TECHNIQUE # 52: Make Compliance Visible
Expecting students to comply with requests, immediately and in a visible way upholds the teachers standards of behavioral expectations. Instead of narrating to students, “Ok, in 3 seconds we’re going to stop writing and discuss what you’ve written”; delineate the physical tasks you expect them to demonstrate; “In 4, 3, 2, 1, everyone, pencils down, eyes on me”. Give clear, strong physical direction to students, use Radar and Be Seen Looking, ascertain that you have 100% compliance, (that’s right, TLAC® demands nothing less than 100%!). Now, give instruction for the next task to 100% of the students. Here’s a great short clip that demonstrates the potential effectiveness of Make Compliance Visible:
The “Visible Reset“, demonstrated in this video, brings student attention, intentionally and fully back to the teacher. It’s recommended to do this, on average, three times during a lesson. Here are the basic guidelines:
- Give an observable direction
- Use Radar #51
- Stand in Perch (corner of the classroom while scanning)/Be Seen Looking #51
- Narrate/Praise the follow through of at least two students who’ve done, right away and successfully, what the teacher has asked. Fix or improve at least one student if compliance is even slightly questionable. This sets expectations higher, engendering more masterful behavioral management.
Assigning commendations to students who comply right away is genius teacher advice. Everyone wants praise; ideally, everyone wants to be a part of the group. Increasing the amount and type of accountability implicitly makes the ones who would test the boundaries of compliance or the non-conformers more likely to comply. Make Compliance Visible helps increases the normalcy of following explicit directions in the classroom. The more visible and specific you can make the act of compliance the better; 
here are examples from the text, (p.394)¹.:
- “Pencils in the tray”, instead of, “Pencils down”
- “Books open in front of you”, instead of, “Books out”
- “I want to see pencils moving”, instead of, “You should be writing”
I like the permission to not be hesitant in keep behavioral standards high. “If you don’t enforce marginal compliance, you risk undercutting the veracity of your expectations more broadly.”¹. Here’s one final video; interesting to watch, in that it features two Uncommon Schools teachers are practicing potential Make Compliance Visible situations…
Moving into the final chapters of 
the Map: Floors’ (see The Missing Link? page in the blog side bar menu). TLAC classrooms, as a rule, align student desks in rows. This topic could become another entire blog… Assuming that students desks are in rows, there are two Radar positions. ‘Swivel‘ and ‘Perch‘.
Be Seen Looking Dance Moves: 
It Again 
pass out worksheets, responsibly participate in a paired discussion? “…as a simple and low-impact “consequence” for nonproductive behavior, as a tool for inculcating a culture of “always better”…”,(p.373)¹. There were some salient points and some rather obvious helpful hints. What is clearly important is that there has to be some dedication and commitment from the teacher herself/himself in order for the systematization of routines to become a reality. A serious commitment; a lot of this speaks to the beginning of the school year. Here is an amazing video clip from Uncommon Schools teacher Sarah Ott demonstrating 
with he following precepts in place:
The online discussion that follows below the video is a very dynamic virtual dialogue on systematizing procedure and teachers’ reactions to its successes and challenges in the classroom. I’m working toward understanding the level of 
In the name of efficiency, literally & ironically, referring to the “techniques”, Engineer Efficiency & Strategic Investment, are ambitious and encompass the scope and sequence of an entire working system throughout the school year. A lot of the content, between the two, has been discussed in previous chapters and techniques. What’s always refreshing about 
they develop under the guise of assuming command and comfort of tasks that take up time on the clock, (especially if you are dealing with a particularly difficult group). These are hard, yet, real truths:
Identify tasks that should be simple and are not directly connected to instruction and learning. Here’s the moment in the blog post where you evaluate just
this task. Starting in the immediate left hand corner of the room; select one student to distribute paper by handing out enough material for their row or group and passing on the remainder to a student in the next row or group. Encourage students (per seating arrangements) to remain seated.
