Traits of Highly Effective Instructors

That is the name of an article my principal recently shared with us.  He had a sheepish grin as he handed it to me - because he knew he was preaching to the choir when he handed it to me - as I was already down in his office to tell him about an awesome lesson that we had just experienced in College Comp II where I use wiffiti to allow students to use their cell phones to post reactions up on the smartboard to a podcast featuring the author of the book we were reading.

I also told him about a new idea for lesson.  In our class blog, here, I posted a document on .scribd that had every students' name followed by a link to a story, I bank the stories I find interesting either on quiet read or evernote.  Then I wanted each student to read their story and summarize it and analyze how it ties in to the book we're reading, Mark Bauerlein's The Dumbest Generation.  One of those stories happened to be "Ten Things Teachers Should Unlearn" (that is when he handed me the article on Ten Traits of Highly Effective Instructors).

I was so fired up by the discussion we had in class over this, that I put the list on Google docs and asked my students to devise their own list of things teachers should stop doing.  I shared it with our principal.  Then I thought about the other side of the issue, what traits should students unlearn?  So I created another Google Doc and shared that with several faculty members and administrators.  I can't wait to get back to my students with both lists.

It was a blast.  The students were engaged and laughing and arguing and debating.  Sure some were off task and talking occasionally, but all - at one point or another - were buying in and taking part.  That's a lot to ask for.

So for SSR today I finally was able to get around to reading the article Mr. Zutz gave us.  Just now I was struck by this excellent line, when the author is talking about not having students put their digital devices away: "More importantly, highly effective instructors know that if they cannot be more dynamic, more dazzling, more interactive and more interesting than that electronic gizmo in their student's hand, they have no business being in front of them in the first place."

To which I simply say, "amen!"

In the past, this motivated me every day as I walked up the stairs to my room: "If someone showed up to this school and asked Mr. Zutz, 'Who is the most engaging and innovative educator on your staff?' Then I want Mr. Zutz to send that person to my room - if not right away - then at least before noon!"

Well, now the line about highly effective instructors will be running through my mind as I walk to my classroom.

What a challenge!  I love it.

For the record, here's the list --

1.  Mobile
2.  Organized (not my strength certainly)
3.  Patient
4.  Challenging
5.  Adaptive
6.  Syntactic
7.  Passionate
8.  Interactive
9.  Serious
10.  Caring