• Is clear, simple, and direct

• Is genuine and respectful

• Gives specific positive feedback rather than general praise

• Focuses on the child's action or behavior rather than generalizing about the child's whole person

• Avoids qualitative or personal judgment

• Shows faith in childrens abilities and potential

Once, I began to use the encouraging phrase "I notice" every time I saw appropriate behaviors, specifically identifying what I saw. Other encouraging phrases that I wrote in my plan book were "I hear…" and "I see…"

I also put key phrases up on the wall to help me remember the language I wanted to use. For example, I posted empowering phrases such as "Show me…," and "Remind me…" I involved the children in this process by telling them I was trying to learn a better way to talk to them and how the phrases on the wall were like notes to myself.

I encouraged the children to help me during this period of change. I said, "You can use these phrases with each other and remind me when I need to use them." I also tape-recorded myself and reviewed the tapes, analyzing my tone and words and the responses. In other words, I became proactive: I thought before I spoke, I practiced, reflected, and self-corrected.

The comment centered on my favorite quote from the movie Shall We Dance [I just noticed the subtitle: "A new comedy about following your own lead"], uttered by the character Susan Sarandon as Beverly Clark (emphasis mine):

"We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'."

Although the quote is referring to marriage, I think the need of a human being to be noticed, to be witnessed, to matter, is behind much of the popularity in all social media, and is captured - or projected - most acutely in Twitter. I don't mean to equate the Twitter follower / followee relationship with marriage - indeed, with most Twitter users having multiple followers and/or followees, this would be akin to an extreme case of polygamy - but I do believe that this quote captures the spirit of the ambient intimacy afforded by Twitter (and intended by its designers).

T.S. Eliot, sums this up in a quote that is short enough to fit in a Twitter post (or "tweet"):

To be of importance to others is to be alive.

Use your eyes. Say "I Notice" you. Watch kids come to life.

• The Complete Guide to Google Wave - I think this is going to be a great, real-time collaborative tool (and there's more than that under the hood).
• More Google, this time Google Fusion Tables - possibly the next best assessment tool.
• A great wiki full of resources on Student Engagement
• 6 Fantastic Resources for Twitter in Education by my pal, Dr. Z
• 7 Bad Writing Habits You (Probably) Learned in School - some of these may not actually be taught, but rather because of perceived expectations. Still, once recognized -- we may become better teachers and writers reading this piece

How do you use acronyms, particularly acronym creating in your classrooms?  And does anyone have an Acronym-pedia?  An Acronymtionary?  Wouldn't that be a fun project?

Here's a recent acronym I used to help explain how to G.R.O.W. learners (more on how I used it in a different piece):

What's your favorite acronym and how do you use it?

In my years as a classroom teacher -- busy with planning instruction, creating lessons, addressing a standard -- it is only after exploring learning success in a broader sense, that I really understood how to teach students to be successful learners and not just wish it upon them.

By understanding the anatomy of those who have achieved success, it has allowed me to turn encouragement into action and instruction.

For the successful learner, learning is not the end -- but the process they use to achieve goals and the feeling of pride and satisfaction in their accomplishments.  Learning literally has a different feel for them. It is not just a matter of going to school, listening to the teacher, and completing assignments on time. Not measured Instead, learning springs from within; is felt in their minds and hearts.

The successful learner is someone who learns how to learn in the fullest sense of the word.  They are heroes because they have taken their given talents and strengths and combined them with hard work, ambition, attitude to get where they are going.

One of the things I do with students is to have them build a dream team of thinkers and doers. Learning Heroes. While none of us can really be "like Mike" - we can find out and emulate

• work ethic
• study habits
• thought process
• energy focus
• other behavioral practices 

An example I give of my own is Albert Einstein. I love his thirst for knowledge, his practice of questioning, his child-like look at life, and his exuberance for discovery (think shoe shopping!)

Try it with your kids. Let them find their hero(s) -- their choice, not yours. Take your time with this exercise. Once they pick their hero(s), have them dive into what made them tick - and what made them successful.

I'll never be like Albert in my results - but I can be "like Albert" in my habits of learning -- by emulating the habits of his learning.

