These classroom management strategies will help teachers with all levels of experience with managing classroom behaviours.
By the end of the school year, we have our classrooms running like well-oiled machines. The students know what to do, when to do it, and what to expect from
Wondering what you should plan for your classroom systems and procedures? The Ultimate Secondary Classroom Systems Checklist is what you need
Looking for effective classroom management policies and procedures for secondary classrooms? Here are 5 key starting points!
There are so many positive classroom ideas for high school that high school teachers should steal from the elementary world...
Effective classroom management strategies are essential for a positive and productive learning environment for middle and high school students.
We’ve created the following 32 characteristics of high-performing classrooms to help you spot the opportunities for growth in your teaching.
Stay organized as a high school or transition special education teacher with your caseload, personal schedule and paraprofessional schedule!
Looking for classroom decor ideas? Try some of these meaningful approaches to freshen up your middle or high school classroom.
Looking at the history of U.S. education, Steven D. Krause argues that that most transformative piece of technology in the classroom was the blackboard.
Looking for a fun way to motivate middle school or high school students to keep their cellphones away? Look no further! This is an extremely effective cellphone policy for grades 6 - 12 that will improve student focus and learning in your classroom. I've spent the last few years perfecting this Cellphone Challenge; it not only keeps the phones out of sight but the students actually hold EACH OTHER accountable! I've encouraged my teacher colleagues to implement this and they have had major success with it as well. Included are editable posters for 5 or 6 class periods that you can customize with your own class names and rewards! To keep track of their progress you can use stickers, magnets, or simply draw in the box with a pen or pencil. Be sure to read the detailed instructions on how to implement this cellphone policy effectively to maximize your success. The posters are 8.5x11 but can be printed as a larger size by following these directions: Save the slide you want to print as a PDF. Open the PDF and click File > Print Page Sizing & Handling > Poster Tile Scale: 200% Overlap: 0.005 Another option is to have it printed at a larger size on a school copier or at an office supply store.
It’s time to teach, but you need to manage your classroom in order to do that well. Check out these 7 classroom management strategies.
Everybody can have an attractive classroom, even if it has no windows, even if you’re not a decorator, and even if admin assigned you the ugliest room on the hall!
I’ve read this book on english so decided it would be more effective (lol) to write these notes also on english. Few words about how I got to read this book and why should anyone read it at all…
This week, every teacher is teaching Habit 1: Be Proactive. We have so many great things going on. Below are a few things that kindergarten is doing to help our kids learn what it means to be proactive. I will be posting pictures of what our first grade teachers are doing later. They are on my phone and I can't get them uploaded yet. I will edit and add them later tonight or tomorrow. I hope to post later in the week from other grades and give more freebies away for Habit 1. This is all new to us so if any of you have any suggestions, please comment!!!!! Our 3rd grade team is working on a podcast that will be posted soon (THANK YOU 3RD GRADE!) click on each picture to download yours for FREE!!!!!! The first 2 things were sent to me by a teacher friend from Whitesville Elementary, Jessica Doughty. Thank you Jessica! There is a second page with this if you download with pictures that kids cut out and glue on the inside or outside of the circle of control Kindergarten has a CD with this poem as a song. I'm not sure where we got it. I'll look tomorrow when I get to school and see if I can let you know. But you could still recite it or have it posted. We are going to use it to teach the "Can Do" attitude to our kids. We are going to make playdough with our kids to use in reading and math centers. This activity will be whole group and we will do it together. However you have to use very hot water so the teacher must actually do the mixing while talking to the kids about the process. We are using this as Habit 1 because we will talk about being proactive while using playdough in centers. In order to make it last all year, we much be sure to BE PROACTIVE and put the top on the playdough each time or it will dry out. This is taking responsibility for themselves when they clean up their center.
High Expectations are key to being an effective teacher. This post provides a definition and 13 strategies. My top strategy is #1 which any teacher can use right away.
