1. Begin with a Smile!

Wear a life-loving grin to reduce the level of anticipation and fear in your classroom. The result of a genuine smile is an increased level of student participation and interest. A warm smile invites your students to risk more and become eager participants in the learning process. A genuine smile creates a feeling that you care and they count. That’s a winning combination. Forty percent of the time you think you’re smiling, but really you aren’t! Glance in the mirror often to see what your face is saying. Remember to turn that frown upside down... it adds to your face value!

Do It... Place a BIG sign at the back of your room that says SMILE. It will serve as a constant reminder to add a little sunshine to each student’s day by adding a life-loving grin to your face. Appoint a student to serve as your smile monitor to remind you to SMILE. You’ll feel better for it. Your students will too! For added value, smile with your eyes. Whether from your lips or your eyes, a true smile must first come from within. Stop a moment and think how great it makes you feel when someone shares a genuine smile with you. Your students need you and your caring smile. Make a life shine by sharing a smile today.

2. Sell the Sizzle!

Your students want to know at the beginning of each lesson how this information can help them meet their needs today or in the near future. Answering this critical question to each student’s satisfaction is crucial to insure complete and wholehearted student participation in the lesson. At the beginning of each lesson, tell students in specific and measurable terms how the lesson will benefit their growth. Focus first on the WHY, the sizzle. Then give them the WHAT, the steak. When you give a big enough WHY, your students will learn because the lesson will meet their needs. Then all you need to do is get out of the way as the learner moves forward.

Do It... Selling the sizzle is not as easy as it may sound. It takes time and thought. The essential question which you must answer for yourself first is: Why is it important to teach this lesson? If you can not answer this question for yourself, then do not even attempt to teach the lesson because you will never make it sizzle. Once you move beyond this issue, ask yourself key questions as you plan the lesson: what specific student needs can be met with this lesson? what examples can I give to make the WHY of the lesson come alive? when can the students apply what they are learning and where? how will this help students meet the challenges of their lives? Sizzle selling saves time, energy, and effort because students see the importance of learning.