Ask Coach Blog

Oct 23, Student Motivation and Music

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:26:13 GMT

Enhance student motivation and academic performance with the power of music!

Oct 23, Student Motivation from Infancy

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:22:41 GMT

Student motivation starts in infancy. A Brigham Young University study shows that 5-month-old babies can distinguish upbeat tunes from gloomier compositions.

Oct 16, Teacher Motivation and Personal Development

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:28:07 GMT

Donna Marie here. Sometimes the most challenging part of teaching is just feeling empowered to do the job. There are so many things that chip away at that power: budget cuts, uninvolved parents, undisciplined students, overwhelming state requirements, personal issues. That's why I wanted to share with you Steve Pavlinas new book, Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth. It's a self-help book that will help anyone in any profession improve their work and their lives. Pavlina frames the self development process with three main principles: truth, love, and power. I think for teachers, the lack of power is the big issue and can even explain increasing rates of attrition. According to Pavlina, power is

your ability to consciously and deliberately create the world around you. When your power is weak, you cant effectively satisfy your needs and desires, and you become a victim of your environment. When your power is strong, you successfully cultivate a life of your own choosing, and your environment reflects it.

Some of the teachers we work with in poor communities have an overwhelming, debilitating sense of not being able to help their students. You can't change the community, but you do have power in your classroom. Look, this is no time to be politically correct. Our schools are in a state of emergency. Students as a whole are lagging behind other nations, and students in underserved, changing, and diverse communities are doing even worse. Pavlina suggests that you can actually strengthen your sense of personal power. You can't control everything, but you can change your perception of things. He suggests the following ways to build power: 1. Progressive training. Progressively train yourself to tackle bigger challenges. Once you succeed at one thing then raise the bar. 2. Master the First Hour. If you adopt a disciplined routine for your first waking hour, you'll probably enjoy a highly productive day. Many of you have students do morning bell work. Same thing. 3. Personal Quotas. Establish a daily minimum output goal for yourself in some areas of your life. 4. Worst First. My mother (the retired English teacher) always told me to eat my vegetables first. If you have something difficult or distasteful to do (lesson plans anyone?), get it done first. Don't procrastinate or it will hang over your head and cause even more stress. 5. Competition. Use competition to motivate you. Don't let other teachers outrace you in their success with students. Find out what they're doing, then do it better. And definitely use friendly competition to stimulate learning in the classroom. 6. Rest. During the Olympic games, I heard a couple of the athletes say that the secret of their power was that they knew how to rest and recover after intensive workouts. Take out moments of rest during the school day. Give yourself a chance to relax and recuperate.

Oct 16, Student Motivation, Reading, and Richard Wright's Black Boy

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:10:51 GMT

Motivating students to read became easy when a retired high school English teacher of special needs lucked onto a book that had high interest for the population.

Oct 15, Interviews with Master Motivators

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:03:02 GMT

Motivation seems to come easily to some people. In this section, we talk to Master Motivators who have a knack for getting students (and people in general) motivated.

Oct 13, Student Motivation, Divergent Thinking, and Music Training

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:08:31 GMT

Student motivation and engagement in the classroom can receive a boost from musical training. Research reveals that trained musicians use more of their brain than non-musicians.

Oct 12, Teacher Appreciation

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:58:13 GMT

Teacher appreciation is all about feeling loved and appreciated for the work you do. Come to this section often for motivation and inspiration. Never give up! Our children need you!

Oct 12, Teacher Appreciation from the Mouths of Babes

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:48:52 GMT

Teacher appreciation may be hard to come by, but our students need you. Watch this video by young student Dalton Sherman whenever you're in doubt. Never give up!

Sep 26, Bootstrap Motivation

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:58:59 GMT

Donna Marie here. My father, the retired high school teacher, likes to tell the story of growing up in Jacksonville, Alabama, during the Jim Crow era. There was no high school in Jacksonville, so the students had to take public transportation to nearby Anniston. The students were African American. Not only did they have to ride at the back of the bus, they had to get off the bus to make room for white passengers when the bus got too crowded. The absenteeism rate of my father and the other students got so high that their parents finally took matters into their own hands. They built their own high school, and my father proudly boasts that he was the first, smartest, and only male to graduate from the school. That story puts a smile on both of our faces. I love the bootstrap mentality our folks had back then. They were truly motivated to ensure their children got a good education. Our parents and grandparents of all races, nationalities, and religious affiliations overcame hardships to get their education. Some of them walked miles to school with holes in their too-tight shoes. They didn't have buses or up-to-date books or athletic facilities or the Internet or professional development, and still they excelled. They were motivated by the desire to have a better life. Their parents believed that education was the path to success, and so they made their children behave in class, respect the teacher, and do their homework. Period. No debate. We're all for equitable financing of schools, but there are schools with peeling plaster and broken seats in the auditorium that are turning out academic superstars. Teachers, in the classroom, you hold the golden key to students' success. Yes, it would be nice to have all the amenities, but until that happens, refuse to let even one precious soul fail. Never forget that every child has the capacity to achieve greatness in the classroom, and you're the reason why.