(literally post-its) key phrases for yourself that you want to implement into lesson. Promts for writing, Sentence starter ideas, the amount of time to use on a particular activity, etc.
Number the Steps: Here, literally suggesting that housekeeping or transition tasks be numerated verbally, “One”, “Two, second step”, “Three, finally…”. Eventually, you drop the numeration and students know the drill.
practicality with the curse and the excuse to put it off until the next school year: “At the beginning of the school year….or…during the first few weeks of school”. Bullocks. You can begin again at any moment and 
*Reset after an extended break/vacation
text, labeled as such, seems incredibly redundant and somewhat pedantic. Both of these “techniques”, (and not really techniques, but rather, generalized practices in methodology). This is where formal pedagogy breaks down and certainly, the novice teacher becomes overwhelmed. Or, in terms of professional development, how veteran attentions waver and dissipate when the “topic” or source loses sight of practical application. What a colossal task to develop a cohesive, articulate, concise “technique” that efficiently describes how to “engineer efficiency” and one to provide an overview of how to strategically implement systems over the course of a school year!?! In a single “technique”; ambitiously labeled?!? Contents best left interspersed throughout the chapters with practical tips and examples.
According to the Professional Learning Board, LLC, in a series of blog posts and discussion forums, ‘What is SLANT Strategy and How does it Improve Student Achievement?’; it does so by “…creating a behavior incorporating the conscious use of positive body language.”. Additionally, it establishes preventative measures against slouching, fidgeting (?!), doodling, etc. (
everywhere, not just in Uncommon Schools. I’d never heard of the KIPP Schools, where this behavioral strategy originated, AND fell into a mine field of online research vis a vis KIPP school philosophy. The criticism concerning the KIPP school philosophy, not necessarily directly related to
The criticism of charter, independent schools in urban districts runs the gamut of pedagogical scrutiny. TLAC® techniques are often disparaged and denounced as being to regimental, un-caring or un-feeling, “teaching to the test”, “no-excuses”; it goes on and on. Certainly there has been a definite movement away from parochial or let’s say, military school methodology over the past four decades; but I do believe that a second look at or a return to
found a variety of video clips that differ in execution. 
collect, as mine frequently are. Posture, comportment and eye contact are stressed throughout this section. Reminding students to have a “firm handshake”, encourages self esteem and professionalism. You can also build in some interspersed personal comments, “nice hair” or “thanks for tucking in your shirt”. Here is a video clip of a very informal use of Threshold; I feel like the number of students in this classroom is alarming; as well, I’m not sure how to interpret the fist and elbow bumping. The momentum is there however, the teacher greeting students at the door is always a symbol of formality.
This is a tried and true, “old school” Teach Like a Champion® technique. It is what it proclaims and implemented effectively, promotes great discussion and writing activity in the classroom. ‘
chart or assigned seats. Natural selection seating (students picking their own seating) is NOT a responsibility that they can objectively handle. Choosing your own seat at a basketball game, in the cafeteria, or the movie theater; this is the appropriate time to let personal choice for young folks enter, sometimes. Prearranged partners should be unmistakable, sitting side by side so conversations can begin with out shuffling chairs, moving around the room or discussion. At the very least, partners remain partners throughout the class period; ideally, maintaining consistent pairs through out a unit or grading period.
puzzlement,suspense, etc. Teachers should make students aware of the stopwatch/timer and state: “Ok, now Turn and Talk. Go!”. Marking the beginning of this task with “GO!” always adds import and expectation. To ensure that both students are engaged, at the midway point, insert and “OK, Switch” to signal the pair that whomever started speaking is now going to the listener. Some teachers use a clapping or snapping cue to manage the switch. Students should perceive the Turn and Talk to be relevant, rigorous not just obligatory.
