Be right and know you're right

There are lots of things I am always saying to my kids.  I guess whatever is important, I will repeatedly say.

One of my sayings, that caught one of my student's attention enough to make a poster of it was: "I want you to be right and know that you are right."  I have a student that made me this poster.  I will be putting it up on my side wall.  This is the wall for all my important sayings.

I believe the most important Behavior of Intelligence is Passionately Striving for Accuracy.  I believe all other Habits of the Mind(see Lee Canter's Habits of the Mind) are dependent on and affected by this one(see Posters).  Another Habit of the Mind is Flexibility.  One definition of Flexibility is, doing the problem more than one way.  I often show my students how to do a problem more than one way.  This allows them to do a problem multiple ways, knowing that if the same answer is arrived at, the student can have more confidence that their answer is correct.  I want them to be right and know that they are right.

A student can not be impulsive and flexible at the same time.  Many students simply want to get done when they are doing their homework.  I want all of my students to take the problems in their homework seriously.  I want them to practice with a strong desire to get the problems correct and be willing to do more than they need to do, to make sure they are correct.  I DO NOT WANT MY STUDENTS TO PRACTICE BEING SLOBS!!!  I tell them that if they spend 12 years practicing like a slob, they will probably end up being a slob.  This requires each student to demonstrate Flexibility, Manage Impulsivity and Passionately Striving for Accuracy... to name 3 Habits of the Mind.

I believe the most important Learning Skill(see Posters) is Intentional Precision.  I believe that this skills is foundational to all other learning skills... just like Passionately Striving for Accuracy is foundational to all other Habits of the Mind.  Here is where the successful student's habit of passionately striving for accuracy shows up as a skill.  This skill enables students to develop habits, routines, systems, procedures, .... whatever it takes to be right and know they are right.  This is such a HUGE skill.

Once a student is at the place of believing they can learn and wanting to learn, this is the biggest habit and skill I think my students need to develop.  I see it all the time.  I see students that learn the material and still get problems wrong.  I know I need to teach my student more than understanding a concept.  I need to teach them how to algebraically solve the problem.  I also need to teach them Intentional Precision as they are practicing their homework, so they practice getting the problems right and knowing that they are right.

This is an entire, belief system, desire system, emotional system, commitment system, skill system and habit system.  Once a student gets here, they are ROCK STARS!!  I want to do all I can to help my students get to this place.   I WANT ALL OF MY STUDENTS TO PRACTICE BEING RIGHT AND KNOWING THAT THEY ARE RIGHT.

I've heard it said, "You are what you eat!"  I say, "You are what you practice!"

For example, when I teach my students how to solve equations, I also teach them how to check their work.  I require my students to be able to solve the problem, then double check by substituting their answer in for the variable and simplify to make sure their answer is correct.  They need to finish with a SMILEY FACE, showing me that they are right and they know they are right.

Practice doesn't make you perfect... but perfect practice sure gets you closer.

'I can teach all students through Christ who strengthens me.'

Day 24