Sep 21, School's In Session

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:47:29 GMT

Coach Powell uses music power for student motivation. Here are hit tunes from his popular CD School's In Session.

Sep 21, Crisis and Student Motivation

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 01:20:18 GMT

Motivation during crisis times is even more important to the well being of the entire school population. These articles offer understanding, strategies, and hope.

Sep 20, Teacher Motivation: Transforming Crisis Situations to Positive Motivation

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:31:58 GMT

Teacher motivation can falter when crises occur in the classroom. Here are 11 ways to transform crisis situations into positive motivation.

Sep 18, Student Motivation During Hard Times

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:36:22 GMT

Student motivation during the best of times can be challenging. It's absolutely critical during a crisis to a student's well being and academic success

Sep 8, iPod Therapy Feels Good!

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:26:55 GMT

Teachers are guilty of taking care of everyone else before taking care of themselves. Take planning periods, for example. Theres just not enough time in the school day to get everything done, so more and more teachers are using their planning periods to do everything BUT plan. With so much going on, you cant even steal a minute or two of much needed rest (can I get a witness?). Teachers are using this precious time to assist overwhelmed co-workers, tutor students, beautify bulletin boards, or meet with parents. The work that was put off still has to get done, so teachers often take work home to make up for lost time. Wouldnt it be great if schools scheduled down time for teachers, a time when you could simply close your eyes or get a shoulder massage in the teachers lounge? Currently, we at HMC are working on a grant to fund an iPod Therapy project. We will award 10 iPods to 10 of the most stressed out, burned out teachers in America. The goal is stress relief and teacher retention. Well load the iPods with some soft jazz tunes and even classical music. Both have been proven to be healing and stress busting. iPod Therapy will take place during the first 5 to 10 minutes of the planning period. The rules of the project are as follows: 1. Put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. 2. Put cell phone on silent. 3. Turn off the lights (or turn them down low). 4. Put on headphones and turn on project sanctioned music. 5. Close eyes. 6. Slowly, breathe in and out. 7. Think only positive thoughts. After the iPod Therapy session is complete, that will leave about 40 minutes to get some work done. If you already have an iPod, dont wait for us to find you! Follow the above steps and take time out for you. We know theres a lot to do, but there will always be a lot to do. The lasting benefits are reduced stress levels, more energy, and an improved attitude. Many studies have documented the benefits of rest and meditation on mental functioning. You owe it to yourself and your students to take time out and rest. If you dont have a planning period, take ten minutes before and/or after school. Good luck and remember, FEEL GOOD!

Aug 21, Let the Sunshine In!

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:30:13 GMT

Teachers, get out of the classroom and into the sun (don't forget your sunscreen)!

Aug 21, What Do Teachers Make?

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:27:47 GMT

Teacher appreciation is important to the soul!

Aug 19, Roll call and student motivation

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:01:05 GMT

My nephew called to share his biggest fear about being a first year teacher in a predominately black urban school: mispronouncing his students names. With so many neighborhoods in a state of demographic flux, your students names may sound like roll call at the United Nations. It's highly likely that you'll mispronounce a name or two. Mispronouncing students names may be highly offensive to parents and child. Have you ever received a call from an irate parent because you mispronounced the students name? You may feel attacked, but try and understand the long history that precedes the name and even special spellings of names. Race, ethnicity, religion, family legacy, and a parents state of mind all played a part in naming the child. A childs name is loaded with emotion. Even though at times we do not understand, we must give respect. And the best way to give respect is to take the time to learn how to pronounce names correctly. As a high school sports coach, Ive had my share of angry calls from parents, correcting me and warning me to never mispronounce the students name again. All you can do is humble out, apologize, practice pronouncing the name correctly, and pray you get it right the next time. Names are quite personal. Were motivated by the sound of our own name. You may be forgiven once or twice, but if you continue to mispronounce a students name, the child begins to sense you dont care. This negatively impacts student motivation and the all-important student-teacher bond. Bottom line, developing a positive relationship with a student will be difficult if you do not learn how to pronounce her name correctly.