Learning stations or centers are perfect for the high school classroom. On this post, find out how to use this highly effective strategy.
Looking for effective classroom management policies and procedures for secondary classrooms? Here are 5 key starting points!
Learn how to create a comprehensive classroom management plan that fosters a positive learning environment.
I read once that Albert Einstein remarked it is a miracle curiosity survives formal education. This observation has stuck with me: a pesky stone in my shoe. Somehow, amongst all the curricular demands, standardised testing, graduation requirements, examination preparation, and everything else which pulls at me, I desperately want to instill a sense of wonder, curiosity, and excitement in my students. I desire for them to love learning, to ask questions, to be curious about what they see, read, and hear. And one of the best – and simplest – ways I have found to do this, is the use of lesson openers which excite and engage. Inspired by the concept of provocations in the Reggio Emilia Approach1, I open learning experiences in an open-ended way which provokes student exploration, discussion, creativity, and ideas. This way, when we move into the content of the lesson, students are already engaged; their curiosity is hopefully piqued, and they’re more receptive to learning. Below are five simple ways I open classes in order to provoke engagement, discussion, and curiosity. Click here to get a downloadable version to stick in your daily planner, or on your desk as a reminder when lesson planning! INSTRUCTIONS: Place an object (which links to the lesson content) in the center of the room. For added intrigue and curiosity, place it under a cloth to ‘reveal’ when students are settled. Then use the exploration of this object to springboard into the lesson of the day: through a discussion, writing exercise, word association game, etc. For example: for a writing class about using varied sentence types, the object could be a bowl of sweets, and students write about the experience of eating one for the very first time. Or, it’s an informational text lesson, using a newspaper article on how social media impacts beauty standards, the object might be a pile of make-up, and students discuss their personal associations with these products. [Nouvelle ELA has a similar lesson for analyzing symbols: get it here] IDEAS FOR GOING FURTHER: Wait a while before you explain the presence of the mystery object: perhaps even have students spend time thinking about it and making predictions for why it is there (you may want to give them one or two clues). Equally, if appropriate, have the desks arranged in groups and place different objects on different desks. For example: in an introductory lesson for a unit on ‘Identity’ place different pieces of fruit around the room, and have students move to the one that most represents them, and then encourage them to explain their choice. WHY IT IS EFFECTIVE: Any time you add a little mystery or present something unexpected in the classroom, it will pique students’ curiosity. When they are intrigued and curious, they’re primed to engage and learn. Indeed, the emotion of curiosity has long been recognized as a vital motivating factor driving learning2. INSTRUCTIONS: Write a provocative statement on the board which links to the lesson content. (e.g. If you’re studying Romeo and Juliet: It is possible to fall in love the first time you meet someone. Or reading Maya Angelou’s ‘Still I Rise’? What about: Your dignity is always within your own control.) Then place tape, or indicate an imaginary line, across the room, with one end as “Completely Agree” and the other as “Completely Disagree.” Give students a minute to consider the statement and then have them stand on the line to indicate their opinions. [You might also want to check out the Daring English Teacher's blog post on Introducing Complex Ideas to Students] IDEAS FOR GOING FURTHER: Once students have taken their places, ask a couple of students on opposite ends to speak to each other: to debate and defend their positions. Or, have students turn to the person next to them and discuss, seeing if they really are in the right places, or if they should switch (if they feel stronger than their neighbor on the line). Finally, at the end of the lesson, why not do the activity again and see if any of them have changed their positions? WHY IT IS EFFECTIVE: This not only gets students thinking critically about key themes and issues, but it is also an effective way to make their thinking visible, and to push them to take a stand. Moreover, requiring students to give reasons for why they picked where they did, helps them back up their opinions with evidence and reason. INSTRUCTIONS: Think about the content of the lesson, and then try to mimic something of the mood/setting/theme in the classroom environment. While pinterest-worthy classroom transformations are wonderful, that’s not what I am talking about here. You can set the mood in quick and easy ways, which will engage students’ senses when they walk in the door. For example: when studying Lord of the Flies, visually project a jungle screensaver on the board, with