classroom environment Archives - Page 11 of 24

Create a More Joyful Classroom

August 8, 2019 by Inspired Together Teachers 1 Comment

Are you planning for a joyful classroom?

As you think about the beginning of the school year, think about the feeling you want your classroom to have. You want good curriculum and engaging activities. You want order, organization, rules and procedures. We hope you also want a joyful classroom!

Joy helps students love learning. If students love learning, they will be engaged, reducing the need for complex behavior management systems. Joy encourages creativity, which opens the door for creative problem solving. Joy encourages curiosity and self-motivated learning. It is only when students experience love of learning that they will become life-long learners.

Though much of your day may be filled with required curriculum and prescribed methods, there are many things you can do to make sure that students experience joy.

Here are 8 simple, actionable things you can do to make a more joyful classroom.

Smile

We learn better from those we like. Smiling makes you approachable and likable. Smiling is contagious, and the act of smiling can actually help you to feel happier.

Laugh

Laughing reduces stress. Look for opportunities to inject humor into the day’s activities. Offer to tell a joke if students line up quickly and quietly. Get a joke book if you need one. Telling a joke takes less than 30 seconds and adds fun. We all remember a teacher who told corny jokes. Notice that we remember that teacher.

Add Music

Music helps with retention. There are songs that fit into all areas of your curriculum. Check out You Tube for songs about multiplication or grammar from School House Rock. Better yet, let students work in groups to write and perform their own songs based on their topic of study. One sixth grade class wrote songs about world explorers set to the Sponge Bob theme song. A high school biology class wrote and sang a fact filled song about mitosis set to Queen’s We are The Champions.

Read Funny Literature

If you read aloud each day (and you should!) choose funny stories. When children have positive experiences with books they learn that reading is fun. If reading is fun, they will be more likely to do more of it. The more you read, the better you read.

Use Fun Reinforcers

You can quickly teach students to give themselves a “round of applause” by clapping while they rotate their hands in a circle. Another way is to stretch your hand up high and then reach back and “pat yourself on the back.” These are quick and simple movements that can add joy and a sense of satisfaction.

Use Fun Call/Response Attention Getters

Teacher (singing): “Do a diddy diddy dum diddy do…” Students: “we look good, we look fine, when we’re walking in a line!”

Teacher ” Hey, ho” Students: “To work we go”

Teacher: “Ready set?” Students: “You bet!”

These simple commands are more fun and more effective than repeatedly asking students to pay attention.

Have a Goofy Class Mascot

One teacher has a skeleton who holds a sign with the objectives of the day’s lesson. He is also known to wear a holiday appropriate hat, a Valentine’s Day tie or a cape on Halloween. We have seen a stuffed orangutan who wrote notes and left them around the room- reminding children to pick up or take home permissions slips. Some mascots go home with a different child each night and encourage children to write a story about their adventures to add to a class book.

Give Students Choices

Students can’t always choose what they will do, but look for opportunities to give students a choice. When students choose, their engagement and satisfaction are higher. Could they choose their partners? Their seats? Could they choose a topic for their research report or the book they will read? Think of the content, the learning process, and products to show learning. See if you can give students a choice in one of those three areas.

Joyful classrooms are less stressful, less anxious places. Neurological studies have shown that students’ comfort levels can influence long-term information storage and transmission. Teachers and students face many challenges in today’s educational climate. Living without joy does not have to be one of them.

Wishing you joy as you plan your school year!

Do you want to start the school year with everything done and feeling relaxed rather than stressed? We can help. We have created an on-line workshop, Start Your School Year Strong to help you eliminate the back to school overwhelm and get everything done! Learn more!

Take Your Teaching and Learning Outside

May 10, 2019 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Do you remember sitting in a classroom on a lovely spring day and wishing you could be outside? Your students have the same wish. Use the weather as an opportunity to take your teaching and learning outside!

Before venturing out to learn out of doors, we recommend setting and reviewing behavior expectations. Students are generally motivated to go outside and enjoy the change of pace, therefore they are often motivated to be on their best behavior so they can have this special privilege. Remind them that if they follow the rules, they get to stay outside, but if they don’t, they will have to return to the classroom.