To Be a Champion, You Must Train Like a Champion"
-Author Unknown-

Every successful learner knows that if you want to be good at something, find someone who is better and learn from them. This timeless model of apprentice has been a successful training secret of all who have reached greatness. Even our wisest recognize the power of effective modeling; Aristotle kept a picture of Plato on his wall for guidance and inspiration.

I have studied winning champions and heroes from every field. Great philosophers and world leaders, professional athletes and top business executives, parents and teachers to reveal the secrets to their great success and achievements. You may be asking what an Olympic athletes gold medal or a scientist’s discovery has to do with teaching reading comprehension strategies, and my response is everything!

Success in reading is made of the same principles and ideals that success in all walks of life entails. With the breakthroughs in medical science, these invaluable pieces of wisdom have been confirmed through hard science. We are training the next generation of champions who will seek out positions of leadership and expertise. Whether their path leads them to world greatness or personal contentment, these traits of success are ageless and timeless and offer for our students hope and support in all they seek to accomplish. As teachers we seek personal, social, spiritual, and academic championship for our students. Learning how champions operate can guide us in supporting our student’s abilities to get there.

The difference between a successful learner and a learner who struggles does not lie in a score or percentile, but within the habits and attitudes -- Habitudes -- each learner possesses. Information that can guide you and the students in your classroom to true learning success may be found within the answers to the following questions. Take a few minutes to reflect upon them from both a teacher and a learners’ perspective. 

How would you respond to the following as a reader and a learner?

• How do successful learners define success?
• What is the most important thing you do to grow yourself as a learner?
• What do successful learners do that make them successful?
• What do successful learners do to maximize their efficiency?
• What hinders your success as a learner?
• What do you do to get over that obstacle?
• What do successful learners do when they are not motivated?
• What do successful learners do when they do not know the subject well?
• How does your attitude affect you as a learner?
• What do you attribute for your learning success?

Which question(s) strike home for your learning and teaching?

October 2009

• Are Your Students in Charge of Their Own Questioning?
• Professional Learning Together
• Discussion: Is Curiosity Valued in Your Classroom?
• IdeaPaint: Let Your Students Make Their Mark

October 2008

• Be Fearless!
• Poverty of Funds of Knowledge?
• Reading as an Act of Engagement
• Classroom Habitudes: Teaching 21st Century Learning Habits and Attitudes

October 2007

• Listen to Writing
• Reflecting on Reflection
• On Fire for Learning

Chalk Talk Friday represents conversations and brilliance I've discovered traversing my way through the Blogosphere.  From professional to personal development, these are the posts and links have in some way touched my head or my heart

• Why Content is No Longer King (And Who is Taking His Place) - An excellent piece at CopyBlogger. An excellent read for both writing and reading
• A new study shows the Top Reasons People Go Online. Look at four of the top five. Points towards Learning, yes?
• The Anytime, Anywhere Learning Foundation site is rich with ideas and resources for building 21st Century Literacy programs
• Same goes for the Internet4Classrooms Project Sites page
• KnowClue's Building Literacy for a Visually Rich World is a great resources for Media Literacy learning

A recent edition of Education Leadership is dedicated to helping you begin the conversation. The ENTIRE September issue (yes, that's right!) of Education Leadership: Teaching for the 21st Century  is a MUST READ for every school administrator, school board member, teacher, and parent...preferably side by side, so the conversations can be even more impacting.

I bring this issue everywhere I travel. It's that good (and that important). You can read it all online here. Enjoy!!!

I will be sharing how the articles have shaped conversations within the education and business world over the next several weeks. I would love to hear how these conversations are being mediated in your world! Do share!

From some of the highlights of the video:

• Today's teenagers are the model of how the web will work in five years - they jump from app(lication) to app to app seamlessly.
• "Real time information is just as valuable as all the other information, we want it included in our search results."
• Five years is a factor of ten in Moore's Law, meaning that computers will be capable of far more by that time than they are today.

The change is happening before (and right beside) our eyes. Do we have future vision? More thoughts on this later...

You can also watch the full 45-minute conversation at Gartner Symposium here. And don't miss the comments below the post (at this writing over 45 comments)

While it's (literally) a little bit of This and That, the ideation possibilities are endless.  Not just walls, but desks, cutouts on a section of wall...well, just watch these two videos and grab a brush.