Next Level Teaching Skills Archives - Page 11 of 14

7 TED Talks for Teachers That Will Inspire You to Be a Better Teacher

December 28, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

As life-long learners, we love TED Talks and have gathered a collection of some of the best Ted talks for teachers. TED is a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading unique and interesting ideas through short, powerful talks. TED talks use the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.

We love the inspiring power of TED talks. We’ve written about our favorite TED talks for educators in the past, and this week we revisited the TED website to find more talks that speak to us today.

Here are 7 powerful and short TED talks that will inspire you to be a better teacher.

The Power of Believing that You Can Improve: Carol Dweck 10:15

Growth mindset researcher Carol Dweck shares an example from her research of students with fixed mindset vs growth mindset. If you haven’t learned the power of yet- this is for you.

A Short Intro to the Studio School: Geoff Mulgan 6:16

What can we learn from studio schools? More learning by doing? More team work? Smaller schools? Personal coaches for students? We see much potential in this concept to inform our practices. Think about how you can take these ideas and apply them in your classroom. Power Hour? Makers Spaces?

How to learn? From Mistakes: Diana Laufenberg 10:00

We no longer need to come to school to get information, information is available all around us. What we need to do is come to school to learn to do something with that information. Laufenberg discovered that when you ask kids to use their own voice, learning happens. And yes, there will be mistakes along the way.

Why Schools Should Start Later for Teens: Wendy Troxel 10:33

Do you teach teenagers? Despite all the research to the contrary, middle and high schools usually start earlier than primary schools. Where do you come down on school starting times for adolescents? Would your students learn more if their school started later? In this powerful talk, Troxel shares statistics that show that our teens are sleep deprived and at risk for a host of problems that could be eliminated with later school starting times. How can you use this research to impact your teaching?

How to Design a Library That Makes Kids Want to Read by Michael Bierut 12:26

Could your school library use a refresh? This designer discovered something better than his logos when he opened up his ideas to create more inspirational libraries. Skip past the logos into the second half where you will see some fun and inspiring library updates. The last minute of the video is the best! We knew we loved librarians, and this librarian reminds us what is important.

A Summer School Kids Actually Want to Attend: Karim Abouelnaga 7:04

Abouelnaga made it out of one of the worst schools in the country to attend an Ivy league university. Now he is dedicated to redesigning summer school programs to eliminate the summer slide and help students gain skills during the summer. How do middle class students and students in poverty experience expectations differently? Check it out.

3 Rules to Spark Learning: Ramsey Musallam 7:05

This high school chemistry teacher wants us to increase learning by cultivating curiosity. How can we use the ideas present in a questioning four-year-old to stop “pseudo-learning” and engage students in real learning?

Do you like TED talks? Which ones are your favorites?

Happy watching,

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13 Inspiring Teacher Movies for your Binge-Watching Pleasure

December 19, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers 4 Comments

Teacher movies have a reputation for being syrupy, predictable, and clichéd. A typical plot is that of an idealistic young teacher who takes on a class of unruly students and “saves” them by using tough love and encouragement. These are often feel good movies designed to evoke strong emotions and be inspiring.

Teaching is a difficult job, and at times, we all need some inspiration. Teacher movies offer inspiration, but if you watch carefully, you will also learn things about the importance of building relationships, effective teaching strategies, and how to manage accountability while holding high standards.

We offer 13 of our favorite teacher movies for your binge-watching pleasure:

Dead Poet’s Society

Robin Williams is genius in his portrayal of a prep school teacher Mr. Keating, who is out to inspire his students to think and live differently. Watch this to see what a passionate teacher looks and acts like. This movie was nominated for many awards and won an Academy Award for Best Screenwriting. Carpe Diem!

Stand and Deliver

A math teacher is a struggling school manages to inspire his apathetic students to math greatness by giving them both skills and desire to achieve. Tragically, the students, who are mostly poor and Latino, are accused of cheating. Mr. Escalante is a master at getting attention. Watch the scene where he slices an apple with a cleaver or when he connects mathematical principals to the Mayan heritage of the students. You’ll learn how to make learning relevant and be inspired to connect with students.

Mr. Holland’s Opus

Richard Dreyfus stars as Mr. Holland, a wannabe composer who takes a job as a music teacher. The job is more difficult than he imagined, and he is often frustrated and feels ineffective. All teachers have these feelings. Based on a true story, this movie is a testament to the power of a teacher to affect students in powerful ways and reminds us that we, too, may be affecting our students in ways we don’t even know about.

Dangerous Minds

Dangerous Minds is another movie based on a true story. LouAnne Johnson is an ex-marine who takes on a class full of troubled high school students and manages to both bribe and inspire them into achieving. Her real method, however is building connections with students, which is the ultimate strategy to win them over.

