classroom environment Archives - Page 18 of 24

The Teacher’s Guide to Surviving Halloween in the Classroom

October 24, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

It is that time of the year…Halloween! Students are excited, even hyperactive and the days leading to and just after Halloween can be challenging for teachers. Here are some ways to enjoy the holiday while remaining sane amidst the sugar rush.

Know your schools Halloween conventions and protocol.

Does your school celebrate Halloween or attempt to minimize it? Some schools go all out with a Halloween parade in the gym and classroom parties. Middle schools and high schools may have bonfires or special pep rallies. In some schools, teachers plan special activities for a portion of the day but follow regular routines the rest of the day. In some schools, teachers and students dress up in costumes, in others they do not. Find out the expectations and then plan accordingly. You don’t want to be the only teacher to show up in a costume in a school that discourages holiday participation.

That said, in most schools, you can incorporate holiday themed activities into your classroom.

Have fun with it.

Students are going to be thinking about Halloween, you might as well enjoy it. Play haunting music during clean up time. Dress the classroom skeleton in a costume. Tell a Halloween joke. Put fun graphics on handouts or on the white board. Decorate your door (I dare you to come in…) or let students decorate the room. The promise of some time to decorate the room is often a great incentive to get students to focus on doing regular classwork the rest of the day.

Incorporate Halloween themes and words into your lessons.

Take a cue from our friend Esmé Raji Codell , author of Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year. Among the subjects Esmé teachers are: “Puzzling” (math), “Mad Scientists Time” (Science), and “Time Travel and World Exploring” (Social Studies.)

Perhaps for a week you could teach “Mysterious Mystery Solving” or “Gory Grammar.” Could you devise a science lesson to take place in “Frankenstein’s Lab?”

Most teachers and students enjoy reading Halloween and fall themed stories. Older students might read classic Halloween literature such as A Tell-Tale Heart or “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Most students enjoy reading thrillers or mystery short stories. Build fluency by having student practice and perform a Reader’s Theater show with Halloween themed poems.

Let students learn and practice research and presentations skills by researching the origins of Halloween or on the symbols such as ghosts, vampires and bats. Students could research in the days before Halloween and share oral presentations on the actual day.

Here is a great word list to incorporate Halloween themed words into your classroom activities.

Remind students of expectations.

You don’t have to be a killjoy, but you will need to remind them and expect them to adhere to previously established expectations. Sometimes a quick reminder is all you need. Here is one possible script:

I know you are all excited and that this is a fun week. We can all still work hard and learn a lot. I have some fun things planned for us, but I need you to promise that you will continue to follow the expectations and rules we have already agreed upon.

Be sensitive to students’ needs.

Some families do not celebrate holidays or allow their children to partake in holiday themed activities. In most cases, parents will have discussed this with you ahead of time. One way to accommodate all children is to use secular themes. Rather than celebrating Halloween by having first graders count pumpkin seeds, you can talk about fall and harvesting fall foods while counting pumpkin seeds.

If your school does allow Halloween activities, make sure that activities and costumes are developmentally appropriate. Some children are easily frightened by scary costumes. Older children may enjoy a scare, but be sure it is safe for them to opt out. Make sure that there is no real violence or threat of real violence. Most schools ban costume props such as guns, swords and knives.

Use Halloween as an opportunity to talk about bigger issues.

Many students will participate in Trick-or-Treating. This is a natural time to talk about safety. Halloween also offers an opportunity to develop critical thinking skills. Younger students can discuss the difference between real and imaginary or fact and fiction. Older students might grapple with ideas such as how do our looks affect how we are perceived by others? What do Halloween costumes tell us about gender stereotypes? What is the economic impact of Halloween? Are there real things that can take over our brains?

We hope you will have a great Halloween week!

Can You Dig this Classroom Management Strategy from 1970?

October 17, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

The 1970s brought about a wave of groovy and brightly colored ideas and innovations. Some, like the floppy disk, were great in the day but have been replaced by more innovative variations of the same concept. Some 1970s trends, like maxi skirts, come and go in different variations throughout the years. There are some 1970s fads, like that interesting orange and red shag carpet, that hopefully will not make a comeback any time soon.

Classroom practices are also subject to changing trends. However, there is one tried and true teacher classroom management skill, formally named in the 1970s, that is still just as relevant today. With-It-Ness.

The phrase “With-It-Ness” was coined by Jacob Kounin in 1970. That is not to say the concept didn’t exist before then, because it did, but Kounin was the one smart enough to give it a name. Kounin was an educational psychologist who was best known for his work regarding proactive behavior management.

Here is a classroom conversation scenario that best exemplifies the meaning of With-It-Ness:

Bobby: “How did Ms. James even know I was doing that? She must have eyes in the back of her head.”

Susie: “Sometimes I wonder if she has eyes on the sides of her head too.”

