10 Classroom Procedures that Will Save Your Sanity - Teach 4 the Heart The difference between a good procedure and a bad procedure is the difference between “everything is running fairly smoothly” and “this is driving me nuts. I’m gonna’ pull my hair out.” Sometimes it’s easy to think of a procedure, and other times, a question will have us stumped for years. Take pencils for example. They’re these little lead things, y’know. They shouldn’t cause so much trouble. But I’ve spent years trying to figure out how to keep my kids supplied with pencils. Until I finally heard an idea this summer that just might work! So with school starting soon and procedures on everyone’s mind, I thought I’d share a few procedures that have worked well for me – and a couple awesome ideas I’ve run across since I’ve stepped out of the classroom (like that pencil thing….) 10 Classroom Procedures that Will Make Things Run More Smoothly Tell kids they can’t use the restroom. So there you have it – 10 procedures to help things go more smoothly this year. But wait there’s more!
Plickers Exit Tickets What do you get when you cross response clickers with QR codes? Wait for it…. Plickers! Plickers is a free, totally innovative, web-based tool that combines the best of response clickers and QR codes. How Plickers Works Plickers works somewhat like traditional handheld clicker systems. To understand how it works, take a look at the sample Plickers card below. You can download a set of these cards for free from the Plickers website, but be forewarned that they take a lot of ink to print. Plickers K-5 Facebook Group I love exploring the features of Plickers and discovering new ways to use it! Assessing Prior Knowledge – Use Plickers to find out what your students know about a topic or their proficiency with a particular skill before you introduce that lesson or unit. Plickers Made Easy with Task Cards Have I convinced you to try Plickers? If this all sounds confusing, don’t worry. Ready-to-Use Task Card Images Using Task Cards for Whole Group Formative Assessment
Classroom Behavior Management Site Safe harbor for 'Captains of the Classroom' Click the ship's wheel for a welcome message from Dr. Mac A warm & hearty welcome to you! You've reached this granite planet's most visited and respected classroom behaviour management web site. The United Federation of Teachers says of www.BehaviorAdvisor.com: "A wild, witty and highly practical site for educators challenged by student (mis)behavior. As a Thank You! In order for the procedure to work, you must be signed into Facebook when you click here. Somehow, over 1100 "likes" disappeared. What's New at BehaviorAdvisor? Daily behaviour management tips & discussion on our facebook page (search for Behavior Advisor) 2. An instrument for assessing an errant youngster's readiness for positive behavio(u)r change, & A manual of interventions for moving him/her toward willingness and motivation to change. A character assessment instrument based on the Circle of Courage model for re-orienting youngsters with severe behavioral disorders. 5. 1. 2. 3.
Educational Archives - ThinkingIQ Exit Slips Exit slips are great tools for students to reflect on their learning experience. We created a large variety of engaging exit slips to assess students’ understanding of a subject or lesson as well as a communication resource between students and teachers. These exit slips are versatile and can be used for any subject. They are designed for use in the classroom, homeschool and at home by parents to have students share what they are learning in school. Exit slips promote: -Learning reflection -Critical Thinking -Informal learning assessment -Communication about learning Product details: -9 pages of exit slips -27 different exit slips -Includes: Report card reflection slip, Test reflection slip, Project reflection slips, and a variety of other exit slips To download a preview of free exit slip cards or purchase all 27 Exit Slips, please visit our Teachers Pay Teachers Store. Behavior Reflection and Apology Letter Your child isn’t perfect! Weekly Exit Slips Journal your way to genius!
5 Tips for Creating Real Rapport With Your Students As a special education teacher, I often have the opportunity to work with students who many of my colleagues find...let's say, difficult to work with. On my worst days I get frustrated by how it often seems that classroom teachers are at a loss when students don't fit their expectations. Building rapport is hard work. We can't assume that the old "respect me because I am the teacher" model will work for all of our students, or even most of them these days. So, how do we build meaningful connections with our students so that they can get the most from their experience with education? Always Greet Every Student You Pass in the Hall Depending on your personality and the size of the school you work at, this might seem obvious or ridiculous. On that note, even though I just said to "fake it", you really do need to be genuine when you are greeting the students. Find Something to Like About Every Student You Work With First off, try to remember that it probably isn't you that they don't like.
19 Big and Small Classroom Management Strategies The year I started teaching seventh- to twelfth-grade English in Minneapolis, Prince launched his song about urban ruin, "Sign o' the Times." That song was an apt musical backdrop for the lives of my students, most of whom lived in poverty and challenged me daily. That year also afforded me the opportunity to be assaulted with a stone, two chairs, a Rambo knife, a seventh-grade girl's weak jab, and dozens of creative swear words. Big Strategies: Fundamental Principles of Classroom Management 1. A hypnotist's first induction technique often involves directing subjects to focus on something they're already doing. Teachers, like hypnotists, can string along a series of requests by asking students to do something most are already doing, then waiting for 100-percent compliance, and finally issuing another directive, etc. 2. When a rule is broken, assign the smallest consequence possible and see if that gets the job done. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Students sometimes miss the obvious.
The 7 Skills Students Must Have For The Future Are students prepared for the future? Are they graduating ready to innovate? What are some of the skills students should have in order to have a successful future? Those are some of the questions Tony Wagner (follow him on Twitter @DrTonyWagner ) answers in a powerful talk all about the skills students must have for the future. During the half-hour talk, Wagner talks about the “global achievement gap” which is essentially the divide between what our best schools are teaching and what’s actually needed in the future. The Skills Students Must Have So if you’re not able to sit down and watch the full video below, here’s a quick rundown of the student skills Wagner recommends. Critical thinking and problem-solving Collaboration across networks and leading by influence Agility and adaptability Initiative and entrepreneurialism Effective oral and written communication Accessing and analyzing information Curiosity and imagination The Video The PowerPoint Presentation A Quick Aside
Teachers Use Compassion To Boost Attendance At Gwinnett School | WABE 90.1 FM This story is part of WABE and American Graduate's Advancing Atlanta: Education series. For more stories, click here. Of all the problems facing public schools, one that has stumped educators for years is how to get kids to show up. But Richards Middle School in Gwinnett County seems to have found a way to get kids excited about coming to class. Hear the broadcast version of this story. Going from ‘Not Bad’ to ‘Very Good’ For some kids, middle school can be that awkward space that comes after the comfort of elementary school and before the freedom of high school. “Middle school was such, such a terrible experience for me, and I did not make good decisions,” says Mark McCain, principal at Richards Middle School. “Our student pass rate was only at, like 72 or 73 percent,” he says. Richards is a Title I school. “I was looking, in fact, at January, and we had a 99 percent attendance rate for our students,” McCain says. A Nontraditional Approach Teachers Lead the Way
Setting Classroom Expectations Put 20 to 30 children in a room for six hours a day, and things will occasionally get a little rowdy. But if a classroom is consistently out of control, that will have a negative impact on student learning outcomes and the stress level of the teacher. There is a way for teachers to take control up front: by setting clear classroom expectations. According to ASCD, setting clearly defined parameters for classroom behaviors accounts for 25% of the factors that affect classroom discipline. Defining and communicating classroom expectations will help students develop mature social skills, learn more, and will create an overall classroom atmosphere that’s welcoming and safe for everyone. Expectations For Students Setting classroom expectations and developing learning goals collaboratively puts students at the center of the learning process. It’s important that teachers understand and develop two kinds of classroom expectations: behavior expectations and learning expectations. Setting An Example
skills for todays learners