Khan Academy More Positive, Not Punitive, Classroom Management Tips This article is adapted from Larry's new book, Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation. In the previous excerpt from this book, I shared some specific strategies for positive classroom management. Here are a few more. Reminder of Moral Values Behavioral economist Dan Ariely found in one experiment that if people are reminded of their moral values, they are far less likely to cheat. In his study, they were reminded of the Ten Commandments. A variation of this study can be applied if a teacher knows that a substitute will be coming the next day. In my experience, I have always found a clear difference in student behavior between when I do this kind of reminder and when I do not. Light Touches Studies have shown that a supportive touch on the shoulder can result in a student being twice as likely to volunteer in class than if he or she did not receive that touch. Choice and Ownership People are more motivated when they have more control over their environment.
Math Video - Time-saving Math Help Study Your Way Easy Help. Fun Teachers. Expert teachers who know their stuff bring personality & fun to every video. All Concepts Explained. Most textbook topics are clearly explained in concise videos. Sample Problems Solved. Watch expert teachers solve sample problems to develop your skills. New Pedagogies For the Digital Age 15 Habits For Learning In The 21st Century 10.89K Views 0 Likes Defining 21st century skills is an editorial matter, but part of a larger, important conversation. How has learning changed in the 21st century? Here's our take. How To Improve Learner Engagement With eLearning Software 5.05K Views 0 Likes Interaction and learner engagement have long been recognized for their critical role in the learning process. How A Tornado Inspired Innovation In Joplin, MO Schools 5.84K Views 0 Likes On May 22, 2011, at about dinnertime, an EF5 tornado ripped through Joplin, MO.
The 6 Ways Teachers Want To Change Schools The results of the recently released MetLife Survey of the American Teacher weren’t surprising to many teachers, as it chronicled a steep decline in teacher job satisfaction. In fact, teachers’ job satisfaction is at its lowest level since 1987. Of the 1,000 teachers polled, only 39 percent claimed they were “very satisfied” with their profession. So, what do teachers want? Smaller Class Sizes A desire for smaller class sizes dominated the responses we received. Unfortunately, we know that in many school districts class sizes continue to get larger. However, the teachers we polled mentioned again and again that smaller class sizes were essential in giving them the necessary time to connect with all the different learning styles and personalities that might make up their American classrooms. Classrooms Without Walls The teachers we polled called for classroom walls to be torn down–both literally and figuratively. More Books Longer School Day, Not Necessarily at School
Positive, Not Punitive, Classroom Management Tips This article is adapted from Larry's new book, Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation. Let's start with a question I've been asked on more than one occasion. "I know my content and like my students, but sometimes it's hard to get them under control so I can teach my lesson. What tips for classroom management can you give me?" My general answer is that you can never have too many positive, not punitive, classroom management strategies in your toolbox. Obviously, there are serious student transgressions, including violence, where some kind of punishment is an appropriate response. Public Versus Private Relationship Community organizers try to help people understand the difference between public and private relationships (I was an organizer for 19 years prior to becoming a teacher). Here is another example: I have spent time over the years working with many organizations, including religious congregations, organizing for community improvements. What do you do?
10 valuable features of LinkedIn March 17, 2013 by NovaNews Not so long ago, a friend asked me about the difference between LinkedIn and Facebook. With numerous ‘friends’ already in her network, this friend really felt that joining LinkedIn was an overkill and just not worth the effort. On the surface, she felt that they each offered the same value. Perhaps others too have faced this dilemma. I admit to having taken a while to sort out some answers for myself. For the moment, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are the Social Networking sites I’m using. But my friend’s basic question remains. As previously written in a post about LinkedIn – The power of social media – I don’t hesitatie endorsing it’s value to others. LinkedIn is not just for those out there looking for a new job! Detailed profiles become a digital portfolio. Profile headlines create an instant digital identity. Profile details should be correct, accurate and legitimate! LinkedIn enables users to publicize the work they do. LinkedIn badges provide publicity.
