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Out of all the rule the Rules of Thumbs the one that stands out the most to me is the know that highly effective teachers teach students first, then content.
I truly believe this. Students need to feel valued and feel important. If students feel safe, happy, and excited to be at school, they are more likely to pay attention to the content you teaching.

2. Out of the eight I feel the everyone feels welcome and contributes to everyone else feeling welcome.  I think its important to share feelings and acknowledge what has happened throughout the day. It helps reflect on the positive and negative and what and how we could have done things done differently. I think it helps children process things better. I also think it helps them not carry negativity home with them and everyone can go home on a good note and we can leave on a positive day just as we started on a positive day.

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Kandi Gustafson: Effective Learning Community

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Kandi Gustafson: Effective Learning Community

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I think students need to feel safe in the classroom environment. The book talked about emotional safety which I feel has the same importance as physical safety. When a student can't be vulnerable in the classroom they will most likely shut down. Learning and growing isn't happening if the student is afraid to talk or share ideas in fear of being harrassed or chastised. I actually see this everyday in one of the classrooms I push in. I feel to be an effective teacher I need to make my environment a safe place for that student to share that vulnerability and feel accepted.

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The rule I feel is most important is to create lessons that engage all students in critical and creative thinking. I believe when you make a student think outside the box and relate it to the outside world, or something that they're interested in, they'll begin to want to be engaged in learning. This way the student is using more memorization and less comprehension.

The most important characteristic of a effective learning community is students feeling safe. I think once a student begins to feel safe, they'll be willing to work for you. If a student comes to class feeling like the teacher is a threat, they will immediately put their defense system up. This could lead to behavior problems, lack of motivation, low self-esteem and confidence

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From rules of thumb I believe is the most important thing is teaching to students not content first. Because over time I realized other things come next and to implement them gets a lot easier. Getting to know them and asking personal questions are very important to them. It gives me the kind of space that I can make them work because I care for them and they care about what I teach, it is a mutual respect that establishes over time.

In my opinion, in the classroom, everyone should welcome and contributes to everyone else feel welcome. I think they should feel comfortable that they can what disturbs them or which chair they want to sit in etc. One of my students ask me he wants to listen to some music and we listen all together while we do the work and it really felt nice and I believe they all enjoyed and it creates an atmosphere that supports learning and success in the classroom.

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Jessica Anderson: Six Rules of Thumb & 8 Characteristics

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Jessica Anderson: Six Rules of Thumb & 8 Characteristics

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I feel like the most important rule of thumb is # 1; know that highly effective teachers teach students first and then content.  To get my students to "buy in" to what I have to say, they have to know that I care about them and want to see them succeed.  Relationships are key.

2. I feel like they are all important; however, when dealing with special education students, "Students feel safe in the classroom" is high on the list. Bullying affects students even when they are not SPED, but it seems to affect sped students, at least in my district, a little more than the average students. I want my students to know that my room is a safe place not to be bullied or made to feel less than.  Learning is hard for them, but when they see that I genuinely care about them as individuals and they are safe to tell me their frustrations and fears, they put out the effort and work twice as hard.

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1. I think having a high expectation is one of the most important elements to learning. Especially with students with learning disabilities. So many teacher gen and sped, have such low expectations for the students that the student is not really learning they are just marking time. We must keep a high but realistic expectation for all students. They will rise to the expectation.
2. The best learning environment or community will always make the student feel safe first. Then the child(ren) need to feel accepted and a strong sense of belonging. When they are safe and are apart of something, to me they strive more and are more interested and happy to participate in their own education.
-B.B.

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I think the most important rule of thumb is knowing that highly effective teachers teach students first, then content. Students can not learn if their most basic needs are not met. My teaching philosophy is holistic because I believe that you have to teach the whole child for learning to occur. I also think building a relationship with the student and truly trying to understand their world will make me a better teacher. For example, if the student did not sleep well the night before, I can't expect him to perform at a high level until that need is met.

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The rule of thumb that I believe to be the most significant is Balance. You are setting the expectation of the day/assignments while still allowing the student(s) control over their learning. There can be some nonnegotiables, and there can still be flexibility throughout their day. A lot of our students don't have, or feel like they don't have control/power in their lives. Try to find a way to empower them while still teaching what is on the syllabus.

I also feel that everyone should feel welcome and a part of a community. By being a part of that community, they can contribute and become a productive member of society. There are so many mountains that can be moved when we empower our students with the tools they need to be successful. Each student can contribute unlike anyone else. Let them shine their light and teach others.
-Caylan

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1. To me the most important rule of thumb is design lessons to be engaging for all students. This one is important because all the planning for critical thinking, assigned tasks, assessments, etc. will not matter if the students are not engaged in what is going on. Engaging students now is harder than ever because there is more competition for their attention which makes the engagement piece that much more important.

2. The most important characteristic of an effective learning community is that everyone else feels welcome and contributes to everyone else feeling welcome. Nobody likes to do anything when they are in an environment that is uncomfortable to them. I always explained it as think about how much you hated your first day of work. You don't know anybody, everyone else seems to know each other, and you are trying really hard not to mess up on your first day. Ok now take a math test on something you've never seen before. That is what it feels like to be in an uncomfortable environment. That is why as teachers we HAVE to make sure to enforce this characteristic in our classroom from day one. It helps the rest of the year just fall into place and starts everyone off with high expectations.

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The most important one for the rule of thumb for me is that teachers teach students first and then content. I truly believe that relationships are highly important for students to succeed. I have many students that do not respond to teachers they do not have a relationship with. I believe you need to have relationships before rigor.

I also feel the most important part of an effective learning community is that everyone feels welcome and to contributes to everyone else feeling welcome. I want my classroom to feel like we are all a family and we are all here for each other. I try and make my classroom feel warm and inviting and have had many students tell me I come to your room because it is comfortable to me.

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While all are SUPER important, I think that "Create lessons that engage all students in critical and creative thinking" may be the most important of them all. If a student is not  engaged, then they will not learn to their fullest potential. However, if we can find ways to engage them and hold their attention, they will be able to relate the material to their life and retain it better.

I also feel that all of the characteristics are important, but to me, feeling safe in the classroom is top priority. Currently, I have a class that has quite a bit of contention that I am working on the environment. The classroom environment needs to be warm and accepting for learning to flourish.