Students Share Characteristics Of Their Favorite Teachers
A few weeks ago I had a Twitter dialogue with Reed Gillespie ( @rggillespie ) an AP at Kettle Run High School in Nokesville, VA. and Angela Maiers ( @AngelaMaiers ) who coined the phrase #YouMatter and is an author, educator, and national speaker. Our conversation revolved around a post from Angela titled 12 Things Kids Want from Their Teachers . Twelve simple and free “things” students want and deserve . Reed shared his post What Students Want From Their Teachers he wrote after visiting with students at his high school during lunch. This got me to thinking “What do Cherokee students want from their teachers?” The feedback provided by our very bright and amazing students wasn’t eye opening or earth shattering, but does provide their view of what they want and deserve. 1. 2. 3. 4. I enjoyed my conversations with our students.
Using Essential Questions to Improve a High-School History Course
Using Essential Questions to Improve a High-School History Course In this thoughtful 2008 article in Social Education, teacher educator Heather Lattimer (University of San Diego) says that all too often, despite their charisma and talent getting students involved in classroom activities, “teachers are the ones doing all the thinking in the classroom.” To counteract this tendency, specifically in social studies and history classes, she recommends using essential questions for each unit. Here’s why: • Essential questions get to the heart of the discipline. They address the big ideas, pose dilemmas that puzzle historians and social scientists, and bring startling incongruities to students’ attention. • Essential questions have more than one reasonable answer. • Essential questions connect the past to the present. When is violence justified? Such questions address fundamental concerns that each generation should ponder anew. • Essential questions reveal history to be a developing narrative.
3 Secrets to Motivating Students
Among the many titles I bear, that of cheerleader is often the most challenging. Entering the classroom day after day with a great enthusiasm, a smile from ear to ear, a little extra pep in my step, and pom poms raised high takes practice. We all have those less than great moments but I have learned over the years, that the more excited I become about learning, the more my students will be as well. The key is motivation. Motivation is defined as “the general desire or willingness of someone to do something” (Thank you Dictionary.com). So how do I motivate my students to learn? How I Create Desire Before any lesson or new skill, a “desire to know” needs to be established. All of these methods are great spring boards into your lesson. How I obtain willingness to pay attention I find this to be easier once I have established the desire to know. Other methods of maintaining attention include: Moving around the room frequently. Let them do something Allow them to engage in group discussions.
Vocabulary Instruction That Makes a Difference
Vocabulary Instruction That Makes a Difference In this Education Week article, Sarah Sparks reports on research indicating that the 10,000-word vocabulary gap between lower-SES and upper-SES children entering school often widens as they move through the grades. Susan Neuman (University of Michigan/Ann Arbor) and Tanya Wright (University of Michigan/East Lansing) have found that lower-income students are less likely to be taught academically challenging words. “Vocabulary is the tip of the iceberg,” says Neuman. “Words reflect concepts and content that students need to know. This whole common core will fall on its face if kids are not getting the kind of instruction it will require.” Neuman and Wright studied kindergarten classrooms and found tremendous variation in the number of words explicitly taught – from two to 20 words a day. Earlier research suggests that students need to hear a new word an average of 28 times to remember it. Feb. 6, 2013 (Vol. 32, #20, p. 1, 16), www.edweek.org
Smart Classroom Management
Brain Matters: Maximizing Your Classroom for Learning
Teaching & Learning | Spotlight Brain Matters: Maximizing Your Classroom for Learning This educational consultant advises teachers to keep brain science in mind when figuring out how to help their students learn. By Dian Schaffhauser01/31/13 Teachers need to break up their lessons more during the class period and get the students moving if they want optimal learning to occur. Noting that teaching was the "only profession whose job is to change the human brain every day," Sousa offered a fast-paced tour of "educational neuroscience"--research that pulls together the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and pedagogy with the aim of increasing student attention, retention, and interest. At the heart of the science is the question: How is technology affecting students' attention spans. Based on the findings of educational neuroscience, Sousa offered a number of tips for maximizing learning. The Brain is Attentive to Novelty The brain is wired to pay attention to anything that's unexpected.
Three Tips for Building Teacher Buy-In
A close friend who works in a leadership role in a local school asked me an interesting question this week. "I just want to build something that teachers can buy-in to that will help kids," she said. "How do you do that?" Chances are that if you've worked in schools for any length of time, that question resonates with you, right? We've ALL had moments where we were completely frustrated by a group of teachers who just weren't interested in moving forward with a new project and/or program. The good news is that getting teachers to buy-in to change initiatives isn't NEARLY as hard as it seems. Teachers buy into change efforts that they believe are important. The change initiative that I've spent the MOST professional energy on in my 20 year teaching career was an effort to convert my traditional middle school into a professional learning community that started a little over 8 years ago. #thatmattered PLCs were about much more than improving student learning, however. #thatmatteredtoo #doubt
8 Exam-Prep Activities Students Actually Like
After Christmas break students will return to school for 8 days of review prior to taking their End of Course Exams. I can give my students a review packet with hundreds of problems, but that would only lead to them giving up, sleeping, and not even trying. So below are 8 fun activities I created to motivate and engage my students in their final exam reviews. 1. Vocabulary Gallery Walk – Each student will be given a word to define and provide an example for. Students will use Sock Puppet or Go Animate to create a mini skit to define and example their word. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. These are 8 fun review games that is sure to get students motivated to review for their final exams! Visit my blog for printables, instructions, and examples!
