Welcome to the New Teacher Training Academy
* The First Seven Seconds *
Goal:
The teacher will be able to understand the impact of first impressions
and the four essential
qualities needed to draw students toward the teacher and learning
Of the very first day
When we see our students for the first time, we may not realize the
critical important the first seconds of contact.
Yet, the truth of the matter is that the first seven
seconds we have with students have immediate and lasting effects.
Understanding the reality
of the first seven seconds can help us prepare and can alter the entire year
with students.
Therefore, if we intend to
get off to a good start and have a good year, we would be wise
to consider the following.
The
research is very clear.
Roger Ailes is one of the world’s leading experts on communication. He
has advised presidents. He has counseled
some of the most
successful Fortune 500 business professionals regarding how to improve
communication skills.
And he has been CEO of both CNBC and America’s Talking.
For almost three decades, his influence has grown,
and now its dimensions are vast. The advice of Roger Ailes
should not be discounted by professional educators.
Ailes says that the
truths of good communication are available to all of us. And foremost
among these truths are his
findings on “the first seven seconds” He reminds us
that the research is very clear: We start to make up our minds
about other people
immediately--within the first seven seconds of meeting them. Ailes says it’s
a very primitive
action, but
“consciously or unconsciously, we’re signaling to other people what our true
feelings are” when we have
contact with them.
And we are sending a message regarding “what we really want to have happen in
an encounter”
or in our
relationships with them.
Therefore, in the first seven seconds, we begin to say things to ourselves
which have lasting impact.
For instance, we ask ourselves, “Do I need to be alarmed by this person? Is this a good person? Is he or she friendly?
What are the
intentions of this person?” In effect, we rapidly go through a series of
options and “arrive at” and “settle
on” a general
perception of that person. Without doubt, students do the same with us. If we do not think so, we are
mistaken. And this
is one mistake that may prove costly to both us and our students.
After the first seven seconds,
we just process our perceptions.
There is a second truth. Ailes
says that once the first seven seconds have passed, it’s extremely
difficult to reverse
that first impression. This reality can have catastrophic
consequences for teachers who don’t understand the signals
they send to
students. “After that initial seven seconds,” Ailes says, “we are just
fine-tuning everything that we
perceived.” If
later behavior doesn’t fit with positive first impressions, we ask ourselves,
“Gee, I liked him before.
Why don’t I like
him now?” However, we try to make our later impressions conform to a
framework of the decisions
we made in the
first seven seconds. For teachers, this second truth is very important. If
students’ first reaction is to
distrust us or
believe that we are unfair or uncaring, it’s going to be hard to change their
minds. However, when we
come across as
enthusiastic, caring, and genuine in the first seven seconds, the seeds we
want to sow are planted.
Ailes’ third truth emphasizes
the need for the ability to make students comfortable. He insists this
is the number one
talent of all great communicators. Students should be able
to look into our eyes and immediately know we like them
and, therefore, wouldn’t do anything to hurt them. When
such is the case, we will automatically produce an ineffable
quality: likeability. Ailes calls likeability the “magic
bullet.” If students like us, they will forgive just about anything
we do wrong. However, he says likeability is hard to
define.
To be considered likable, one must exhibit four enduring characteristics: integrity, respect for others, trustworthiness,
and honesty. What is more, likable people tend to be
optimists, which makes sense. After all, it’s hard to like anyone
who responds by
saying, “horrible” when asked, “How was your day?” But Ailes says the most important element
shared by people
who are liked is that they like other people and
genuinely care about the well-being of others. This
characteristic, liking other
people, makes them likable. He
also insists that, in general, people who try too hard to be
likable normally aren’t.
Therefore, our task on the first day is to be
ourselves and make sure students know our
intent
is to open doors of opportunity for them allowing them to
be Self-Learners and Life-Long Learners.
The Master Teacher knows there are four essential
qualities we must master.
The Master Teacher doesn’t discount the importance
of beginnings. And the first seconds of class are among the
most important of all. To deliver the message we want, we
must master what Ailes considers to be four essential and
critical qualities. First
and foremost, we must be prepared.
Students must have confidence that we know what we are
talking about and
know that we’ve prepared ourselves to teach them.
Second, The Master
Teacher knows we must have the ability to make
students comfortable and safe with us,
their classmates, and what we are teaching. We need to
recognize that teachers who are comfortable and make students
comfortable don’t overreact
to events by being negative, getting uptight, or blowing up. Keeping emotions in
check
helps make
students feel comfortable and safe being with us.
Third, The Master
Teacher believes we must be committed. Ailes says commitment is critical because when we
care, we perform at a higher level. Finally, The Master
Teacher is aware that we must be interesting and
enthusiastic.
We must use our individuality and creativity. After all,
an interesting and enthusiastic teacher stimulates students’
curiosity and passion for learning. It all begins with the first seven seconds.
Welcome to the New Teacher Training
Academy North Central Association Accreditation and
School
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