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I strongly believe your idea or opinion Ranz's. It is relationship that counts most. The Bible simply told us that it is good to live together in unity, which means there is good atmosphere around us. Much more that our children/ students are looking unto us, expecting the good camaraderie in their classhome and child-friendly environment. Can we not give this kind of atmosphere to our student? Of course we can! I salute your opinion or idea! That is the reason why you are loved so much by the students and SPAC and even the whole academe!

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"Teacher expects students to follow certain routines regardless of the content being taught or the age of the students" p.35. As teachers, we should have command for our students so that they will know they need to follow. With expectation that they will gain something from us. We will do something that our student will be one of the achievers. Regardless of their ages and limitations, we do not know they can do it. If the student will know that we expect them that they can follow, it will motivate, encourage, and help them be a better student, good follower, and well-rounded individual from a very effective and dedicated teacher.

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Effective teachers continuously scan their classroom to determine if students are engaged and take steps to reengage student if they are not". p.40 This will help the teacher to monitor if student has responding to her instructions and if she noticed something is lacking, there must have something to do. There are teachers who are good at the start but will not endure to continuously follow up the student

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I think this is where the word "withitness" comes in. The teacher should be aware what's going on in the class so he/she can address the problem even before it happens. The teacher can call the attention of the students who are not engage and participating in the activity or the teacher can go to the students and offer help just in case they have trouble in doing the activity.

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That's right Bella, thank you for sharing. Sometimes we teachers are so busy  doing so many things and self reflection is not a priority. But after reading this book about teacher being more effective. I think I will be more reflective this time. I think journals also help teachers see how students reacted and learned from the lesson, with this we can improve.

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Support system is really very important in any organization. Helping each other is the best option that anyone can make. In a school the administration and the teachers and all the employees must have good collegiality and professionalism and must do something to keep on improving their job according to the line of their expertise. When everyone is skilled in their expertise student achievements will be great.

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The strategies and behaviors of establishing and maintaining good relationships between teacher and student is of paramount importance.  Manzano (2011) points out that it is the keystone of teaching and classroom activities will progress more smoothly.  Albeit the teacher has an authority in the classroom to be respected by the students yet she or she must show his affection to them, know their interest and background, use some humors, and make himself or herself a model to the students in whatever he or she does or speaks (p. 42).

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It is very important to a teacher to consider the strategies of the routine of communicating in every class session the clear and specific learning goals and to track student progress as well.  By this the direction of the teacher’s teaching activity is clearly set forth and students will be properly guided with regard to what they are supposed to learn every meeting.  On the other hand a teacher must see to it that he or she is tracking student progress to know if the student is getting the learning goal (p. 35).

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I certainly agree with Bella. In addition, I hope that all teachers realize the fact that the fundamental premise of being a teacher is to add value to the learning of each student in that teacher’s care. Thus, the act of teaching should be able to focus on enabling students to learn more than they would on their own, and to improve the possibilities that each student can realize their potential regardless of their situation in life. This can be realized by the teacher. And teacher’s self-evaluation can do a lot to gauge how she/he is doing as far as teaching and learning is concerned. So teachers must and should critically reflect about themselves as a professional and as a practitioner of that profession. Teacher self assessment and evaluation allows teachers to make a teacher performance improvement plan. The more the teacher improves, the more the students will benefit. Although it is extremely difficult to critique one’s own strengths and weaknesses, it is hugely important. Once teachers begin the evaluation process, they will see in which areas they can improve. They begin asking themselves: How can I make the concept of _______ stick in my students’ heads? What can I do to become a more effective teacher? And so on.

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Strategies and behaviors to increase student engagement might be called for

at any point during a lesson. Effective teachers continuously scan their classrooms

to determine if students are engaged and take steps to reengage students if they

are not (p. 40). The K to 12 Program of the Department of Education is more on performance tasks in which the students are required to perform the skills they have learned. It is the duty of the teachers to motivate the students to get involved in whatever activities in school because the more the students engaged the more they will learn.

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As a teacher, I advocate the idea that learning should be exciting and experiential among our students. The spotlight should not be on the teachers but on the students. It is the primary work of the teacher to provide students with enriching learning experiences. However, it is discouraging to note at a certain point in time of our discussion the students gradually released their interest in us.  It is good that Marzano (2011, pp. 40-41) have enumerated ways on how to maintain and increase student’s engagement. As teachers, we should never get weary planning and exploring creative ways to make our class more appealing and engaging among our students. On the side of supervision, let us continue to recognize and appreciate the innovations of our teachers.

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Marzano (2011) states that effective teachers continuously scan their classrooms to determine if students are engaged and take steps to reengage students if they are not. (p. 40) I believe this is what all  teachers are expected to do and should do. Especially in the elementary level where students have shorter attention span and could easily loose focus. Teachers should maintain a positive classroom environment by constantly monitoring group behavior and intervening at the first sign of trouble. Marzano (2011) suggests that the teacher scan the classroom frequently to monitor student’s level of engagement. A teacher teaching a group lesson may start noticing or reacting when students are not engaged.

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It was an honor and privilege to be mentored by my former school head in the early years of my career. It created a positive effects in my teaching and even in my leadership.