ambient sounds. This doesn’t have to be just for literature lessons: if you’re spending the lesson writing, have students enter with ambient coffee shop sounds, or stormy weather (great for writing horror stories!). Check out the website A Soft Murmur for this: go play around with their sound settings. IDEAS FOR GOING FURTHER: If possible, engage more senses: play with lighting, images, smells, touch, etc. Or – to really engage students’ imaginations – before playing the ambient noises, have them settle down, and close their eyes. Then give them a scenario to imagine as you slowly turn up the volume on the ambient sounds. For example: in a lesson on Emily Dickenson’s “The Railway Train,” start by playing the sound of a train and ask students to imagine this sound as an animal: what would it be and why? WHY IT IS EFFECTIVE: Engaging the senses is a powerful learning tool: when we create a multisensory experience in the classroom, not only does it pique students’ curiosity, but it can also make the learning more memorable. Indeed, when engaging multiple senses, we optimise the learning mechanisms in the brain, and tap into the many different ways different students learn best3. INSTRUCTIONS: It is as simple as this: play a current song or music video, show an extract from a current TV series, use a trailer for a recent movie: anything which links the content of the day’s lesson with students’ interests and lives outside of class. For example: before we studied The Great Gatsby (click for resources), I played Lorde’s Royals and asked students what the song meant to them. Before telling students anything about Lord of the Flies, we watched the trailer for The 100 and discussed what such a situation would be like. IDEAS FOR GOING FURTHER: Have students suggest the media you present: at the end of a previous class, explain the broad content of the next class (themes, main topic, etc.) and ask students to suggest appropriate songs, video clips, games, etc., which would make for engaging lesson openers. This way, they too are making connections to their learning, and you are making sure the references are highly relevant! WHY IT IS EFFECTIVE: When we incorporate students’ personal interests and entertainments in the classroom environment, their learning becomes more relevant, engaging, and multi-dimensional. The key here though is making sure it is really something which students’ are currently interested in: not just what we might assume they will be interested in! And the best way to ensure this, is to really spend time building relationships with students, finding out their interests, and knowing what’s currently popular. INSTRUCTIONS: Before class, think about the key theme, topic, or skill which you aim to explore or develop. Then, think of 3-5 key words related to this; write these on the board, or around the room. When students enter, draw their attention to these words, and instruct them to work in pairs to construct a question using the words. For example, before a lesson on Fahrenheit 451 (click for resources), you might use “knowledge” “future” “technology” and “books.” A possible question students might generate: In the future, will books become useless, as we use technology to access knowledge? And this doesn’t have to be limited to lessons on literature: in a lesson about essay writing, words such as “style” “structure” “opinion” and “voice” might generate some engaging questions. IDEAS FOR GOING FURTHER: Once students have formed a question, provide the means for discussing or answering the question: this might be through small-group discussions, through accessing online sources, or through analysis of a text. The key here is you need to be flexible and open to going where students’ questions take the lesson. Why not even ask them how the class should proceed in terms of answering their questions? WHY IT IS EFFECTIVE: Too often, by the time they reach middle/high school, curious questioning has been replaced by incessant answering: students become adept at answering questions, but often lack opportunities to inquire and question. Developing this ability to ask questions will help with developing critical thinking skills, and engaging discussion proficiency. Moreover, students will be hooked from the start of class, and invested in finding out the answers to their questions. So that's it: if you have ANY questions, please feel free to reach out: come find me on Instagram, or email me at [email protected]. Looking for other high-interest, provoking lessons to excite and engage? Check these out: Active Learning Exercises for Reading & Writing by Room 213 READING Escape Room (Activities, Trivia & Puzzle Games for High School ELA) by The Classroom Sparrow MAKER CHALLENGE - Team Building Activity by Presto Plans RESOURCES: 1Strong-Wilson, T., & Ellis, J. (2007). Children and place: Reggio Emilia's environment as third teacher. Theory into practice, 46(1), 40-47. 2Markey, A., & Loewenstein, G. (2014). Curiosity. In International handbook of emotions in education (pp. 238-255). Routledge. 3Shams, L., & Seitz, A. (2008). Benefits of multisensory learning. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(11), 411–417.
