The Question:

What are the strategies that secondary math teachers who

believe in rigor and discipline in the classroom use to achieve student

success?

Discipline & Rigor

Why is this a good thing?

Discipline and rigor come hand in hand

Rigor Holds all students to high expectations and to the same standards.

Equal access to a challenging curriculum that teaches problem-solving skills and how to use mathematics within meaningful and diverse contexts.

Is particularly beneficial to students of low-economic status because it allows them to take ownership of their education and have the power to be successful in life.

Rigor and discipline gives every student an equal opportunity

to succeed.

-Dr. Ben Chaves (2009)

Discipline Holds all students accountable for contributing to a productive classroom environment.

Positively supports and encourages students to work towards their understanding by being productive and active in the learning process.

Data strongly shows that students feel that classroom structure is important for their motivation, and class work contributes to future success.

“Discipline strategies should foster student growth (e.g., self-control, moral development, a willingness to cooperate, and/or an interest in learning) rather than merely enforce compliance.”

-Kohn (1996)

The word discipline comes from the Latin word disciple: discipere, which means to teach or comprehend. Children are developmentally incomplete. They will always require socialization, instruction, and correction to shape fundamentally egocentric behavior into interpersonal skills that make our children capable of interacting successfully. -Skiba (2000)

Research shows…

Disciplinary problems within the classroom has much to do with inadequate teacher training. Many of the most effective behavior strategies are not being used in many classrooms. Increasing the use of positive reinforcement by teachers appears to be capable of a strong effect in reducing school suspension and dropout rates. Discipline is a byproduct of effective instruction and classroom management.

So what constitutes “student success”?

Students who successfully complete advanced mathematics courses, including at least algebra 2, and then trigonometry, pre-calculus and sometimes calculus.

These courses have diverse and challenging curriculum that allow for all students to meet NCTM (National Council of

Teachers of Mathematics) benchmarks and standards.

Research shows that the use of rigor and discipline in the classroom

increases student success.

What constitutes “good teaching”?

Requires a sound knowledge of mathematics. Promotes mathematical understanding. Engages and motivates students. Requires effective management skills.

“The teacher’s sense of the mathematical enterprise determines the nature of the classroom environment that the teacher creates. That environment, in turn, shapes students’ beliefs about the

nature of mathematics.”-Ernest (1991)

The strategies that teachers who believe in rigor and discipline in the classroom use to achieve student success fall into one of

five broad categories…

1. Teacher availability to the students and to other teachers.

2. Teacher beliefs about their students and themselves.

3. A no-nonsense approach with consistent and clear expectations.

4. Teacher personality.5. Innovative instructional strategies integrated within a traditional lesson format.

Teachers who implement rigor and discipline successfully…

Teachers offer help after school, before school, on weekends, and/or during lunch.

Encourage their students to come in for extra help, and work with every student one-on-one.

Will not take “no” for an answer. They will work with parents or administration to deal with students who are struggling.

Work collaboratively with other teachers in their department to discuss not only curriculum but how to help specific students.

Students who are struggling will improve if given additional time

out of class to work. Focus, diligence and discipline can do a

lot for kids who have nowhere else to go to get help.

-Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Burt, V., Watson, M., Diamond, P.J., &

Parramore, P. (2001).

1.) Make themselves available in a willing and positive manner.

“Effective mathematics teaching requires understanding what students know and need to learn and then challenging and supporting them to learn it well.” - NCTM (2000)

Teachers who implement rigor and discipline successfully…

Use positive reinforcement and other positive disciplinary strategies to hold students accountable for their actions.

Do not focus on the skills a student is lacking, but rather the skills that they have.

Think positively about every one of their students (even the “trouble-makers”).

Know that every student has something positive to contribute to the learning

environment. Know that learning

mathematics very much relies on teacher-student communication.

Reflect upon their teaching, and are critical self-analyzers.

2.) Have positive beliefs about their students and constantly self-reflect about themselves.

Teachers who implement rigor and discipline successfully…

Implement management strategies for a productive learning environment, and make their expectations very clear.

Are consistent in their discipline, and don’t give in or feel sorry for students.

Provide student/parent contracts at the beginning of the year.

Know that homework is necessary for discipline and success; and expect all students, regardless of home or out-of-school situations, to complete homework on a regular basis.

Realize that homework provides necessary practice, but should be useful work that the students can do.

3.) Have a no-nonsense approach with high expectations (including assigning homework that is doable)

Teachers who implement rigor and discipline successfully…

Make class fun, often using humor.

Get to know their students on an individual basis. Teachers show interest in every student and respects him or her for their differences.

Teacher acts as a role model, rather than a friend.

The more passionate a teacher is about their subject, the more interest the students will show.

4.) Have a personality that is upfront and personal, while not crossing any boundaries.

“A teacher must be a lively listener and work to understand what the students are thinking and saying. This requires a genuine interest in the students and a willingness to listen.”

“While I teach respect and discipline and I demand a great deal of hard work from my students, I always try to do it in a way that is fun.”

-Jaime Escalante

Teachers who implement rigor and discipline successfully…

Use resources that are clear and relevant to National standards. Value depth over breadth.

