Critical thinking is a crucial skill for students to develop in school. It is the ability to think deeply, logically, and independently about a topic, problem, or situation. The importance of critical thinking in education cannot be overstated, as it empowers students to become more effective learners, thinkers, and problem-solvers. 5 Reasons Why Critical Thinking Is So Important To Teach…
Goals can be a powerful motivator and tool for accountability. Several different years when I was teaching and preparing my students for external exams or just trying to motivate low performers, I asked each student to come up with a goal (a percentage) that they wanted to hit in the subject. I tried to steer them to set a goal…
Let’s face it, many students today wish they could spend every minute on the computer playing games. As educators, we can use their natural interest in the computer to create interest in doing other things. Beyond that, using techology is a critical skill all students need to know to be successful in our world today. The websites below are free…
You may be a classroom teacher, homeschooling mom or a parent who wants to give your child some meaningful activities at home. Mastering the basics of creating letters and being able to recognize them is key for ensuring reading success letter on! These ideas are fun, low-prep and great practice to help your child learn their letters. 8 Active Ways…
90% of the behavior problems you have in your class can be eliminated by changing your routines and environment! 1.Establish clear expectations. Let’s use the example of getting in line. I want to take a minute to close your eyes and imagine how you would LIKE a classroom of students to get in line. Imagine the noise level, how quickly…
In my first post about rubrics I defined what a rubric is and the parts of a rubric. Assuming you now know the basics, I’m going to talk about how to make your rubric even better. Here are some common problems people have when they first start developing rubrics: I have a student who falls between two boxes on the…
In simple form, inquiry-based learning is more of a student-directed way of learning rather than teacher-directed. In some cases, teachers may set the general framework for learning, but for the most part, the learning is based on the students questions, ideas and passions. But how do you provoke those questions in the first place? Inquiry-based learning still requires preparation from…
We’ve all given those group assignments and at the end you know that one or two of the group members ended up doing all the work while the other 1 or 2 group members just messed around. Group work can be a great way for students to work together, learn to communicate and support each other in learning. However, this…
Choice boards are a piece of paper with squares on it, each with a different activity for students to complete. Students can choose any of the activities they want to do. Sometimes teachers guide the students by telling them to complete one activity from each row or to try to get 3 in a row like in the game BINGO.…
Differentiation can be done in three main ways: You can adjust content (what you are teaching the students) You can adjust the process (how you are teaching students) You can adjust the product (what the students do, turn in or create) How can you adjust the content? This might involve different groups of students working on different skills. For the…
