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CHAPTER 1

PERSONALIZE THE LEARNING

Think about the faces you see in your classroom every day. How many of these students are more than faces? How many can you look at and say that you know something personal about them, about their lives and the challenges they face? Take a moment to think about how you make learning in your classroom personal. As you consider your current practices, fill out the survey in figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1: Assess how well you personalize learning in your classroom.

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As you reflect on your answers, remember that to get personal in this context means connecting in a personal way so that your teaching gets students to perk up and pay attention to that which is relevant: themselves. Even if you can say that you make an effort to make the learning in your classroom personal, there is always room to re-examine your practices and look for ways to improve. That’s why this chapter is all about fostering teacher-student relationships by creating a culture of personalization. In this chapter, you will engage with the following four strategies.

1. Learn students’ names.

2. Create a Me Bag.

3. Share an everyday problem.

4. Share progress on goals.

The strategies in this chapter lay the groundwork that makes the other mindsets in this book effective; as you engage with them, reflect on what you already do and how you can evolve your existing practices. Maybe it will also inspire you to add something new.

Learn Students’ Names

To create a culture of personalization starting on day one, learn every student’s name, and make sure students all know each other. Neither you nor your students need to be a memory champ to do this. You just need to care and take the time to set up the learning process, then practice, just like the students in your class. When you use a student’s name, be sure to smile and make eye contact. Many times, a simple handshake or other appropriate connection will show a lot to your students (you care). You may already be great at learning student names; but even if you are, many of your students have a hard time remembering the names of their peers, which is also important for the relational mindset. In this section, you’ll find strategies to help both you and your students learn each other’s names.

Name-Learning Strategies for Students

There are many smart ways to remember names and faces. One of the simplest is to first put your brain in a curious state. Say to yourself, “OK, what is this student’s name? Is it __________________?” That primes the brain to care and to listen better. Then, when you hear the name, use it! Use it under different circumstances such as standing, sitting, when giving a compliment, or standing at the door. You can also put together notecards on each student that you update as you learn about them and use those as often as necessary for you to remember details about him or her. See figure 1.2. Note you don’t necessarily have to take your own photos for these profile cards. Most schools keep student profile photos you can access.

Having tools like this to help you keep track of your students can significantly speed up the process of getting to know them, but you have many other options at your disposal. Here are some strategies for learning names.

• Introductions: At the start of the school year, have students say their first names every time they speak. Do this for the first thirty class days (if you have thirty students, or twenty days if you have twenty students).

• Desk nametags: Have students create desk nametags from single index cards or cardstock (fold the paper in half horizontally). Have a box for each class of nametags and ask students to pick them up and return them to the box each period. The hard (but good) part is after two weeks, you pick out each name and try to place it on the right student’s desk.

• Checks: When students are writing, ask yourself quietly, “What’s his or her name?” Try to answer it first, then walk over, and check out your answer by looking at the student’s name on a paper or asking.

Figure 1.2: Student profile card.

Visit go.SolutionTree.com/instruction for a free reproducible version of this figure.

• Alliteration: Link a word that begins with the same consonant as the student’s first name. Use connections like, “Laura longhair,” “Benny in a bowtie,” “Michael has a motorcycle,” and “Jasmine likes jam.” Then, visualize the connection in your mind’s eye.

• Self quizzes: As students enter the class, greet them by name, or ask them to give you a prompt or cue to trigger their name. Tell students they can’t enter your classroom until you say their names correctly. Then, use their names as you make eye contact and give a compliment. (“Eric, good to see you today.”)

• Likes: Do a quick energizer by asking students to stand in areas of the room by likes or dislikes. (“If you like green vegetables, stand over there. Stand over here if you are a St. Louis Cardinals fan.”) The point of this activity is to help you remember students by associating them with their preferences. If you print out profile cards for your students (refer to figure 1.2), you can jot down notes about each student’s answer on their profile card.

• Nametags: For the first two weeks or so have students wear nametags. Make a contest to see who can learn the most names in class. For younger students, tags will last longer on their backs.

• Rhyming: Link a word that sounds like the student’s first name to each student. (“Jamal at the mall,” “Tim is slim,” or “Jake swims in a lake.”)