7 Habits Of Highly Effective Students. Develop and implement these 7 habits of highly effective teenagers and you will surely gain positive benefits.
by Stacey Lloyd In today’s world, teaching students to be effective, active listeners, is a vital task. In an environment of quick click, constant scrolling, pithy soundbites, the ability to be fully present to the people speaking around us is a significant skill to develop. But that is just it: it is a skill to be mastered and constantly worked on; it requires plenty of practice to fully develop the effective habits of a good listener. As teachers, we need to provide students with opportunities to discuss, exchange ideas, and listen meaningfully; we also need to give them the tools to do so effectively. Why Teach Listening Skills? There are countless reasons why learning to become a good listener is important: not just in terms of developing critical thinking abilities, but also learning to be an empathetic human being. Some such reasons include (but are not limited to) the following: When we listen effectively, we open ourselves up to opportunities for learning and personal growth. As good listeners, we improve our ability to think critically, by being able to fully engage in a more informed way. Displaying the attributes of a good listener makes space for others to be able to express themselves openly, helping to build relationships and exchange ideas. True listening helps avoid misunderstandings, and limits the potential for just talking past one another. When really listening to the thoughts and ideas of others, we can develop empathy and compassion. If the above goals are reached, we set students up to be more active learners, effective communicators, and attuned critical thinkers. But how do we practically do so in the classroom? 1. Provide Opportunities for Listening (Almost) every lesson should provide students with ample opportunities to exercise their listening skills. Whether it is through listening to instructions and lectures, paired conversations, class discussions, or media experiences: students should be encouraged to actively listen to others, over and over again. Yet, more importantly, they should be regularly reminded, when doing so, that they need to be exercising the skills of a good listener, and they should be reflecting on their own skill development in this area. Click here for slideshows, handouts, printable posters and more: all for teaching listening skills in the classroom! 2. But what are the Attributes of an Effective Listener? Click to purchase these LISTENING SKILLS POSTERS You certainly know it when you encounter a good listener, and this can be a great place to start: ask students who comes to mind when they think of somebody they know personally, who really listens when one talks to them. Discuss what makes them such a good example, and mindmap these attributes on a piece of chart paper. Students will, most likely, describe someone who listens with their whole body, leans into conversations, makes eye contact, gives visual cues such as nodding or smiling; somebody who asks thoughtful follow up questions, who doesn’t interject with their opinions when you are speaking to them; somebody who isn’t clearly distracted while listening, who isn’t merely thinking about what they want to say next; someone who gives positive reinforcement during a conversation and remembers what you say; somebody who picks up on the emotions and feelings of a speaker as they are fully present to the moment of listening; somebody who remembers what was said in a speech or lecture, and can summarize it effectively. If students aren’t forthcoming with these attributes, ask scaffolded questions to draw them out. Then, leave this mindmap up on the classroom wall to regularly reference and remind students. 3. Give Students the Tools to Practice We cannot just tell students: “be good listeners”. We need to give them tangible tools to help them develop these skills. The activity mentioned above can be a great starting point, but there are other ways to reinforce the concepts. For example: When holding a class discussion, pause halfway and ask students: “How is your body language right now indicating whether or not you are listening?” When watching a TEDtalk or video clip, teach students to sketchnote as a way of listening to the ideas presented, and engaging with them, rather than daydreaming and drifting off. Engage in paired discussion time where one person remains completely silent for a set time (usually a minute or two) and simply listens, then echoes back to the speaker what they have heard them say. During group discussions, split the class into two and have an outer circle observe and play the role of “listeners.” During the discussion they could try and visually represent what is said through drawings or diagrams. At the end, they can be asked to summarize common threads or conflicting arguments. 