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According to Marzano (2011), “effective teacher–student relationships are perhaps the keystone of teaching.” (p. 41) In the classroom there exist a relationship. Not between teacher and the subject because certainly Geometry doesn’t have a pulse or an emotion. The relationship rather exist between teacher and the students. Teachers teach kids. And this should remind every teacher to place children over content, that is, teachers should teach for their students.

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Teaching goes beyond the corners of the classroom. Teaching is not only limited on presenting the lessons and conducting the assessment afterwards but it is more on the relationship we build among our students. Students may not remember the lessons we have presented to them but they will surely treasure how we have helped them and touched their lives. Therefore, I strongly adhere with the statement of Marzano (2011, p. 41) saying  "effective teacher–student relationships are perhaps the keystone of teaching”.
In the same manner, supervisors and administrators should build up healthy and productive relationship  among the teachers around them.

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In Bella’s post number #1 she made mention about the importance of mentoring. She has been lucky and fortunate to associate a veteran teacher who is concern for the welfare of beginner teacher. I said she was lucky because there many novice teachers who leave teaching because they lack support from the experience teachers. Ingersoll (2004) says that the life of the beginning teachers has often been described as “ sink or swim” In fact in his study, 29% of new teachers leave education within the first three years, and 39% leave with in the first five years. Thus, by increasing support for beginning teachers through mentoring retain teachers in the profession.

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Marzano and Waters (2009) assert that one of the more powerful actions district leaders/administrators can take to enhance student achievement is to develop a system that encourages, supports, and recognizes teacher expertise. Supporting one another demonstrates a spirit of cohesiveness. In a school were this kind of spirit is visible, it will surely enhance student’s achievement and develop teacher expertise. Developing this kind of support system could not be done overnight but it takes time. It is the key responsibility of the leader or administrator to initiate in an intentional manner and must be manifested in his or her action. In so doing subordinates will also cooperate and support one another. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says” Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For either of them falls, then one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up”.

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"Seeking mentors for areas of need or interest" help develop our expertise according to Marzano (2011, p. 49). Joyce and Showers’ training model is an example of a mentorship model for staff development. This model has been used even in the field of education. In my teaching experience, I am being mentored by an experienced and skilled senior colleague. She has helped me grow in many ways such as critiquing my work, sharing her ideas, and modeling teaching strategies.

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I can relate with your experience Jed. I am teaching Physics. However, seeing your students learning and loving your subject is a fulfilling moment of your life. Remember, it's more satisfying to know that your students are learning even how hard your subject is. Motivating them to learn and love your subject is the greatest achievement you could consider as a teacher.

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Many researchers have supported that, “Free and open exchange of ideas and strategies is a powerful tool in the development of expertise” (p. 49). Mentoring and coaching other teachers help improve their practice. Many times I don’t learn things perfectly the first time so I need to have someone who also knows the process to help me get better. We did this in AIIAS Academy and I am very thankful for the teachers who coached me. The outcome was great, we got support from each other, and there were immediate corrections and proper practice.

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According to Marzano, “Effective teachers continuously scan their classrooms to determine if students are engaged and take steps to reengage students if they are not” (p. 40). This is really a challenge especially if you have extreme students. I have been teaching Math for a while and it is normal to have students who really hate numbers, also those who are advanced. There were times when it’s difficult to motivate students to think and so it was hard for them to get involved. Here are some of the strategies that were mentioned that I thought useful. (a) Provide opportunities for students to talk about themselves; (b) Presenting unusual or intriguing information; and (c) Using physical movement.

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Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with students (pp. 41-42)

The teacher and student relationship is very important for children because they spend almost 8 hours a day in school. Therefore, it is best to establish positive relationship between teacher and students. By showing concern to the needs of the learners, understanding their background and good communications will establish a positive relationship in the classroom.

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Glatthorn (1984) stated that as professionals, teachers should have input and some sense of control over their development. Applying the principle of Differentiated Supervision, Supervisors were expected to focus clinical supervisory to teachers based on their individual needs. Pre- conference is one way to assess the needs of a teacher. It is sad to note that there are still many educational leaders or supervisors in Adventist Institution that are still using traditional way of supervisory methods. I still recall experience in teaching few years back. Every year school visit or evaluation is routinely done by our education superintendent in elementary schools. But his presence makes a threat to us teachers instead of an inspiration. Teachers didn’t receive any feedbacks or inputs after the classroom observation. Not to blame our superior but a saying says” You can’t give what you don’t have” Sometimes by putting a round peg in a square hole defeats the purpose. Many education leaders that have been place in a position without proper training or background because of popularity. The result our educational system suffers. This scenario remains a challenge even in SDA institution.

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Ericson, Charness, Feltovich, and Hoffman (2006) comments that “self-evaluation has long been considered an important aspect of personal growth” (p. 46). Based on my experience, I agree with this statement. To improve teachers’ skills and performance in the classroom, we teachers need to give time reflecting on our teaching. For example, after a class, the teacher reflects on the things that went well and the things that could be improved. Then he/she can implement the necessary changes in the next class or the next day. Marzano supports this idea saying that “a teacher who is able to evaluate his or her performance has taken giant step on the road to expertise” (p. 46)