This Study Guide is a tool to accompany the second edition of What Great Teachers Do Differently: Seventeen Things That Matter Most by Todd Whitaker. A practical resource for educators examining what great teachers do that sets them apart from others, this book focuses on the beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and commitments that positively impact teaching and learning in our classrooms and our schools.
Note to Facilitators: If you are conducting a book study group, seminar, or professional development event, this Study Guide also serves as a road map to help you organize your sessions and work with your group. It provides assistance to staff developers, principals, team leaders, college professors, and other educational leaders who are working with teachers as they develop their professional skills.
What Great Teachers Do Differently: Seventeen Things That Matter Most is a slender, but powerful book. It is not a book comprised of hard scientific data, detailed assessment rubrics, or esoteric theories. Instead, it is a book that clearly, concisely, and accurately informs teachers what our most effective teachers do on a daily basis. Put simply, this text is a book that teachers can put to use—immediately. This guide, therefore, is written in a way that allows the participant not only to read and understand essential concepts, but also to take these back into their classrooms and schools and put them to immediate use.
Each part of this book corresponds to one or two chapters of What Great Teachers Do Differently. To help you plan and organize your study sessions, each part is divided into the following five sections:
♦ Key Concepts: These summaries of the key points of each chapter in the book will help you review and focus your thoughts.
♦ Discussion Questions: These questions and ideas help you learn more about yourself and your colleagues and will aid constructive conversation in the study group, workshop, or classroom setting.
♦ Journal Prompt: Based on the specific contents of each chapter, the journal prompts help you reflect, work through essential issues, and record what you have learned in writing.
♦ Group Activities: These activities allow you to explore concepts and ideas further by interacting with others in your study group, workshop, or classroom.
♦ Application: This section provides strategies for applying what you have learned in your school.
The authors would like to thank Jeff Zoul for his assistance in the preparation of these materials.