Once behavior expectations are set, you are ready to get some fresh air. Here are our suggestions for some fun learning activities you can do outside:

Read aloud

What could be better than hearing your teacher read from a favorite book or the next chapter of a novel while sitting in the sun or under a tree?

Silent Reading

Likewise, silent reading is a natural fit for the outside. Who doesn’t love to read when surrounded by the sun and the sounds of nature? If your students haven’t discovered this joy, be the one to introduce them to its charms.

Read to a partner.

Many reading programs have a read to a partner element. This can be an effective way to combine learning and fun when you do it outside.

Chalk activities

Give sidewalk chalk a workout. Have students practice spelling words, write sight words, do math problems or draw maps!

White board work

If you have individual white boards, anything you have students do with them in the classroom can easily be done outside of the classroom.

Act out vocabulary

Put students in small groups to act out vocabulary words from any content area. This is fun and helps them use words in different contexts so they don’t just memorize words, they understand how to use them.

Student skits

Students love to apply their learning by creating skits. They can act out sections of a novel, scientific processes, or events in history. They can use emerging second language skills to recreate a television show. Skits are a great way to review content and apply the information they have been learning.

Readers Theatre

Students of all ages like Readers Theatre. The limited space in classrooms often makes this challenging and being outdoors opens up the space for students to work. Whether you give students scripts or have them write their own, RT is an engaging activity that develops many skills. Read more about using RT here.

Nature study

This one seems obvious, but what better place to study nature than in nature? Let students observe the natural world, record observations and discuss their findings.

These are just a few of the many possible activities that can work well outside. If you haven’t ventured out, what are you waiting for?

Here are some related posts that you might like:

How to Engage Students the Week Before Break

Actively Engage Students As the School Year Ends

Spring Fever? Take Students Outside

How to Stay Motivated for the Last Days of School

5 things Teachers Should Do Before the School Year Ends

4 Great Active Learning Strategies for all Content Areas

We hope you enjoy your spring and create an opportunity for teaching and learning outside,

Effective Teacher Language: Have to or Get To?

March 29, 2019 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Using effective teacher language can change the way students respond to you and may increase their motivation. The words we choose convey a message to our listener that can negatively or positively impact how students will perceive a task.

Consider the simple words “have to” and “get to.”

By replacing “have to…” with “get to…” in your daily language, you can send a subtle but very different tone and message to your listener. With this word substitution, you can easily change a negative connotation into a positive statement.

Here are some examples of how you can dramatically alter the tone of your conversations with students by substituting the word get for the word have:

“You have to read this book.”

This phrase sends the message that it is an unpleasant obligation to read the book. We don’t generally like to be told we have to do something.

“You get to read this book. ”

This phrase implies that implies that reading this book is a privilege or honor. The book sounds much more interesting if it is something we get to read.

“You have to work together.”

When you hear this, you instantly think that there are downfalls when working in a group. It is not going to be a fun or pleasant experience.

“You get to work together.”

When we get to work together, we are being given a privilege, something we will want to do and choose to do. Most students enjoy working with others, so why not choose words that make it sound positive?

“We have to work through this content.”

When you use this phrase, it sounds like even you don’t like this content and are doing it begrudgingly.

“We get to work through this content.”

This sounds much less brutal and implies that the content is something worthwhile.

“You have to show your work.”

When you tell students that they have to show their work, they hear that this is another unpleasant task. It is just one more thing they have to do. Expect student groans.

“You get to show their work.”

If you get to show your work, there is something positive in it for you. Perhaps you get some points for an incorrect answer if you have correctly done some of the steps. Perhaps the teacher will be better able to understand what you are thinking and give you better feedback. This phrase gives the impression that students have the opportunity to let the teacher understand what they are thinking.

You can also use this word substitution to correct students when they speak. When a student states that they “have to” do a task, you can reply that “Yes, you get to do the task.”

If this still seems like only a silly word change, try this one out for yourself:

“I have to go to work tomorrow” versus “I get to go to work tomorrow.”