Teach the value of problem-solving and teach students to think and solve challenging problems.

Use graphing calculators, cooperative learning, and a variety of assessments (such as projects, presentations, tests, etc.).

Make content relevant and interesting.

5.) Integrate innovative instructional strategies within a traditional lesson format.

•In order to know what content is relevant, successful teachers are self-motivated to stay updated and professionally developed within their discipline. “I am extremely critical of the teacher who

lifelessly copies assignments taken perfunctorily from the teacher’s edition of the textbook onto the board each day. Such a teacher is letting the students down by failing to bring life to the classroom. Kids get so bored with this kind of teacher that they soon come to view school as merely a jail sentence with lectures.” -Jaime Escalante

The strategies that teachers who believe in rigor and discipline in the classroom use to achieve

student success …

1. Make themselves availability to the students and to other teachers. They communicate well.

2. Have positive beliefs about their students, understand that the student-teacher relationship is a key component to success, and always self-evaluate their lessons and the curriculum that is being taught.

3. Have a no-nonsense approach with consistent and clear expectations, often having student contracts and classroom rules derived by the students.

4. Have a very fun-loving personality. Use humor. Love and respect every student.

5. Use innovative instructional strategies integrated within a traditional lesson format.

Academy for Technology and the Classics

Learning Contract

All parties agree that academic success is the product of a cooperative effort. To insure that ____________

will benefit from this union, each party has the following responsibilities: (student)

As a student ____________, will:

1. Be respectful to my classmates and my classroom environment.

2. Put my best effort into my math work. Be actively involved in my learning process.

3. Obey/respect all classroom and school-wide rules.

4. Come prepared to class with homework and materials.

5. Attend tutorial or retrieve help if I am having trouble understanding.

6. Check my progress through the online grading system, or with my teacher.

As a parent____________, will:

1. Check online grading system weekly to check my child's progress in math class.

2. Contact the teacher (through email or by phone) if I have any questions/concerns regarding my student.

3. Monitor my child's school work and extracurricular activities to the best of my ability. Know that my child will have homework almost every night.

4. Maintain a discipline policy with my child.

5. Believe in my child and their success in math.

a teacher ____________, will:

1. Provide a safe comfortable environment for my students. 2. Provide ample time for my students to receive extra help

` after school, before school and during lunch. 3. Enforce school rules consistently. 4. Provide students with clear and concise expectations. 5. Work to make learning an enjoyable experience. 6. Post grades weekly online.

Signed:

__________________ __________________ __________________Student Signature Parent Signature Teacher Signature

_____________Date

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Learning contract (continued)…

Six surefire strategies to improve classroom discipline and promote student success:

1. Move around the classroom - if you need to write something on the board, have a student do it for you. Students love to help. Get students involved.

2. Teach social skills - be a role model to your students, and encourage communication.

3. Have a sense of humor – find ways to enjoy yourself in the classroom. Don’t be afraid to share yourself (interests and hobbies) with your students, and integrate your interests within the curriculum. Have fun.

4. Don’t take unruly behavior personally – emotional detachment presents the opportunity for clear thinking, while an impulsive reaction to misbehavior will model precisely the type of behavior that you want your students to eliminate.

5. Look for causes of discipline problems – there could be an underlying cause to misbehavior that, if addressed, could fix the problem. There is always a reason for misbehavior. In exemplary schools, good discipline concentrates on the causes of discipline problems, rather than the symptoms. When disciplinary problems occur, look for the cause. It could be due to teasing or bullying, or home factors. It could be that the student is not understanding or your lesson/presentations are not at the interest level of the student.

6. Promote student responsibility – the classroom belongs to everyone, not just the teacher.

Suggestions to teach student responsibility: Develop classroom rules together, so that they are initiated by the students.

Use cooperative learning and peer tutoring to promote social skills and make students feel useful.

Hold discussions and have honest dialogue with the students, so they feel a sense of community and shared priorities.

Share responsibility of classroom housekeeping. This teaches responsibility and the importance of contributing/giving back to the class.

Some words from the wise…

Rigor only works if teachers are committed to each other and to their students. - Rochelle Gutierrez

“As a kid growing up in West San Antonio attending a 99% Hispanic school, I respected the teacher who provided a positive attitude with fair discipline. I respected the teacher who disciplined me and respected me.” - Jorge Alemo

“The communication of love to one’s students goes further than just caring and listening. It also means that I must be willing to repeat an idea, concept, or term as many times as needed for the student to understand it. I have to make sure that every kid is listening to me and watching me when I teach, so that they do not miss a thing. There is no perfect approach that works for every student, so I am continually developing new ways of conveying ideas. That is one reason why I spend so much time at the job: to ensure that what I have said to the group is actually understood by each individual, I feel obliged to communicate to each kid personally. I am always looking for ways to make things easer for them to understand and looking for gimmicks or toys to motivate or to demonstrate an idea. I can’t let the kids be bored with or disinterested in mathematics - too many other things in life are dull. I find out what bugs students and what switches on their “learning light.” I learn their dreams, and I believe that I am here to assist each of them to realize these dreams.” - Jaime Escalante