Chapter 11 Random or Plandom?

• Great teachers have a plan and purpose for everything they do in their classrooms.
• In contrast, less effective teachers seem to move through their days randomly, not wanting to take
responsibility for what happens.
• Great teachers take responsibility and reflect on what they could have done differently when things
don't work out as planned.
• Great teachers intentionally arrange, rearrange, alter, and adjust the structures that frame their
teaching to promote a productive learning environment.
• Great teachers do not engage in power struggles and do not try to prove who is in charge in their
classrooms.
• In an all-school assembly, great teachers sit with students who are most likely to disrupt and make
their presence felt to encourage good behavior.
• In faculty meetings, great teachers develop a plan to manage inattentive or disrespectful people by
rearranging the room or seating arrangements.
Plandom - The present scenario pertains to an individual's assertion of an action being random, despite
having intentionally altered the outcome to generate predetermined results.
 Chapter 12 Base Every Decision on the Best People
 Great teachers aim high. They make decisions following three simple guidelines. They ask,
- "What is the purpose?“
- "Will this actually accomplish the purpose?“
- "What will the best people think?"
 Too often, we frame the exploration of why we do what we do in the wrong way. We settle for what
is the reason rather than asking what is the purpose.
 A raft of aggressive anti-shoplifting signs may make the honest shoppers so uncomfortable that
they change their behavior and shop somewhere else. The store owners have focused on the
shoplifters and ignored their customers. This is a mistake.
 As teachers, it is a mistake to focus on the least effective people. Issuing broad directives because
of one or two culprits is a mistake.
 Great teachers focus on the top performers. They issue directives directly to those who need them.
 Blanket statements like "You all aren't turning in your rough drafts on time!" not only allow laggards
to hide in anonymity but also make your best students worry and slack off. Great teachers think of
the best students. They issue directives directly to those who need them.
 Chapter 13 In Every Situation, Ask Who Is Most
Comfortable and Who Is Least Comfortable
• Teachers need to find a balance between following the rules and making exceptions in
special situations when making decisions.
• One standard for effective practices is to ask, "Who is most comfortable and who is least
comfortable in this situation?"
• Treating everyone as if they were good can have positive impacts.
• Making people uncomfortable can create changes in behavior.
• It is more effective to call out a small number of negligent parents rather than sending a note
to the entire population.
• Reinforcing good behavior can make prompt parents more comfortable and late ones
uncomfortable.
• Teachers must consider the impacts of their decisions on all their students, particularly the
best ones.