4. Model Good Listening Skills This one cannot be emphasized enough: students are highly observant of the behaviors we exhibit in the classroom. We cannot expect them to be effective listeners if they see us not valuing the skill. While it can be difficult to be fully present to what a student is saying when we have a million and one thoughts rushing around our brain during a lesson, we need to make sure that when a student is expressing thoughts and ideas, we - as the teacher - are engaging fully with eye contact, giving visual cues to listening, echoing back what has been said, validating contributions, etc. The more we do this, the more opportunities we give students to learn from our demonstrations. 5. Encourage Students to Reflect on their Listening Abilities Self-reflection is a vital aspect of any meaningful learning opportunity (see here for more on teaching students to be self-reflective), and equally so for the acquisition of good listening skills. All too often, students think that if they are hearing others, they are listening. But we need to make them more aware of their actual proficiency in this area, and instill a mindset of growth and improvement. As a regular bell-ringer exercise ask students: How well did you listen in class today? How could you have been a more active listener today? Download this FREE reflection page to help students reflect on their listening skills Earnest Hemmingway said: “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” Let’s take his advice and teach our students to listen completely. Looking for other resources for LISTENING SKILLS? Check these out: Speaking and Listening Skills in your Reading and Writing Workshop by Room 213 Common Core Speaking & Listening Rubrics by Tracee Orman ELA Test Prep Listening Skills and Non Fiction Text Escape Room by The Daring English Teacher ESL Listening Comprehension - Newsy Video Bundle by Nouvelle ELA
Decorating, organizing, and preparing your high school classroom spaces is critical for new and veteran teachers alike. Here are four ideas to get your classroom prepared to support and inspire your students and keep you motivated to deliver incredible lessons!
Cooperative learning can be a powerful learning strategy, but only if it works well. These small changes can make group work more effective in your classroom.
What does your classroom look like? If you’re like me, the cinder block look is not my style… I like to add pops of color to spruce up my room. Print and laminate or print and…
These three steps will help teachers plan their high school classroom setup process. Get the free training + checklist shared in this blog post.
Read about how ChatGPT can help streamline your teacher life!
Love podcasts? Check out this post in the form of a podcast episode on The Classroom Commute Podcast :
These classroom management strategies will help teachers with all levels of experience with managing classroom behaviours.
Today, on the blog, I am sharing 15 of my favorite Amazon finds that I use in my classroom.
You want your classroom to be a colorful, cozy, and inviting learning space. You’d love to have a cohesive theme or at least a color scheme, so everything looks put together. But are themes childish? Aren’t middle schoolers too old for classroom decor?
Explore Total Participation Techniques to boost classroom engagement, foster critical thinking, and ensure every student actively contributes.
There is a common misconception that you must have a big presence to be an effective leader. You must psych yourself up, throw your shoulders back, and move boldly among your students. Your voice must boom. Your walk must swagger. Your eyes must squint ... Read more
Any teacher can improve classroom discussions using simple questioning strategies. Here’s how you can activate student voice and involve all learners...
Are you teaching high school students how to avoid plagiarism? Students often need this simple, easy lesson on how they...
A few years ago, I was researching ideas for a flexible seating high school classroom set up when I came across a 1998 research study by Glen Earthman and Linda Lemasters titled "Where Children Learn: A Discussion of How a Facility Affects Learning." While the authors addressed the challenges with this type of participant-based data, they
If you don’t know exactly what does and doesn’t constitute breaking your class rules—with zero gray area—then you can’t be consistent. You also can’t be trustworthy or manage your classroom effectively. Just the way it is. Luckily, there is something you can do this ... Read more
High Expectations are key to being an effective teacher. This post provides a definition and 13 strategies. My top strategy is #1 which any teacher can use right away.
Effective classroom management strategies are essential for a positive and productive learning environment for middle and high school students.