• “I’m going shopping” game: Students stand up, one by one. The game begins like this: “My name is Eric, and I am buying medicine for my earache.” The next student stands and says, “His name is Eric, and he is buying medicine for his earache. My name is Kim, and I am buying a coke.” Each student stands, repeats prior students’ statements, and adds his or her own shopping item. You can be the last person to add to the shopping list.

• Returns: When you return papers or assignments in the first three to four weeks, use names as you give the paper back to the student (“Loved your perfect spelling, Kenisha”).

• Interviews: Give students two to three minutes in pairs to interview each other and discover something that no one can forget. Each pair stands, then asks students to introduce each other, allowing about one minute per pair.

• Classroom roles: Students apply for (or are given) jobs so you can tie the student to his or her class job (“Ryan the reporter” or “Kayla the class leader”). You can read more about assigning classroom jobs in chapter 12 (page 128).

Name-Learning Strategies for Students

Ensuring students also know each other’s names is also a useful way to build relationships between peers, because strong social glue builds valuable respect, familiarity, and trust. That can break down barriers and reduce cliques in class.

A fun activity for students to learn each other’s names is the name game. On a blank, 3” × 5” notecard, ask everyone to write one word that begins with the same letter as his or her first name. The word should connect with something about him or her (“Eric is energetic”). Then, put your students in small groups of four to six. In a circle, ask everyone to say his or her name, the word, and the connection to the word. Then, the group can put the cards in the center of the circle in a box or basket. Using a timer, ask a pair of volunteers to see how long it will take them to return the correct card to the other students in the group. Next week, switch up students so all of them are in a new group. Continue this for the first four weeks until everyone is pretty good at others’ names. Use the tracking sheet in figure 1.3 to help you keep track of the names and attributes for each student in a class.

Figure 1.3: Name-learning tracking sheet.

Visit go.SolutionTree.com/instruction for a free reproducible version of this figure.

These memory tools will build the confidence and social glue to foster cognitive capacity (for attention and for short- and long-term memory). Additionally, during group work, invite students to always address each other by name. When students pair up with a new partner, ask them to introduce themselves to others with eye contact, a greeting, and a handshake.

Create a Me Bag

Another way to build a culture of personalization is to use variations of the Me Bag activity during the first week of school. This is a great activity for all K–12 students because most students, no matter their age, want to know some personal things about their teacher. First, you’ll model the process for your own students. Start with a paper bag that has small objects, items you collect about yourself: photos, receipts, ticket stubs, a favorite snack, keys, or mementos that help tell a story about yourself. Share those objects and stories in about seven to ten minutes. Use figure 1.4 to brainstorm some items you could put into a Me Bag and what you might want to say about them.

Figure 1.4: Ideas for a Me Bag.

Visit go.SolutionTree.com/instruction for a free reproducible version of this figure.

Share an Everyday Problem

Whether you want to be a role model or not, you are a role model. Give students what they need so badly—a real-world model of how to live as an adult. You can think of this as a way to extend the work you began with the Me Bag activity. That means about once a week, share a piece of your world, something that presents a challenge or problem that you had, maybe something you experienced over the weekend. A short, three-minute slice of a teacher’s life can do wonders for fostering the relational mindset.

Consider the following teacher’s story.

Last weekend something weird happened. I had promised to help my friend move on Saturday. But when I went out to my car that morning, I turned the key to start it and click … nothing! My car wouldn’t start, and I was freaking out because I made a promise to her. “Friends keep promises to friends,” I said to myself. Now, what could I possibly do?

Well, students, it’s time for your challenge of the day. Work with a partner, and come up with two possible solutions to my problem. You see, even though I was freaking out, I found a way to solve the problem. How would you solve this problem?

Your story gives students a tiny window into your adult world, especially when you can turn it into a learning opportunity for them to learn to solve real-world problems, which is often something you can connect directly to the learning topic you intend to cover in your lesson. After you present your story, give students a minute to brainstorm how they would approach it. Then, call on students to give their thoughts, and don’t judge their answers. Keep a modest, positive spirit, and say, “I hadn’t thought of that. Thank you, Marcus” or “I appreciate the brainstorming you did. Thank you! Now, let’s grab a few more ideas.” I always thank students for their participation but never criticize, judge, or evaluate their efforts. I realize they’re a fraction of my age and are unlikely to have the same coping skills.

After you call on many volunteers (thanking them for their effort), you should share the rest of the story. How did you decide what to do about the problem, and what did you learn from the results? If you need help organizing an activity for this lesson, use figure 1.5 to plan it out in advance.