Which one is more positive? When you have to go to work, you dread it. When you get to go to work, you are reminded that you were chosen for your job over others who did not get the job. You have students who need you and an administrator that trusted their care to your capable hands. You are fortunate to have a job where you can use your skills in an impactful way. Not everyone is that fortunate.

Effective teacher language is often just a matter of paying attention to the words you choose. Once you are aware of the power of this language substitution you will catch yourself and others when they say they “have to” do something versus when they “get to” do something. You will be amazed by how quickly this transforms the conversations you have with learners and with other adults.

You don’t “have to” try this out, but we certainly hope you “get to.”

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Encourage a Growth Mindset in Your Classroom

March 15, 2019 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Does your school or classroom encourage students to develop a growth mindset?

The Growth Mindset movement, made popular by Carol Dweck’s research and book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success has taken a strong hold in schools and classrooms over the past several years.

Mindsets Defined

Fixed Mindset

According to Dweck, people with a fixed mindset think that intelligence and personality are fixed traits. They may believe that they can learn things, but you can’t really change how intelligent you are. People with a fixed mindset feel the need to prove themselves to show that they are worthy. They never want to expose any of their deficiencies.

People with a fixed mindset are very sensitive to making mistakes are being judged as inferior. They constantly ask themselves: Do I look smart or dumb? Am I a winner or loser? Will I succeed or fail? When things don’t go well, people with a fixed mindset see themselves as a failure. They don’t believe that things will change with effort. They want validation that they are smart or talented.

If you have a fixed mindset, you will thrive when things are comfortable and safely within your grasp. You don’t want to be challenged or have to give too much effort. If you have a fixed mindset, you believe that having to work hard is a sign that you aren’t smart or talented enough.

Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that your basic qualities can be developed through your efforts. Although you may have initial traits or qualities, aptitudes or temperament, you believe that you can grow and improve through training and experience. People with a growth mindset understand that it takes time for your potential to develop.

People with a growth mindset are inclined to stretch themselves in order to grow, even if they encounter setbacks along the way. They thrive on challenges. They will take risks without fear of judgement. They believe that with passion, toil and training, you can change your intelligence or abilities.

Your mindset, whether it is a fixed or growth mindset, has implications for all areas of your life, including how you approach life, careers, and relationships. Your mindset determines your parenting style and your leadership potential. It determines how will you will bounce back from loss or failures. It determines how you view success and what you will do to achieve

How can you encourage students to have a growth mindset? Here are some suggestions:

Stop telling students they are smart.

According to Dweck, praising students’ intelligence harms their motivation and their performance. If success means they are smart, then the opposite must be true. If I fail at something, I am dumb. Rather than reward them for being smart, reward their positive effort and improvement. Remark on specific things they do that leads to their success such as studying, practice and being persistent.

Use the phrase not yet.

When they are struggling with something new, remind students that don’t have the ability to do it- yet. The word yet implies that they will be able to master something in the future. This shows that ability is not fixed, it can be developed.

Be careful of labeling students.

He’s a math whiz, she’s really artistic. These comments encourage the idea that talent is naturally built in rather than developed. Instead, notice and comment on how students excel. Mention how he works through difficult problems several times until he finds the right solution, or how she studied where the light fell on the subjects she was drawing.

Focus less on grades and percentages.

Grades don’t tell the whole story. They don’t show the lack of learning of a student who got an A on the spelling pretest, automatically got an “A” on the final test and didn’t learn to spell any new words. They also don’t show the student who got an “F” on the spelling pre-test and a “C” on the post test. Who actually learned more? Yet we often praise the student with the “A” and tell the students with the “C” to work harder.

Discuss bad grades not as a personal failure or as a lack of intelligence, but as an opportunity to learn something and then improve.

Teach Students About Brain Growth

What we know about neuroscience is constantly changing, but popular perception has not kept up with reality. According to Mark Kay Ricci in her book Mindsets in the Classroom, “Neurons make new connections when you learn something new. These connections become stronger with practice and effort. The more connections, the denser your brain is. The more density, the ‘smarter’ you are.”

In short, our brain capacity is not fixed, we constantly change our brains as we learn new things and make new connections.

