- Houston Independent School District
- Effective Practices
- I-7 High Academic Expectations
- Work Hard, Get Smart
OLD-Professional Development
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- PD Operations / HELC
- Design, Media, and Online Learning (DMOL)
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Effective Practices
- PL Toolkit
- PL-1 Develops Student Learning Goals
- PL-2 Data-driven instruction
- PL-3 Design Effective Lesson Plans, Units & Assessments
- I-1 Objective Driven Lessons
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I-2 Check for Understanding
- Assess Mastery
- Begin with the End
- Checkpoints
- Chunking Text
- Closure
- Cold Call
- Exit Ticket
- Graphic Organizer
- Guided Practice
- Non-Verbal Signals
- Open-Ended Responses
- Post It
- Randomizing Responses
- Right is Right
- Running Roster
- Stretch It
- Structured Peer Conversation
- Student Conferences
- Student-Generated Questions
- Teach Back
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I-3 Differentiation
- Chunking Text
- Double Plan
- Exit Ticket
- Flexible Grouping
- Graphic Organizer
- Grappling
- HOT Question
- Independent Practice
- Leveled Text
- Multimedia
- Open-Ended Responses
- Post It
- Product Menus
- Right is Right
- Running Roster
- Stretch It
- Structured Peer Conversation
- Student-Generated Questions
- Take a Stand
- Tiered Assignments
- Workstations
- I-4 Higher Level Thinking
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I-5 Maximizing Instructional Time
- 100 Percent
- Academic Posture
- Call and Response
- Cold Call
- Do Now
- Entry Routine
- Exit Routine
- Job Assignments
- Material Organization
- Non-Verbal Interventions
- Non-Verbal Signals
- Open-Ended Responses
- Pacing Tools
- Right is Right
- Stretch It
- Strong Voice
- Student Conference
- Teach Back
- Tight Transitions
- Work the Clock
- Workstations
- I-6 Communicating Content/Concepts
- I-7 High Academic Expectations
-
I-8 Student Engagement
- Academic Posture
- Call and Response
- Closure
- Cold Call
- Do Now
- Engage and Connect
- Graphic Organizer
- HOT Question
- Independent Practice
- J-Factor
- Job Assignments
- Leveled Text
- Non-Verbal Signals
- Open-Ended Responses
- Product Menus
- Randomizing Responses
- Real-World Connections
- Reinforcers
- Structured Peer Conversation
- Student-Generated Questions
- Workstations
- Work Hard, Get Smart
- I-9 Classroom Management
- I-10 Classroom Climate
- Literacy Routines
- Academics
- Swivl Pilot Program
- Professional Development
Description
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Promoting high academic expectations for students starts with the teacher believing in student success. Subconsciously, teachers who believe students can succeed, behave in ways that help them succeed (Marzano, 2007). Work Hard, Get Smart encourages students to work hard towards mastering the lesson objectives and to persist when faced with difficult material. Also known as the Growth Mindset, this approach creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great achievement (Dweck, 2012). Work Hard, Get Smart is a daily reminder that students control their own learning. The teacher uses a mantra that students repeat and internalize to bolster their confidence and reinforce their ability to learn new and difficult content. The teacher praises, acknowledges, and rewards effort and hard work. It is crucial that we encourage students to believe in malleable intelligence, empower them to take control of their learning and build their self-esteem.
- Help students persist in the face of failure by offering support throughout the lesson. Make this a part of daily practice.
- Promote a culture where mistakes are encouraged in order to succeed. Have students answer the following questions: What do you want? What do you need?
- Explicitly communicate the expectations and the pathways created to reach those goals. Have students answer the question: What point do you want to reach? Students will take their own path to reach their goal.
- Make a visual that communicates the importance of working hard to achieve success.
- Ask students to chart their growth on each learning goal to take ownership of the process.
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Alerts
Generic encouragement directed at the whole class is ineffective in providing meaningful encouragement to Work Hard, Get Smart. Use specific encouragement that appeals to the student’s individual interests, values, or dreams.
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Quick Tips
Try creating progress charts or posters where students can visually track their growth. Post it in a place where everybody can see it as a way to celebrate achievement.
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Other Strategies
Motivational Chants
This strategy provides opportunities for the teacher to communicate expectations and get students engaged with the work in a positive way. It also builds confidence in oral language, promotes a sense of community, and helps change the pace and mood to improve student motivation.
Community Circle
Community Circle is a way to build a team culture within your classroom. Students gather in a circle to have a structured, student-centered discussion with each other and the teacher. This practice builds a sense of community, develops problem-solving skills, strengthens bonds between student and teacher, and provides an opportunity for students to pr