as much efficiency as it began is critical as well. The end of a Turn and Talk should be signaled with a timer, you may insert a very short verbal countdown and immediately delve into unpacking the paired sessions. “…Your use of specific [time] increments shows that your time allocation is careful, specific, and intentional. It tells students that time and its careful use matter to you, and should matter to them.”,(p.329)¹. I don’t care for the contradictory section ‘Crest of the Wave’ that the editors poorly decided to insert. This “relevatory” piece of evidence encourages the teacher to instinctively time your Out-Cue “so that the Turn and Talk “…ends at the crest of interest and energy, not as it peters out.”¹. Replete with a curved line graph and image of a tsunami-like cresting wave. What is the point of the timer!? Should the teacher renegotiate when the stopwatch goes of when he or she gets the feeling that the conversation is waning?! I’m confused. I will most certainly stick with the stopwatch and appear consistent toward the parameters I’ve given the class to Turn and Talk.
activities in any World Languages classroom; like wise in any content area. I would most like use smaller chunks of time if student were attempting to discuss in the target language or new material. Peer to peer communication, truly needs to be regulated and have tons of structure in order for it to be done responsibly and not digress. The one major, critical piece of methodology advice best gleaned from here is assigned seating, assigned seating, and again, assigned seating. But here, I digress.
The simple and yes, fundamental, skill of speaking loudly, I feel, is an essential skill that all students should be encouraged to develop. Time and time again, in the video clips available to view through the Teach Like a Champion® website, teachers consistently and unemotionally ask students to “speak up”; of import, they do NOT say “speak up”. Simply by stating 
Through the consistent use of 
of the student that spoke before them, but also to use their name. I like this; is gives discussion more eloquence, it’s very Socratic, and it disciplines the students to “lock in” on the people they should be listening to and acknowledging. “…an often overlooked detail that improves discussions is the practice of of expecting (and reminding) students to use one another’s names. Subtle interruptions, steering students toward this habit, “
Follow-on prompting is a means to train students in discussions to listen and pick up on the previous speakers statements.
the previous speaker by framing or linking their comment with the following 
It is interesting to note that of all the “Ratio” chapters: Building Ratio Through Questioning, Building Ratio Through Writing, and now, Building Ratio Through Discussion, Doug Lemov communicates that ‘Questioning’ and ‘Writing’ are far more important and should take prevalence over discussion activities in the classroom. “Minutes in a classroom are finite, and there is always opportunity cost to any activity…the power is in the equilibrium between writing, questioning, and discussion rather than in the choice of one. But, if I had to choose just one, I would choose writing. Hammering an idea into precise words and syntax…”, (p.314)¹. One might argue that in a Modern Language classroom, the need for discussion, actual use of the target language is perhaps the predominant skill to develop; shifting the focus from writing to conversation. However, post-secondary oriented training and goals, more often than not, lead to the college bound student to aim more toward perfecting writing skills.
Two great writing strategies that could almost be integrated as one. As I’ve stated in previous posts, writing in the World Language classroom, sustained, complex writing, is typically, not high on the hierarchy of skills executed during class. The level and quantity of writing that students are capable of producing, say in a Spanish I or II class differs dramatically from what the same students are capable of writing in their English, Social Studies or Science classes. The same argument might be put forth for Math classrooms; the instances of sustained writing tasks decreases, simply because of the content area.
In Advance: In order to avoid large spaces of unproductive writing time, teachers can do the following to
for the teacher prior to a 
to become a reality gradually. Using Art of the Sentence #38 to begin the school year can eventually evolve into Build Stamina over the course of time. Start out with smaller chunks of time initially. 3minutes, becomes 4mins, etc. Lemov prescribes: “I might encourage a teacher I was working with to use an Art of the Sentence prompt in just about every lesson and a stamina-based prompt every couple of days.”,(p.302)¹.
novel; training students and ourselves to think of discussion “as a tool to revise and amend, ” our original opinions. After reading, and 
What is of particular importance, in my opinion is, how, you execute Show Call. While our goals are 
controversy. There are three basic Take strategies: Random, Direct, and Private.
work, not a perfect textbook sample, emphasizes the ongoing importance of revision. “The way you “reveal” written work to the class frames the way students interpret it and sets the tone for the rest of the
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