Bobby: “It is like she has some magical sense of what is going on in every part of the room at any given time. Do you think she has cameras and microphones placed somewhere that we don’t know about?

Ms. James: (patiently but firmly from across the room) “Bobby and Susie, even though I am working with a reading group I know you two are talking at the center. Please get back to work. And, no, I don’t need cameras because magical powers run in my family.” (insert mischievous smile here)

When a teacher possesses with-it-ness, he/she has a keen sense or awareness about what is going on with all of their students, at any given time. The teacher can be standing in one section of the room but knows what is going on in all of their classroom spaces. They may be attending to one student but still have a sense of awareness as to what the other students are doing. To make this concept in practice even more effective, the students have to KNOW that the teacher is aware. This will make the students less likely to misbehave.

With-it-ness is not something teachers are born with. In addition, it develops at different rates in teachers. Some teachers find this an easy skill to master, while others struggle with it, as complete classroom awareness does not come naturally to them.

We have been in classrooms all over the world, and have not found a single excellent teacher who does not have a well-developed sense of with-it-ness. These teachers make management look so easy, but if you watch closely, you will see that they have mastered with-it-ness just like an artist who has mastered a craft.

How is your sense of with-it-ness developing? Have you made a concerted effort to increase your with-it-ness level? If not, is it time for you do start working on this?

We offer the following tips to grow in your with-it-ness ability:

Frequently scan the room with your eyes.

Learn to multi-task so that you can be doing one thing while quickly scanning the room with your eyes frequently. When you get truly efficient at with-it-ness, you will barely have to even look up from what you are doing to address something happening on the other side of the room.

Position yourself so you can see all of the students at once.

Whenever you sit to work with a student, ask yourself, “What would be the best way to position myself so that I can see all students just by averting my eyes while working with this student?”

Interrupt your instruction as little as possible.

Find ways to cue the students into your awareness with as little distraction as possible. Develop the fine art of brow raising or give students the “teacher eye.” If you have to address a behavior that is occurring across the room, be sure to tell the student(s) you are currently working with to continue their work.

Make comments so the students know you are aware of all classroom activities at any given moment.

The comments can be general or specific to a student. “I need everyone at the table in the corner to be collaboratively working” can be just as effective as stating, “Johnny and Ellen are working so well together. I hope to see that from all partners in the next 3 minutes.”

Having awareness is something that requires practice.

Start small. Pick one class in which you want to practice your with-it-ness skills. Increase it to two classes as your skill becomes more advanced.

The more awareness you gain of what is occurring in the various aspects of your classroom, the more you will be able to anticipate problems before they occur and address those issues that do occur without interrupting instruction.

We think with-it-ness is one of the grooviest educational phrases of the last 50 years. It is also one of the most effective classroom management practices. We think you will agree.

Can you dig it?

Listening- The Classroom Management Strategy that Time Forgot

October 10, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers 1 Comment

As teachers, we are doing 15 different things at any given moment. Every minute of the school day is occupied with students, meetings, prepping, and data collection and analysis. We continually have students talking to us. We half listen to their stories as we scan the class to be sure everyone is on-task. We find ourselves wishing our long-winded students would finish their story before we lose the rest of the class. We try to listen. We really do. But there is just so much we need to get done in a day.

Years ago, when education wasn’t moving at rollercoaster speed, teachers had time to sit down and listen to students. They also had less behavioral issues. Coincidence? We don’t think so.

When teachers listen to students, really listen, it shows students that their teacher has a vested interest in them. It relays the message that what the student has to say is important enough that an adult will stop what they are doing and listen.

Listening can also help us to better understand a student’s perspective. When a student has a behavioral issue in your class, you may think you know what happened. Asking a student, “What just happened there?” allows you to hear their perspective on the situation. Taking it even further, by sitting and actively listening to their reply, shows the student you care about their perspective.

Listening will help you to more fully understand your students’ needs and motivations. Attentive listening can help you proactively understand what is happening in a student’s mind to prevent further behavioral issues.

In today’s fast paced world of education, with standards and pacing hovering right over our heads, it can be nearly impossible to take time to listen to each student each day. However, if listening for a student talk with you for 2 minutes can decrease 5 minutes of behavioral issues with that student later in the day, isn’t it worth it?

We offer the following advice for listening to students in a way that will decrease later behavioral issues:

Resist all urges to “fix” the situation the student is sharing with you– It is our urge, as caring individuals in a helping profession, to jump in right away and offer solutions to a student’s problem. However, this can leave a student feeling like we didn’t honor their situation. It can also leave them feeling belittled because the teacher solved the problem so quickly when it was not that easy for the student. Finally, jumping in and offering advice before a student finishes their story does not show them you honor their experience. Instead of offering solutions, ask questions that lead the student to find their own solutions or value in their experience.