Freedom Writers

Also based on a true story, idealistic new teacher Ms. Gruell takes a job in inner-city Los Angeles. A fish out of water, the pearl wearing Gruell does not immediately connect with her highly diverse, at-risk students. When she begins to discuss racism, they gradually open up. This leads to a writing project which helps to change the student’s lives. Though the world may try to beat the idealism out of you, this movie teaches you to hold fast to your dreams.

School of Rock

This is an unusual choice, since character Dewey Finn, played by Jack Black, is not a real teacher. In addition to being entertaining, it is the story of a surprisingly effective teacher. Finn, who does not always use ethical methods, turns his fourth- grade classroom in a rock band. He uses some good teaching techniques and demonstrates a clear understanding of how to motivate students. His best strategy is to understand who his students are and to use their strengths to help them find success.

Lean On Me

Morgan Freeman stars as Joe Clarke, a tough guy principal who takes on a gang and violence ridden New York City school. His methods are unorthodox; he wanders the halls with a baseball bat and instantly expels troublemakers. He manages to raise standards and ultimately, turn around the school. The message here is that we CAN change things in education that aren’t working.

To Sir With Love

This classic 1967 movie stars the superb Sidney Poitier as a black engineer forced by discrimination to take a job as a teacher in London’s rough East End. At first he is both shocked and appalled at the behavior he sees. He challenges the students to act more respectfully, which accounts for his new title as “Sir.” Gradually, he wins them over and changes how they see themselves and their future.

Goodbye Mr. Chips

This is another classic movie, which won Robert Donant an Academy Award in 1939 for best actor, beating out Clarke Gable in Gone With the Wind. The film is about an aging headmaster who tells the story of his teaching career through flashbacks from his past. The delight in this movie is watching Mr. Chips transform from a young, ineffective teacher, into a master educator. If you study how he changed as he learned through the years you will have a guide from an excellent mentor.

Music of the Heart

Meryl Streep stars as a middle-aged woman who takes a job as a music teacher in Harlem when her husband abandons her. With no experience, she struggles in the job, but hangs in there and keeps trying. She gradually has a positive effect on her students and on the school community. The teacher who perseveres wins, which teaches us that you can get better at your job and ultimately, make a difference.

Front of the Class

This is the story of a young boy with Tourette’s Syndrome. He is tortured and bullied as a child, but refuses to let his condition hold him down. He ultimately becomes a successful teacher. This movie will help you understand Tourette’s syndrome as you root for the underdog. By the time he gets a teaching job, you believe that he will accomplish anything he sets his mind to, including being an effective teacher.

The Ron Clark Story

This is the true story of Clark, who is now leads his own school and has written extensively about education. Clarke leaves his successful job in a suburban school in North Carolina and heads for New York City where he hopes to tackles the challenges of the inner city and raise test scores despite all odds. This movie will lead you to challenge yourself rather than accept mediocrity and complacency.

Akeelah and the Bee

This is a story about the power of education in transforming a life. Akeelah is a bright but unmotivated eleven-year-old. Akeelah’s environment, with its low expectations, gangs and apathy towards education threatens to destroy her. Faced with detentions for her many absences, she gets involved with a spelling bee and wins. She is sent to train with an English professor, whose methods involve deeply understanding your content and believing in your inner power.

We hope you relax and enjoy some of these teacher movies over your break from school. Also, we’d love to hear your favorite teacher movies. What teacher movies do you recommend? Just let us know in the comments below.

Happy watching,

Do you want some more teacher inspiration? Fill out the form below and get a list of 25 Books with Inspiring Teachers!

Don’t Freak- Solution Seek

November 21, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Do you ever feel like there are so many changes in a day that you can’t keep up? Have behavior management issues got you feeling like you are freaking out? At the end of a day can you think of ways you would have handled a situation differently if you hadn’t let your nerves get the best of you?

We once worked with a young teacher who was fond of using the following phrases when things wouldn’t go as planned with her students, the schedule, or her lessons:

“I’m freaking out” she would say to her colleagues when there were abrupt schedule changes.

“Don’t freak out” she would say to herself when behavior management issues arose.

“I am definitely going to freak out if…” she would say when considering what she would do if her lesson bombed in the classroom.

The ironic thing was that this young teacher was very capable and was an excellent problem solver once she calmed down and moved past her initial “freaking out” instinct.

What she learned, that can be a lesson to all teachers, was that what she really needed to do was recognize her use of the word “freak” as a trigger to “solution seek.”

