Technique 36: 100 Percent
"There is one acceptable percentage of students following a direction: 100 percent. Less, and your authority is subject to interpretation, situation, and motivation."
-Doug Lemov page 168 of Teach Like a Champion
Technique #36: 100 percent, is the idea that when teaching you must always have 100 percent compliance in your classroom. As a teacher you have to make 100 percent the standard, not the goal. Doug Lemov explains that teachers who do not regularly achieve "100 percent" become unaware if they are reaching full compliance or not. The first step in fixing behavioral problems is to notice and become aware. You have to look at what you are asking your students to do and if it is the most effective way to do so. Lemov gives an example of a teacher who raises her hand as a signal to get her class to quiet down and pay attention. The students are expected to quietly raise their hand and look at the teacher when they see this signal. If only three fourths of the classroom does this, the teacher has to ask them self if they should go on or wait until they have 100 percent compliance. If she goes on with her teaching without having every student in the class raise their hand and become quiet she is showing her students that they can get away with things. This is why you must look at what you are asking your students and figure out if there is a more effective way to do so. In the case of the hand raising signal the teacher could have asked her class for only silence it would be okay to proceed once the room was silent. When the students are expected to raise their hand and be quiet, they have four options of how to behave. They could raise their hand and be quiet, raise their hand and continue to make noise, become quiet but not raise their hand, or they could continue to make noise and also not raise their hand. When you only ask for silence, the students only have the choice between continue to talk or to be quiet.
This technique is made up of three principles. The first is to use the least invasive form of intervention. If the cost of getting 100 percent compliance in your classroom is constant disruptions to make sure all of your students are on task can actually stop progress of the task. The result of too many disruptions to keep people on task is no task. This is why you want to use the least invasive form of intervention. The six levels of intervention are (1) nonverbal intervention, (2) positive group correction, (3) anonymous individual correction, (4) private individual correction, (5) lightning-quick public correction, and (6) consequence. The goal is to be as close to level one as possible.
The next principle in the 100 percent technique is that achieving compliance is an exercise in purpose, not power. It is important to expect students to do something when you ask them to do so, however in the end it is not about you, it is about your students learning and their path to college. You can look at the two statements "I need your eyes on me so you can learn" and " I asked for your eyes on me because when I ask you to do something , I expect you to do it". The first statement is much more effective. Another thing to consider when thinking about how to phrase things is the importance of universality of your expectations. By not using a students name when stating your expectation you are stressing universality. Many teachers believe that it is their job to individualize every decision that they make to the specific needs of each student in each situation, however in behavioral expectations this can make the student feel picked on. Effective teachers reinforce their expectations with a bit of impersonality. Impersonality reminds your students that your decisions are not personal and have nothing to do with how you feel about the student.
The final principle that goes along with the 100 percent technique is to emphasize compliance you can see. Doug Lomov gives you a number of ways that you can emphasize compliance. The first idea that he gives you is to invent ways to maximize visibility. If you ask students to do things that you can see it is easier for you to see who has followed directions and who has not. For example instead of asking for attention from your students, you can ask them to please be quiet, put down their pencils, and look at you. When it is easy for you to see compliance in your students it is harder for them to not to comply. Another way to emphasize compliance is to be seen looking. When you ask for something you should be seen looking for it consistently. The next idea that Lomov gives you is to avoid marginal compliance. When looking for 100 compliance it is not just about whether or not a students do what you've asked but if they do it right. Some students will only complete a task as fully as you show you expect it completed. The final idea that Lomov gives you in his book is to leverage the power of unacknowledged behavioral opportunities. You can have your students practice following your directions. If you come up with an activity for them to do this while having fun they will not even realize that they are practicing.
-Doug Lemov page 168 of Teach Like a Champion
Technique #36: 100 percent, is the idea that when teaching you must always have 100 percent compliance in your classroom. As a teacher you have to make 100 percent the standard, not the goal. Doug Lemov explains that teachers who do not regularly achieve "100 percent" become unaware if they are reaching full compliance or not. The first step in fixing behavioral problems is to notice and become aware. You have to look at what you are asking your students to do and if it is the most effective way to do so. Lemov gives an example of a teacher who raises her hand as a signal to get her class to quiet down and pay attention. The students are expected to quietly raise their hand and look at the teacher when they see this signal. If only three fourths of the classroom does this, the teacher has to ask them self if they should go on or wait until they have 100 percent compliance. If she goes on with her teaching without having every student in the class raise their hand and become quiet she is showing her students that they can get away with things. This is why you must look at what you are asking your students and figure out if there is a more effective way to do so. In the case of the hand raising signal the teacher could have asked her class for only silence it would be okay to proceed once the room was silent. When the students are expected to raise their hand and be quiet, they have four options of how to behave. They could raise their hand and be quiet, raise their hand and continue to make noise, become quiet but not raise their hand, or they could continue to make noise and also not raise their hand. When you only ask for silence, the students only have the choice between continue to talk or to be quiet.
This technique is made up of three principles. The first is to use the least invasive form of intervention. If the cost of getting 100 percent compliance in your classroom is constant disruptions to make sure all of your students are on task can actually stop progress of the task. The result of too many disruptions to keep people on task is no task. This is why you want to use the least invasive form of intervention. The six levels of intervention are (1) nonverbal intervention, (2) positive group correction, (3) anonymous individual correction, (4) private individual correction, (5) lightning-quick public correction, and (6) consequence. The goal is to be as close to level one as possible.
The next principle in the 100 percent technique is that achieving compliance is an exercise in purpose, not power. It is important to expect students to do something when you ask them to do so, however in the end it is not about you, it is about your students learning and their path to college. You can look at the two statements "I need your eyes on me so you can learn" and " I asked for your eyes on me because when I ask you to do something , I expect you to do it". The first statement is much more effective. Another thing to consider when thinking about how to phrase things is the importance of universality of your expectations. By not using a students name when stating your expectation you are stressing universality. Many teachers believe that it is their job to individualize every decision that they make to the specific needs of each student in each situation, however in behavioral expectations this can make the student feel picked on. Effective teachers reinforce their expectations with a bit of impersonality. Impersonality reminds your students that your decisions are not personal and have nothing to do with how you feel about the student.
The final principle that goes along with the 100 percent technique is to emphasize compliance you can see. Doug Lomov gives you a number of ways that you can emphasize compliance. The first idea that he gives you is to invent ways to maximize visibility. If you ask students to do things that you can see it is easier for you to see who has followed directions and who has not. For example instead of asking for attention from your students, you can ask them to please be quiet, put down their pencils, and look at you. When it is easy for you to see compliance in your students it is harder for them to not to comply. Another way to emphasize compliance is to be seen looking. When you ask for something you should be seen looking for it consistently. The next idea that Lomov gives you is to avoid marginal compliance. When looking for 100 compliance it is not just about whether or not a students do what you've asked but if they do it right. Some students will only complete a task as fully as you show you expect it completed. The final idea that Lomov gives you in his book is to leverage the power of unacknowledged behavioral opportunities. You can have your students practice following your directions. If you come up with an activity for them to do this while having fun they will not even realize that they are practicing.