Every Student Every Day

Every Student Every Day (or beware of the blurters)

One of the education mantras that I use with my teachers is "Every Student Every Day." This phrase was one that I initially had to tell myself as a teacher, but its power has been reinforced now that I am a principal observing classrooms.

When I taught high school, blurters dominated my classroom, and I was okay with that because the blurters were my best students. Blurters were the students eager to answer ... like Horshack with Mr. Kotter. I would ask a question or begin a discussion and two or three students would be eager to answer; I would call on them or let them shout out the answer. This worked well. I often ended class feeling really good about the lesson because students were engaged, they understood what I intended them to learn, and they were dutifully paying attention (or at least a few of them ... the blurters).

I realized that this was a problem when I forgot to take attendance until after class. Once the students left the classroom, I literally couldn't remember who (other than the blurters) were in my class a few minutes earlier ... so I guessed on the attendance, and I guessed wrong. 

Worse than incorrect attendance, I realized that I had no clue if the majority of students were intellectually present. Thus, my solution became "Every Student Every Day" (ESED). I have to admit that classes did not go as smoothly ... discussions became halting and difficult, and I couldn't count on the right answer when I called on a non-blurter. But, I knew that I was reaching and teaching a higher percentage of students.

So how can teachers reach ESED? ... of course, asking every student a question during the class period is one way, but there are so many more creative ways to reach ESED: entry (anticipatory set) questions, exit tickets, check-ins, pair-share, reading around the room, quick quizzes, and discussion circles are a few suggestions.

The Benefits of ESED

Formative Assessment -- One thing that I noticed after I began practicing ESED was how many of my students were not learning and needed reteaching. This is the essence and the importance of formative assessment, knowing if students are learning. While formative assessment is a huge topic worthy of a future blog post, an ESED policy is an essential key to formative assessment.

Building Relationships -- Teachers are mentors and role models for students. While some of this is inherent in the position, teachers who really want to impact the lives of their students need to connect with them daily. Unfortunately, we hear too often of students "falling through the cracks" or spending the day unnoticed. How amazing it would be if every student was guaranteed multiple conversations with adult role models every single day.

Improved Classroom Environment -- One of the classroom observation tools that I utilize is the ELEOT (effective learning environments observation tool), developed by AdvancEd. It is amazing how the practice of ESED improves the overall classroom environment. The classroom learning environment is equitable, supportive, and active; teachers are able to monitor learning and provide feedback to help all students succeed. The ELEOT almost fills itself out when a teacher embraces an ESED perspective.

It may seem like a very simple suggestion, but ESED transforms a classroom environment, improves teacher/student relationships, and improves learning.  If you are a teacher, give it a shot!

If you are an administrator, try to connect with every teacher every day (something that I need to work on).