Kindness is a very important concept to teach and practice with your students. Before looking at three great activities to practice kindness, you should discuss what kindness looks and sounds like and why it is actually important. You can use the demonstrations below to help students of any age to visualize kindness in a concrete way. Teach About Why Kindness…
SEL involves teaching students about their emotions and what to do with them. It also involves purposefully teaching important social skills such as problem-solving, taking turns, being responsible and expressing their ideas. 3 Benefits of teaching SEL in the classroom: Students can know and manage themselves. Students understand the perspectives of others and relate effectively with them. Students are able…
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…
1. Class Meetings Set a time(s) each week (perhaps a few mornings during homeroom, or right after lunch) for whole class meetings. This is an ideal time for learners to share about themselves. It can build awareness and trust with classmates. The teacher asks a question. Learners reflect and share their thoughts and opinions openly while listening respectfully to others.…
As an administrator, I conduct formal observations on all the teachers in our building. After the observation, I hold a meeting with the teacher to go over what I observed and ways they can grow for next time. I always ask the same question when I begin these meetings “Tell me what you think went well in the lesson and…
We all know that it’s important to assess students. Assessment shouldn’t just come at the end of the unit or topic thought. Ongoing assessment, or formative assessment, should take place throughout the unit. Each day I like to do a quick and simple check-in on my specific objective for that day. I use the results to help me plan for…
STEM task cards are cards that students complete to focus on a specific skill or concept. What makes them different from other learning activities is that each card focuses on one activity or problem. Students grab a card, complete the activity, and then start on another card. Some task cards can be completed quickly and students will work through an…
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Concepts from these subjects are woven throughout the school day. STEM helps students develop key skills including: Currently, 75% of jobs in the fastest growing industries require workers with STEM skills. Part 1: Getting Started (Baby Steps) When teachers first ask me about STEM they usually feel really nervous. They think STEM…
When asking teachers what their number one challenge in the classroom is many, if not most, of them will say dealing with student behavior. Student behavior can make a teacher love or hate coming to school. It can turn a teacher from someone with joy and patience to someone who is angry and stressed all the time. Yes, those “challenging…
Problem solving is a very important skill for students to learn. It’s not only important for their future but also the overall peace and management of your classroom. The more you train your students how to solve their own problems, the less you have to get involved in solving them yourself. Win Win! Here are three activities to get you…