Use your roster as a way of keeping track of who you have listened to each day– Try and listen to your students as much as possible. Students who are attention seeking will not seek your attention in negative ways if they can have your ear in a positive way. To make sure all students get your attention, use your roster as a checklist of who you have listened to. Each time you have the opportunity to listen to a story that a student tells, place a checklist next to their name on a printed copy of your roster. Be sure that each student gets a checklist by their name on a rotating basis.

Make every free moment count- Take advantage of every opportunity to talk with students. There may be a free moment to talk to a student in the hall, before working with a student individually, or in between classes. You will be surprised how many opportunities arise to talk with a student each day when you are intentionally looking for them.

Listening can also occur in reading a student’s written thoughts– Listening does not always have to be an auditory experience. You can assign informal and ungraded writing assignments in which students share their thoughts and stories with you in writing. Be sure that the prompts will help you to learn about the students and that there is no evaluation associated with the assignments. Provide prompts that will help you learn about the student in a way that could prevent future behavioral issues or increase your rapport with them.

Create classroom sharing opportunities– Share some of your own stories to help students see differing perspectives. Model appropriate ways to share your feelings and experiences. By creating an environment that allows participants to express their feelings, opinions, and experiences, you are creating a space in which students will feel safe to tell their own stories and share their own perspectives when behavioral issues occur.

Wait for a student to de-escalate from an issue before asking them to explain their actions- When adrenaline is high, communication skills decrease. Wait for a student’s adrenaline to work its way out of their system before asking them to explain their perspective on a behavioral issue that occurred. You both will be more open to the sharing if you have a few minutes to calm yourselves before talking and listening.

We realize that all of these suggestions cannot be implemented overnight, nor are they all-inclusive. However, like we suggested in another recent article about addressing behavioral issues, good relationships with students will almost always improve student behaviors. Even if allowing students to share their stories does not help you to better see their perspectives, listening to them will most definitely help to build better relationships.

Happy Listening,

P.S. Do you want more information about preventing problematic student behaviors? Enter your name and e-mail below and we will send you our free guide to motivation and management!

What to Do When the Honeymoon is Over: Addressing Student Behaviors

September 12, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

You got off to a great start to your school year. Your students were respectful and well behaved. You started actually teaching content and meeting the standards. You were feeling confident that you might even be a rock star teacher.

And then reality set in.

There was a side conversation here, a set of rolled eyes there. One student bravely challenged you, another blurts out silly answers. Your call for attention is ignored.

The honeymoon is over.

Students are getting comfortable, and their true characteristics have started to appear. No, they are not demons, but they are people with different personalities. Those personalities have started to assert themselves, sometimes in annoying and disruptive ways.

This is the time to recognize those student behaviors and address them. You can’t wait for all the little disrespectful comments or incessant talking to disappear on its own. If ignored, the problems will likely grow worse.

What’s a teacher to do?

We’ve got a few suggestions. Consider some or all of the following:

Discuss Expectations.

If you haven’t already done so, have a class discussion about expectations. What do you expect from them? What do they expect from each other? From themselves? It is a good idea to talk about why we have particular expectations; people are more motivated when they know the reasons behind rules. A student may not discontinue a negative behavior when the reason is “because I said so” but might because another student shares that he wants to learn so he can get a good job and support his family. Consider creating a rights and responsibilities chart.

Create a seating chart.
Perhaps you already have one, but likely it was built without knowing your students. This is a good time to reevaluate. Separate the talkers. Mix the students who regularly participate throughout the room. Put students whose physical movements are distracting towards the back or sides of the room. If student desks are in large groups, divide them into smaller pods. If students protest the new chart, calmly tell them you would love to let them choose their own seats but because they weren’t making good choices you reserve the right to make their choices for them. A seating arrangement isn’t the answer to all of your problems, but it can be a start.

Look at your lessons.
Are students sitting quietly for long periods of time? Is the work challenging, engaging, and meaningful? Do students have some choices in activities, materials or how they present their work? Do students have some opportunities for social engagement and working with partners or small groups? Is there opportunity for movement? Student behaviors are likely to be more positive during active, engaging lessons.

Look for attention seeking students.
These students may wave their hands wildly in the air, not just because they know the answer, but because they want everyone to see them. They may give silly answers out of turn or make inappropriate comments aimed at the general class. The class clown is usually an attention seeker. They can be disruptive, but endearing.

Do not give in to them by answering their blurted or silly questions. Once you realize which students are demanding attention, try not giving them attention when they seek it. Find more positive ways to let them know you are aware of them. For example, you might call them by name as they enter the room and make a friendly comment. Ask them to turn the lights down for a video or pass out materials. Building relationships goes a long way with attention seekers, after all, your attention is often what they want.