Like that young teacher, you too can follow these steps to move from “freaking” to “solution-seeking:”

Every time you feel yourself saying, thinking, or feeling that you are “freaking out,” recognize this as a trigger for a mindset change.
Stop, take a deep breath, and re-evaluate the situation.
Say to yourself, “Don’t freak. Solution seek.”
Start considering possible solutions to your dilemma. To determine what solutions you can seek, consider the following:

What aspects of the situation do you have control of?
What aspects of the situation do you not have control of?
What steps can you take immediately that will lead you to a desired response?

Take one actionable step to start working toward a solution.
Continue to work toward the solution until it has been reached.

By recognizing the word “freak” as a trigger, your awareness of your own reaction and emotions will be heightened. By participating in the mental act of solution-seeking, you no longer have the time or energy to freak, as you are focused on the solution and how to attain it.

The teacher we worked with found this method to be extremely effective. Every time she felt that she was freaking, she stopped herself and told herself, “Don’t freak-solution seek.” She was thrilled with the results. She became more calm and in control of her emotions in front of her students. She was able to find solutions that she was not be able to find when she was too busy letting her anxiety get the best of her. She found that the phrase “Don’t freak- solution seek” had many applications beyond the classroom in her daily life and in her interactions with fellow teachers.

Do you ever find yourself in the same situation as the novice teacher? Could your students benefit more from a level-headed solution-seeking teacher than a teacher who is freaking?

Don’t freak. Solution seek.

These four simple words can alter the course of an interaction, a lesson, or a school day.

Who knows…maybe your students could even benefit from using this phrase in the classroom? Maybe this is the motto for your next team meeting? The possibilities are endless when you choose to seek solutions.

Wishing you calmer days and clearer solutions,

Paula and Michele

Do you “freak” when you can’t think of what to say to students? We’ve got you covered. Get our free guide below.

How to Deal with Parent Challenges

November 7, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

At some point, every teacher, beginning teachers and master teachers alike, will deal with parent challenges.

Parent challenges are uncomfortable and frustrating. They can make us angry and upset. We lose sleep, and even lose confidence in our competence as a teacher. Parent challenges can even make us dislike our jobs. Many teachers say that dealing with parents is their least favorite part of the job.

Parents today are often extremely involved in their children’s education and extracurricular activities. Combine this with 24/7 access to online grading programs and you have a recipe that invites extreme parental involvement. Parents can be demanding and unreasonable. On the positive side, they can also be allies, helping you with your most frustrating student issues.

What do you do when you are challenged by a parent?

Listen first.

Hear them out. What are the parents’ issues and concerns? What evidence do they present to make their case? Try to understand where they are coming from, and why they are upset. Keep an open mind. Though it may be difficult, try not to interrupt them or be defensive.

Share your perspective.

After listening carefully to the parents, it is now time to share your insight and information. Try to present your data, such as student grades or work samples, without judgement. Often times, poor work will speak for itself. If it is a behavioral issue, share specific observational or anecdotal notes, if they are written and dated all the better. Also have on hand copies of any previous parent communications and phone calls.

Discuss possible remedies for the issue.

Acknowledge that both parties want to come to a solution. Share any attempts you have already made to help the student. If you have worked closely with others such as a guidance counselor or another teacher, bring them on board for the meeting. Ask the parents for their suggestions. What would they like to happen?

Consider bringing the student into the conference.

Sometimes the story the parent gets and the story of what really happened differ. If you have a good working relationship with a student, you can ask them to explain what they think has happened and why. You can also share test scores and work with students, explaining why they received the grade they got. Ask the student what needs to happen to resolve the issue.

Know that both you and the parents have the best interest of the student at heart.

If you can frame the meeting as one in which you all want to help the student, it will likely be less antagonistic. Show them that you know their child well. Share the student’s strengths, and discuss goals you have that would help the student to succeed in the future. This lessens your role as “the bad guy” and helps to position you as a cheerleader for the student.

If parents become physically or verbally abusive or irrational, end the meeting.

Explain that the meeting cannot be productive with such strong emotions. Explain to the parents that you will end the meeting if their manner continues. Offer to reschedule at another time when an administrator can be present. Ask them to leave. If they refuse, leave and get help.

Be proactive in future dealings with parents.

Follow up a heated conversation with a progress report. Keep parents informed of any further issues, and also, of improvements. It is a good idea to keep all parents notified of student grades and activities. Write a classroom newsletter. Inform parents of major projects and tests. Update your online grading portal with regular comments. Call parents when needed- early and often. Do not surprise parents with a failing grade or an out- of -school suspension.

Learn from the challenge.

Although it is difficult when you are being challenged, try to see parents as people who can help you grow as a teacher. Where were they right, and you now realize you messed up? What did they point out that you now realize you could do differently in the future? What does this confrontation teach you about parent communications? Having a growth mindset around parental challenges will help you become a stronger teacher.