Praise steps in the right direction.

Growth mindset is about moving forward and making progress when learning and doing new things. Praising small steps in the right direction may help students with a fixed mindset take a chance at something new without feeling the risk of rejection or the devaluing of his competence. Noticing positive steps in the right direction also encourages students with a growth mindset to continue on their learning path.

Give honest and constructive feedback.

At first some students will see this as criticism. Remind them that they grow better by learning. Give them specific feedback to help them grow. Then give them opportunities to apply that feedback. Let them re-do an assignment or use the feedback in upcoming work. Giving students much criticism without the opportunity to apply it, is often perceived as judging. Giving students helpful feedback and an opportunity to apply it isn’t judging, it is teaching.

Watch the bullies.

Bullies often have a fixed mindset. When they bully someone else, they often achieve desirable feedback. They not only feel a shot of self-esteem, but often receive social status from their peers, who may think they are cool, funny or powerful. Rather than risk judgement, bullies do the judging. A fixed mindset believes that in order for you to be superior, someone else must be inferior. Help them to see their good traits without the need to put down others.

Watch the victims.

Victims often take a bully’s words to heart. Eventually they stop believing in their ability and believe that they are worthless losers. If they have developed a fixed mindset, they believe they have been judged in a negative way. As a result, they will often look for revenge. In revenge, they become the judge rather than the one being judged, which satisfies their internal need to be smarter or better than someone else to prove that they are worthy. Just like with bullies, help victims to understand their worth as a person.

Developing a Growth Mindset Will Help Students for Life

Good educators know that they teach students, not just subject matter content. In our role as a teacher, we want to help students to be their best. Fostering a growth mindset will not only help them in their education, but will help them develop the tools for a productive and successful and happy life.

How have you adopted growth mindset ideals? Has your school engaged in specific programs or methods to develop growth mindset? We would love to hear your experiences.

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20 Things You Can Do Today to Be a More Effective Teacher

February 8, 2019 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Sometimes, effective teaching is hard work and takes a lot of time and preparation. On the other hand, there are simple things you can do, often in five minutes or less that will increase your effectiveness, make teaching easier or enhance the environment of your classroom or school.

Here, in no particular order, are twenty things you can do to be a more effective teacher:

1. Have students write the best thing they have learned in class so far on an index card. Read some out loud and then post them on a bulletin board.

2. Sharpen all the pencils in your pencil cup. Throw away the dead pens.

3. Write a thank you note to someone who often helps you.

4. Tell a student you appreciate them.

5. Do something silly- wear a funny hat, or include a funny cartoon on a test.

6. Make a positive phone call to a parent.

7. Organize the top of your file cabinet, or one messy shelf.

8. Put a new plant in your classroom.

9. Invite students to bring their lunch and join you in your room just to share a fun article, book or video.

10. Rearrange student desks.

11. Start the day by writing your “why” on the board. This could be an objective, or outcome. Explain the purpose of the lesson or how it will help students.

12. Secretly do something nice for another teacher. Leave a little gift on their desk or bring them a coffee.

13. Play a song by a popular artist and find a way to connect it to your lesson.

14. Invite a guest reader or content expert in to your class.

15. Thank students, as a group, for excellence such as staying engaged and working hard on a task, doing well on an assignment or test, or treating each other well.

16. Engage students in different levels of questioning by applying the 1, 2, 3 rule. Ask one low level, recall question. Ask one question where students must apply the information. Ask one question where students must analyze or synthesize information.

17. Throw a koosh ball to call on students during a discussion.

18. Have students get into small groups and write a rap with words that reviews a lesson or unit.

19. Set a timer for five minutes. Have everyone clean and organize something in the classroom. Or, set a timer for five minutes. Clean off the top of your desk, or a junk drawer.

20. Play a quick game of 20 Questions. Use a word or subject from your content and let students ask yes or no questions. Keep a tally on the board. Let the winner pick a new word.

There are our 20 quick activities you can do to be a more effective teacher, make teaching easier or enhance the environment of your classroom or school.

What would you add to our list? We would love to hear your ideas!

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