5 Tools to Help Students Learn How to Learn Helping students learn how to learn: That’s what most educators strive for, and that’s the goal of inquiry learning. That skill transfers to other academic subject areas and even to the workplace where employers have consistently said that they want creative, innovative and adaptive thinkers. Inquiry learning is an integrated approach that includes kinds of learning: content, literacy, information literacy, learning how to learn, and social or collaborative skills. Students think about the choices they make throughout the process and the way they feel as they learn. Those observations are as important as the content they learn or the projects they create. “We want students thinking about their thinking,” said Leslie Maniotes a teacher effectiveness coach in the Denver Public Schools and one of the authors of Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century. “When they are able to see where they came from and where they got to it is very powerful for them.”
The 10 Skills Modern Teachers Must Have The above image is 8.5×11″ so you can print it out. PDF is available here . There’s been a lot of talk about 21st century learners, 21st century teachers, and connected classrooms. There’s a daily influx of new technology into your inbox and your classroom feels woefully behind the times even if you’re flipping your 1:1 iPad classroom that’s already online and part of a MOOC . What are modern teachers to do with all this jargon and techno-babble being thrown at them all day long? Simple. In my experience, I’ve seen teachers attempt to integrate 30 iPads into their classroom by handing them out and then trying to figure out which apps are worth using. In order to do this, you’ll need skills modern teachers must have. 1) Build Your PLN Whether you call it a ‘personal learning network’ or a ‘professional learning network’ is not important. 2) Establish Real Relationships Whether it’s online or offline, the ability to establish real relationships is critical to any modern teacher. 7) Slow Down
Student Blogs: Learning to Write in Digital Spaces Student blogging is not a project, but a process. We are continuously striving to refine, improve and re-evaluate. As I am meeting with teachers individually, I can’t stress enough the importance of READING other blogs (professional, student, blogs about your hobby, blogs about other interests you have etc.). I am trying to filter and funnel quality blogs in education, their grade level and areas of interest to them as I come across them, so they can build a quality RSS Reader. BUT.. we need their help in having a basic understanding of blogs, its pedagogical uses, as a platform of a new writing genre (digital writing) and how our blogfolios fit into your curriculum and the BIG PICTURE of LEARNING. Andrea Hernandez and I are working on a “spiraling” blogging skills guide for each grade level in order to facilitate skill building connections from one year to the next. Creating the platform and the username and password and teaching the kids to log in is the EASY part. Like this:
The Harsh Reality of the Classroom of the Future In the UK, private schools often use ‘small class sizes’ at 6th form (16-18 years old) as a selling point to entice parents to choose their school over another. I regularly have the opportunity of teaching groups of 10 or less in their final year of study and this certainly has significant benefits. What is fascinating about teaching 6th form students is how 2 significant things change in the classroom: the teacher stops standing at the front of the room, and the use of varied teaching resources stops. Frustratingly this combination is what stops pedagogical progress, both for the older students I have just described and the younger students who have a teacher at the front of the room, but more access to varied teaching resources. The Current Setup vs Ideal Setup There is no need for a teacher to stand at the front of the room. My classroom is pretty standard in size; it has a desk at the front with an Interactive Whiteboard dutifully mounted on the wall behind it. Observations
Beyond Q+A: Six Strategies That Motivate ALL Students to Participate Do you have students who rarely raise their hand when you ask a question? When I think back about kids in my classroom who didn't participate at first, I remember Jared and Maya (whose names I changed). Jared was polite, listened to his classmates, and did his homework. But when I asked questions or set up class discussions, Jared remained silent. Maya was really creative and an avid reader. I often visit classrooms where I see teachers employ lots of Q+A. How can we get our shiest students, or even our student with her head down in the back of our class, participating? 1. According to researcher Mary Budd Rowe, the average teacher waits 1.5 seconds between asking a question and calling on a student. Accuracy increases"I don’t know" decreasesStudent responses get longerAchievement on tests increasesMore students participate I literally count at least three Mississippis in my head after asking each question. 2. 3. 4. Instead of asking, "How are you going to solve today's equation?" 5. 6.