Parent challenges are inevitable, but they don’t have to be career ending. You can learn to work with parents in a way that will increase the chances of student success. The old saying says that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. You can and will survive parental challenges, and learn to thrive despite them!

Do you need some inspiration from Amazing teachers? Get our list of 25 books with amazing teachers

Get Ready for Parent-Teacher Conferences

October 3, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers 3 Comments

In many school districts, parent-teacher conferences are held in October. These conferences allow both parents and teachers to gain insight into student’s academic progress as well as a better understanding of students’ social, emotional and behavioral strengths and challenges.

Many teachers are apprehensive about conferences. Will parents be supportive or demanding? Will parents be indifferent or even show up? Will I be treated as a professional, even though I might be younger than the parents? What do I do if a parent is angry?

As veterans of hundreds of parent-teacher conferences, we have some insight and advice that might ease your fears and help you to have productive conferences.

Conferences should not be your first contact with parents. Hopefully, you have been proactive in working with parents. You may have sent a letter of introduction. You may have met parents at Open House or Back to School Night. Perhaps you have sent newsletters, made phone calls or contacted parents through your school’s online learning management or reporting system. You may have completed progress reports at mid-term. Each of these forms of communication has helped you to build a relationship with parents. Having a prior relationship helps ease the way into meeting one-on-one with parents at parent-teacher conferences.

Along those same lines, parents should not be blindsided at conferences. If there are student concerns or issues, you should contact parents before conferences. Imagine how you would feel if you thought things were going well with your son or daughter and show up at school only to find they are failing!

Take conference preparation seriously. Preparation will allow you to feel calmer and more in control. Being ready with information about each student will go a long way towards assuring parents that you are professional and competent.

Decide which points you want to emphasize with each student’s parents. Take a multidimensional view of students. In addition to academic progress, parents are interested in the student’s work habits, as well as their social, emotional and physical well- being. You see students every day and often have insight into all aspects of their lives in school. Is Derrick a natural leader? Is Mandy kind and helpful to others? Is Cade often tired and sometimes sleeps in class? This kind of information is often as important or more important than the fact that the student earned an 86% on a test.

Begin with a positive comment. Share comments that let the parents know that you know their child and have their best interests at heart. Have data, such as test scores, examples of daily work or portfolios ready to share.

Provide perspective on grades. Explain how they were derived and how they might be improved. If parents have not accessed the school’s grade reporting portal, you might show them what it looks like and remind them how they can access it.

Be sensitive and aware that different families have different values, expectations and cultural norms. You can ask parents about their expectations and goals for their child. Parents will have insights about their child that you don’t have. Listen to their comments and concerns. Conferences should be a two-way street, not a one-way presentation from the teacher.

Some districts invite student to join in or even lead conferences. If students are present, a good tactic is to invite students to explain to their parents their work and their grades. You can fill in or prompt students as necessary. If your district encourages student led conferences, work with students in class to help them practice and learn how to present and discuss their work effectively. Having students present also offers an opportunity for goal setting with the student, parent and teacher all present to understand and acknowledge the goals. It might be helpful to write the goals and have all present sign them.

Some parents are unsure about ways to help their child or feel inadequate about their parenting skills. Parenting doesn’t come with a manual. These parents often look to teachers to help them with their child’s behavior or learning needs. Share things that you are doing that work. Offer to follow up with additional resources, including referrals to guidance counselors, social workers or other support services as appropriate. Be grateful that the parent trusts you and is open to help. Teachers often do have good insight based on experiences with many students.

When discussing student struggles or concerns, be prepared with supporting examples. Be ready to discuss specific things a student could do to improve. For example, telling a parent that his son needs to work harder is not as helpful as saying that he could improve by double checking his answers on the math homework. You might also suggest resources that could help the student such as after school tutoring clubs or enrichment opportunities that the school provides.

If parents become overly aggressive or abusive, stop the conference. Explain that the conference is not productive and it will be rescheduled at a later date with an administrator, additional teacher or a guidance counselor present. Ask the parents to leave and promise to follow up to schedule another meeting.

Try to stick to the conference time schedule. At the elementary level, parents may be scheduled in fifteen- minute time slots. At the secondary level, teachers are often in a common area such as a gym where parents wait in line to see different teachers. Long conferences result in parents of other students waiting for long periods. If you need more time to talk with a parent, offer to arrange another conference at a different time.

Parent-teacher conferences should be an opportunity to work together with parents to enhance student learning. Thinking of parents as allies will allow you to be open to ways they can help you as you are helping their child. Parents and teachers have a common bond in that both want to see the student succeed.

Good luck with your parent-teacher conferences,

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