In the ever-evolving landscape of education, it can be difficult for teachers and instructional coaches to prioritize what areas to focus on improving first. In this post, we’ll explore the five teacher essentials that every teacher needs in order to be successful with their students. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or just starting your journey, these fundamentals will help you…
Do you find it difficult to transition your students from one lesson to the next? Or to gain their attention back when they return from a break? Many teachers just jump right into the lesson by stating the objective and beginning their teaching. However, it’s important to “hook” the student’s attention before you begin teaching the content. This makes them…
Every teacher needs some form of classroom management strategy. I usually utilize several throughout an academic year as I have found that after a few months students often loose interest and the classroom management strategy becomes less effective. When this happens, I introduce something new. Here is one of my favorite ways to encourage positive behavior in the classroom- designating…
Setting high expectations for students is a cornerstone of effective teaching and a key driver of student success. When teachers set high standards for their students, they send a powerful message that they believe in their students’ abilities to achieve great things. This belief can motivate students to push themselves beyond their perceived limits, leading to increased academic achievement, improved…
Here’s a common scenario in many classrooms. Students submit their final assignment, it is marked and feedback is provided. In their feedback, teachers provide tips the student can work on for future assignments. They might question mark things that are unclear. When the students get the assignment back, they may read the feedback but then they file the assignment away…
Are you a new instructional coach? Trying to figure out how to organize yourself but not sure exactly where to start? Let me show you some of the forms and tools I use as a coach. First off, figure out your priorities. You can’t do everything all at once. If you’re new to your school, take some time to observe…
I love doing STEM challenges with kids. They can be a low-prep, highly engaging activity to pull out when you have some extra time, you have a substitute or you find your students’ attention dwindling during certain times of year. STEM challenges are great for summer break as well! Did you know that some studies estimate 70-80% of students experience…
A rubric is supposed to make grading projects or presentations more fair. But do they always? No, they don’t always grade as fairly as we hope. That’s why it’s important to reflect after you grade projects with a rubric for the first time. You can do the following activity to check. Do on your own using several examples of student’s…
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…
Summer learning loss, also known as “summer slide,” refers to the loss of academic skills and knowledge students may experience during the summer break. Parents may not be aware that the summer slide even exists but educators know it’s a real thing. This phenomenon occurs amongst almost every student of every age, but it has a particular tendency to occur…