master Teacher.

DeBruyn, R. (2011). The law of credit. In Causing others to want your leadership…for teachers (pp. 87-88). The Master Teacher.

DeBruyn, R., & Larson, J. (2021). You can handle them all (3rd ed.). The Master Teacher.

Emmer, E. T., & Evertson, C. M. (2017). Classroom management for middle and high school teachers (10th ed.). Pearson.

Evertson, C. M., & Emmer, E. T. (2017). Classroom management for elementary teachers (10th ed.). Pearson.

Grand View Research. (2021, July). Digital education market size, share & trends analysis report by course type (business management, science, technology, engineering, & mathematics), by learning type (self-paced, instructorled), by end-user, by region, and segment forecasts, 2021 – 2028. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industryanalysis/digital-education-market-report

Gupta, N., & Sampat, S. (2021, July 29). How teacher expectations empower student learning. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plusdevelopment/2021/07/29/how-teacher-expectationsempower-student-learning/

Hamlin, D., & Peterson, P. E. (2018, May 22). Have states maintained high expectations for student performance? Education Next, 18(4). https://www.educationnext. org/have-states-maintained-high-expectations-studentperformance-analysis-2017-proficiency-standards/

Himmele, P., & Himmele, W. (2021). Why are we still doing that? Positive alternatives to problematic teaching practices. ASCD.

Kageyama, N. (n.d.). “Productive failure”: Why early floundering leads to better learning. The Bulletproof Musician. https://bulletproofmusician.com/productivefailure-how-strategic-failure-in-the-short-term-can-lead-togreater-success-and-learning-down-the-road/

Keep, B. (2020, January 23). Deliberate practice in the classroom. The Learning Curve. https://www.the-learningagency-lab.com/the-learning-curve/deliberate-practice-inthe-classroom/

IS ORGANIZED INTO SIX AREAS OF FOCUS

These areas serve as the mainstay of the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that will help lift a teacher to the level of MASTER TEACHER.

1. Professional Responsibilities

Empowering teachers to become masters of their craft enables them to work with school staff more effectively, to find more success with parents, and most important, to change the lives of students.

2. Learners and Learning

Applying the understanding of how students learn leads to building better learners. Building better learners allows students to see themselves as their own best teachers. Teachers, too, must see learning through their students’ eyes if they expect students to seek out the feedback that leads to mastery.

3. Learning Environment

Creating a positive, caring, respectful, and student-centered classroom and school begins with the teacher. Without the right learning environment, students will fail to achieve their full potential.

4. Instructional Effectiveness

Knowing how and when to apply the right teaching techniques with the right amount of vigilance to meet each student’s needs is a critical skill that requires consistent development and honing.

5. Assessment

Implementing measures to assess student performance before, during, and after instruction is crucial to shaping it. Equally important is collecting information to help teachers diagnose, guide, and improve their teaching effectiveness and sustain their skills.

6. Leadership

Developing and supporting teachers to become leaders in the classroom and throughout the school is vital to closing the achievement gap and increasing learning for all students.

For more information about implementing the program, please contact the Master Teacher® 800.669.9633 or email sales@masterteacher.com