Learning
"Force yourself to rephrase every sentence, question, and thought in which you use a form of the words teach, teaching, or teacher to use a form of the words learn, learning, or learner." Instead of asking yourself how you can teach Johnnie, ask:
"What is the best way for Johnnie to learn long division?"

"You can teach students anything, but it does not mean they have learned a thing."

Student Learning Plan
Shift the focus from you to the student, from teaching to learning. How will the student demonstrate understanding of ________________? Not, "How will I teach this?" but "How will the student learn __________ and demonstrate a thorough understanding of it?"

Discover or Uncover
"Cover" is the deadliest term of all. "As long as you cover curriculum, you will not be able to establish an active, energized learning environment." Eliminate phrases such as, "I have to cover fractions before Christmas Break" or "Next week I will cover plants." We can cover anything, but that doesn't guarantee that the students learned anything.

"Covering content or curriculum is like putting a lid on a pot. We shouldn't be putting a lid on the pot; students should be taking the lid off the pot and figuring out what's in it and why." (1992, White quoted in Page 212)

Investigation or Exploration
"Can you think of a more boring or inactive word than unit? Find an action word to put in its place. It needs to be a word that conveys in some way the central learning activity. Which word suggests critical thinking - unit or investigation? Which word naturally leads to questioning and problem solving?

Interactive Learning Experience
When you ask students to make a presentation on something they have learned, you will be putting the entire class into the position of being receivers (at best) of information in a passive environment.

Students can learn, just as much as teachers can, that there are ways to get the entire class involved, participating, and learning. Students and teachers know how very boring a string of presentations can be! "Explain to students that they are now experts in the topic and their job is to think of an activity that they can conduct with the rest of the class that will allow the class members to be actively involved in learning about the topic." (Consider the age of your students. Fourth graders can do this as successfully as high school students.)

Socioeconomic Factors and Achievement
"Socioeconomic factors never have and never will preclude high achievement... With the right in-class interventions, traditionally low achievers can significantly out-achieve their high socioeconomic status counterparts." (page 73 of Results by Schmoker)

Just one of hundreds of case studies: Wesley Elementary School in Houston, Texas is an inner-city school with 99% minority and 82% poverty, yet they rank among the best 12 schools in all of Houston. "First graders place in the 82nd percentile, fully 50 percentile points higher than their socioeconomic counterparts." (page 73 of Results by Schmoker)
(They get these results by using direct instructional methods: clear, sequenced instruction and feedback provided on an organized schedule... where students are moved along toward mastery.) *How is the Mastering Math Package organized? Exactly like this!