Strengthening Peer Reviews through Growth Mindset
Getting the most from peer reviews in your classroom? Stretch your investment through Growth Mindset in 4 steps—or use these free resources—to boost the benefit for you and your students.
Re-Energizing Classroom Discussion through Round Table Circles
When you want your students to engage in lively discussion, choosing the right format makes all the difference. Use Round Table Circles, a powerful tool that will keep your students engaged.
“Where’s my partner?” An Overview of Grouping Strategies for the Classroom
Grouping students during the practice phase of your lesson can have many benefits. Students often like to talk and interact with their peers, and this gives them an excellent opportunity to practice what they are learning. However, many questions can arise when it comes to grouping your students. How should you group them? How can you implement grouping quickly and effectively, so you aren’t wasting class time?
Station Teaching and Alternative Teaching: Two Effective Co-Teaching Instructional Models
If you are fortunate enough to work in a co-teaching situation, we encourage you to try station teaching and/or alternative teaching as instructional models. Station teaching is perfect for when you want to implement a variety of learning activities, and alternative teaching is an excellent method of differentiating instruction for two groups working at different academic levels.
5 Ways to Help All Students Succeed in a Differentiated Classroom
The key to success for all students is easier than you might think! Designing a differentiated classroom is one of the most impactful ways to progress the learning of each and every child. Today’s classroom is more diverse than ever before which is why it is crucial for educators to implement differentiation strategies that address each child’s readiness, interests, and learning profile. Learn how you can simply and effectively help your students on their road to success through differentiation in your classroom.
Using Aggressive Active Monitoring to Maximize Student Learning
It is now independent practice time for your lesson, and to an outside observer it appears that students are silent, working hard, and grappling with task at hand. All looks well, but how do know that students are actually mastering the material they are working on and will be ready for your planned exit ticket or mini assessment?
This is where Active Monitoring comes in. One of the major responsibilities of a teacher during independent work is to actively gather real-time, objective-aligned data that will enable direct action when student misconceptions are identified. A more focused, strategic example of Active Monitoring, Aggressive Monitoring, can be highly effective in catching student misunderstandings and ensuring student mastery prior to the actually assessment. In this article, we will provide a detailed overview of how to use Aggressive Monitoring in your classroom.
Building A Small Group Planning Notebook
Many teachers that I have worked with often ask, “how do you keep everything for your small group organized?” It’s very simple…a Small Group Planning Notebook! Having everything in one notebook and organized will maximize the time with your students. Often teachers will succumb to piling everything on their desk and deciding, “oh I will organize it later” - I’ve been there. However, simply keeping all your small group planning in one binder from the start, will prove to be beneficial not only for you but your students as well. In this article we will take you through the process of setting up and managing your own Small Group Planning Notebook, and provide you with all the resources you will need to get started!
Establishing Classroom Procedures
Research supports teaching methods such as project based learning or inquiry based learning, where the teacher serves as a facilitator and students take charge of their own learning. However, before those methods can be successful, teachers need to have already established a classroom culture in which students know what is expected of them and what the consequences will be if they do not meet those expectations. This culture begins with consistent classroom management procedures.
A Glimpse at Project Based Learning in the Classroom
As an educator, you have probably heard of Project Based Learning, or PBL, but might have been overwhelmed by all it seems to encompass. Take a close glimpse of an actual PBL project in action in the classroom to see that it is completely manageable! After reading this article, you will have a basic understanding of Project Based Learning and what it looks like in the classroom.
Building a Better Classroom One Strategy at a Time
Do you find yourself exhausted at the end of every school day? Your throat hurts from all of the talking, and you never seem to make it through everything you had planned? If you are like most teachers, you have become accustomed to this feeling and can’t imagine anything different. But it CAN be different by effectively implementing just a few classroom strategies. In this article we will be looking at three strategies that can turn any classroom from total chaos to a more efficient, well-run learning environment.