Look for oppositional or defiant students.
These students are driven by many needs. Some feel threatened, others are overly anxious. Some want to manipulate others, while some are driven by a need to uphold a reputation. They may smirk, give cheeky answers, or refuse to do something. They may show little concern for other’s needs. They may be asserting their independence or demanding control. For some students, defiance has been a survival tool.

These can be tough student behaviors to handle, but you can win over an oppositional student. Do not yell, criticize them, ridicule them or berate them in front of their peers as these responses can make the situation worse. Do not threaten them or box them into a corner.

Be ready with a few stock statements. Though they are pushing your buttons, try to stay calm and speak in a soft voice. Don’t give them the fight they may be looking for.

“You can’t make me!” is followed by, “No, I can’t. You make your own choices.”

“I’m not doing that.” is followed with, “Then you earn the consequences of your choices.”

“I hate you!” is followed with, “I can see that you are angry. I’ll leave you to calm down and then we can talk in a minute.”

Try one-on-one discussions. These students are often motivated by their own goals rather than yours, so try to help them see how what you want them to do will help them reach their own goals.

Talk to them about their behaviors in ways that describe the behavior without judging. These students may think school is impersonal and unfair, if you can show them differently, they will begin to respect you.

Working with an oppositional or defiant student takes time and often some tough love. Talk to the guidance counselor, social worker, or another teacher to get some ideas for how to best work with the student.

Every teacher faces challenges in the classroom. Don’t take it personally. Continue to build a good relationships with your students because good relationships will almost always improve student behaviors.

Take care of yourself, make time to eat well and get some exercise. Get enough sleep too, because you will make better decisions when you are healthy and well rested.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to reach out to more experienced teachers for help. Find your mentor or ask a trusted colleague for advice when you need it. Some days, students try the patience of the best of teachers. You don’t have to go it alone.

Here’s to strength and confidence!

P.S. Do you want more information about preventing problematic student behaviors? Enter your name and e-mail below and we will send you our free guide to motivation and management!

How to Thrive on the First Day of School

August 22, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers 1 Comment

The first day of school is one of the most anticipated and anxiety-producing days of school for teachers. Both new and seasoned teachers plan for hours for this day but most teachers never feel completely ready. Many teachers can’t sleep the night before the first day of school, and others have nightmares about showing up to teach in their pajamas!

The first day of school doesn’t have to be anxiety provoking. We sat down with Hilary James, a National Board Certified veteran teacher, and compiled a list of things teachers should do on their first day of school in order to get off to a successful start to the new school year.

Breathe.

Remember to breathe. It sounds simple enough, but when we are nervous or excited it is easy to forget to breathe. Remind yourself to breathe several times throughout the first day. Taking a deep breath will help you relax. Before you know it, the day will be over and you will have successfully made it through the first day.

Put forth positive, optimistic energy.

Realize this is the students’ first day too. You are all new to this. A classroom with this exact composition of students, in this physical space, with you as the teacher, has never existed before this moment. It is pretty amazing if you think about it. You are all taking the first steps of a year long journey. You will make memories. You will learn lessons, both academic and otherwise. Enjoy this first step together. If you feel comfortable, share your excitement as well as your anxiety at beginning anew. The students will feed off your energy. When you put forth positive, optimistic energy, the students will likely mirror it back to you.

Set the tone for the school year.

Smile and make the kids feel comfortable. First impressions matter. This does not mean that if you have a bad first day that you cannot redeem things in following classes, but it is easier to begin the year in a positive light. You don’t have to spend the entire day doing warm, fuzzy activities; you can and should talk about expectations. By the end of the day, the students should know that your room is a safe place for learning.

Plan carefully and then let go.

Prepare good plans. Over planning for the first day, and most days, is essential. You won’t use all of your plans but we can imagine nothing worse than not having enough planned for the first day and having to come up with plans on the spot. You may be able to fill free time once you know your students, but we do not suggest this for the first day. This doesn’t mean you have to get through every plan. You don’t have to get it all done, and you probably won’t. You will have more time with these students, and you can use your plans another day. Your first day does not have to be perfect. Your goal is to make it through the day the best that you can and smile at the end because you did it.

At the end of the day, take time for reflection.

After the busy pace of the first day, and the adrenaline of trying to anticipate what needs to be done next to stay ahead of the students, you will want to keep moving at that pace once the students leave. However, give yourself time and space to sit down and reflect. What went well? What has to be changed immediately? What do you want to watch for in the upcoming days? What had you anticipated that didn’t happen? What happened that you hadn’t anticipated? How will these events change the way you structure your physical space or the way the students interact with the content in the upcoming days and weeks?

Your first day of school will undoubtedly not turn out the way you anticipated. It will leave you tired and exhilarated at the same time. You will be amazed that it is over in the blink of an eye. We hope you have an opportunity to take these suggestions and use them to thrive on your first day.

Happy teaching,

Paula, Michele, and (our guest teacher) Hilary James

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