Figure 1.5: Map an everyday problem.

Visit go.SolutionTree.com/instruction for a free reproducible version of this figure.

Even if you can’t connect this exercise directly to an ongoing lesson, it is not a waste of time; it is an investment in your students that will pay off later since you’re role modeling three things for your class. Yes, adults do have problems and how they deal with them can be useful. Just because a problem is tough, big, or stressful doesn’t mean it is unsolvable. Finally, it is a chance for you to share the process of problem solving. You share your values, your attitude, and the procedures it takes to be a success.

Share Progress on Goals

The last tool for creating a culture of personalization is sharing your personal goals. Many teachers struggle to find a separation between their personal and teacher lives. However, all students, especially those from poverty, love the idea of goals. Setting personal goals and sharing them with your students is an effective way to foster the relational mindset. Post your personal goal in the classroom (since you are asking students to do the same) and share your progress all year (or semester) long. In addition, you’ll also post your class goal. (You’ll learn more about setting gutsy class goals in chapter 4, page 41.) Figure 1.6 provides a worksheet you can post in your room for achieving a personal goal.

Figure 1.6: Goal and progress poster.

Visit go.SolutionTree.com/instruction for a free reproducible version of this figure.

Table 1.1 lists some sample goals you might consider, along with some milestones to associate with these goals.

Table 1.1: Examples of Personal Goals

Goal: Participating in community projects	Goal: Starting healthier eating and exercise habits	Goal: Completing a teaching improvement list
Milestones: • Identify a project. • Sign up to help. • Complete the project.	Milestones: • Identify a healthy eating and exercise routine. • Maintain the routine for four weeks. • Maintain the routine for three months.	Milestones: • Identify three habits for improvement. • Maintain these habits for three weeks. • Maintain these habits for three months.
Goal: Running a 10k	Goal: Mentoring someone	Goal: Growing a garden
Milestones: • Identify and download apps to improve from 0 to 5k and from 5k to 10k. • Complete the 0 to 5k app. • Complete the 5k to 10k app.	Milestones: • Identify a person who wants and will benefit from mentoring. • Maintain mentorship for four weeks. • Maintain mentorship for three months.	Milestones: • Plan a garden space and the plants that will go in it. • Create the garden space and plant the plants. • Nurture the plants to full growth.
Goal: Learning a skill or sport	Goal: Helping change the culture at your school	Goal: Helping your parents with a goal
Milestones: • Identify a skill to learn and a pathway to attaining it. • Complete the learning pathway that attains the skill. • Demonstrate mastery of the new skill by completing a related project.	Milestones: • Identify an aspect of school culture that could improve and three ways to improve it. • Achieve buy-in from relevant stakeholders for three months for improvement. • Cite evidence of the improvement’s success or a new action plan to try again.	Milestones: • Talk to your parents and identify a goal they want to achieve and micro goals to achieve it. • Complete half the micro goals. • Complete all goals or reset and try again.

After selecting, displaying, and making progress toward applicable goals, begin routinely sharing and celebrating all your key milestones and how you overcame them. When you share all the micro steps forward and the nearly predictable setbacks you experience, students will see that mistakes are OK and make way for improvement.

Quick Consolidation: Personalize the Learning

This chapter was about a powerful path in your classroom—personalizing learning. The tools I present in this chapter are no secret. I’m just inviting you to choose one or two of them and make it a habit, but all of them are important assets in your relational toolbox. As you share part of your life with students, you allow them to understand your journey. Plus, they learn about the process you used, your values, and your choices. Answer the following reflection questions as you consider your next steps on the journey to making learning more personal in your classroom.

1. What did you learn about the importance of making the learning in your classroom personal that you didn’t know when you started this chapter? How is your outlook changing?

2. What strategy from this chapter will you use to ensure you learn every student’s name? How will you deploy this strategy in your classroom?

3. To better connect with your students, what are some items you could put in your Me Bag? How will you explain them?

4. What are some everyday problems you’ve experienced that you could share with your students? How might these change how your students perceive you?

5. What are some goals you have in your personal life that might humanize you in the eyes of your students and help them connect with you?

The Handbook for Poor Students, Rich Teaching © 2019 Solution Tree Press • SolutionTree.com

Visit go.SolutionTree.com/instruction to download this free reproducible.