Aug 19, Are you afraid of African American names?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:00:07 GMT

Some time ago, researchers conducted a now-infamous study that looked at how employers racially profiled and discriminated against job candidates based on their African American sounding names. Now Ill be the first to admit that African American names are culturally unique; however, never assume the parents are uneducated when in fact, these names reflect the creativity and ingenuity of the culture. During slavery, African American children were given biblical names by the slave master, not the parents. As a result of heightening consciousness during the black power movement of the 1960s and 70s, black parents began giving their children names that reflected their African heritage and black pride names like Ebony, Imani, Naomi, Ayanna, Nia, Omarim, and Malik. Names ending in a, e, and i (na, wana, ia, ja, que, quisia, ine, ta, i) and other unique suffixes dominated, and thats how we ended up with names like Tangenika, Aniya, Amani, Lakeisha, Shaquetta, Asha, Lequetta, Unyquee (Unique), Janiya, and Seriyaki! How about the name Semaj, which is James spelled backwards! Over the past ten years, four of my track and football athletes were named Semaj. 70 of black children are born to unmarried parents. Young mothers sometimes give their sons a creative spelling of the fathers name. For example, Darrell has become Daryl, Darryl, Daryll, and Darill. Hip hop parents have named their children after cars, alcohol products, and clothing apparel.

Aug 19, Do you have roll call fear?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:59:11 GMT

How do you really feel about your students different names? Do you have preconceived, stereotypical ideas about your students based on the spelling or sound of their names? Do you associate socio-economic class and status with certain names? Do you think certain names imply low (or high) intelligence? We may not understand why our students were given certain names, but we have to respect our children and their parents just the same. After all, who would have imagined that a man named Barack Obama could have a legitimate run at the presidency? His different sounding name never prevented him from achieving his goals nor should our children's. Teachers, when you respect the name, you respect the child, his family, and his culture. Whatever your students' names, learn to pronounce them correctly and with respect. Here are a couple of ways to master difficult pronunciations: 1. As a homework assignment, go over all student names carefully. Dont let any names catch you by surprise. Call parents and respectfully ask them to help you with pronunciations. Write down the phonetic spelling to help you remember. If you tell parents you're asking for help because you don't want to embarrass the child in class, you'll have a parent on your side for life. 2. Rather than reading from the roll call sheet, have students introduce themselves first. (This is also a great first day of school icebreaker.) Listen carefully to how they pronounce their names. You can even repeat their names to make sure you get it right. 3. Privately, take aside students with challenging names and have them teach you the correct pronunciations. Believe me, they'll love teaching the teacher!

Aug 15, Motivating Students to Read

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:22:55 GMT

We found 2 great articles today on motivating students to read. Check them out... The title of John Hechinger's article in The Wall Street Journal says it all: "Problem: Boys Don't Like to Read. Solution: Books That Are Really Gross." This quote jumps out: "Scholastic and other publishers are heeding the research of such academics as Jeffrey Wilhelm, an education professor at Boise State University. Prof. Wilhelm tracked boys' reading habits for five years ending in 2005 and found that schools failed to meet their 'motivational needs.' Teachers assigned novels about relationships, such as marriage, that appealed to girls but bored boys. His survey of academic research found boys more likely to read nonfiction, especially about sports and other activities they enjoy, as well as funny, edgy fiction." Books are competing against the Internet, and with students, it looks like the Internet is winning. Should we just hold our nose and be thankful that they're at least reading, even though it's the web? In this article, "Literacy debate: Online r u really reading?" The International Herald Tribune looks at the web's challenge to literacy. Should we begin to respect web reading as a new type of literacy?

Aug 9, Post Traumatic Failure Syndrome

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:43:18 GMT

Coach Powell here. Teachers tell me they cant seem to keep up with the latest psychological labels that are forever being slapped on their students' records ADD, ADHD, ODD, etc. Each year the list seems to get longer and longer. Well, the label for today is PTFS, for "Post Traumatic Failure Syndrome. Never heard of it? Thats because I just made it up! Sometimes, when students are put back a grade or have to repeat a grade, they act out or just completely shut down instead of working harder to pass. Low grade depression, self-isolation during class, and low to no class participation are some of the symptoms and behaviors of PTFS. Frustrated teachers constantly ask me, "Why do they act this way? I know they're smart. They could pass if they wanted to." Could it be that the stigma of failure so damages a child that he or she can't function? PTFS completely shuts down intrinsic motivation. If the child does indeed feel betrayed by adults, any attempts to inspire and motivate will fall on deaf ears. But don't give up on the child! Never give up! Children want to believe in education. They want to trust their teachers, but it's possible they may feel that the system they trusted has failed them. Look at our language around this issue. We are quick to say, "The student failed." Why don't we ever say, "The system failed the student?" Feeling betrayed by the adults you trust is debilitating to a child, regardless of whether he/she's in third grade or 12th grade. Let us never forget that failing a grade is a traumatic, life changing event for students. Their friends may be laughing at them. They may be the biggest student in a class of younger students. And what about being referred to special education? It's humiliating. Whenever I work with repeaters, I turn my motivational communication on high. I tell them that this time they will become smarter, stronger, and better! I work on re-activating their intrinsic motivation, their determination and will to achieve. Take every opportunity to encourage your repeaters. Say, "Are you ready to make a comeback? Everyone loves the comeback kid!" Show them how to assume responsibility for their own rescue because they may not know how.