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26 Things I Learned As A Teacher

1/23/2015

Being a teacher is one of the most important careers of all. It is a more demanding profession than most people think, but can be very rewarding (as I experienced during my 18 years as a full-time teacher). Here are some of the things I learned as a teacher with respect to the profession:

If your lesson is not going as planned, make a change on the fly. Mix it up.
Be accessible to your students even when they are not in class. Have a classroom Twitter account, blog etc.
Every teacher has been influenced by someone, but find your own teaching style and do what works best for your class each year.
If you don’t know something, admit it. Nobody knows everything.
Give your students small breaks throughout the day. Keep in mind that they are not robots and need to refresh from time to time.
Eat lunch with students from time to time. You will get to know them on a level other than as your student.
Be open to student ideas. Students often have ideas or perspectives that you have not considered.
Emphasize cooperative-learning. Incorporate it as often as you can based upon your daily schedule.
Help students realize and work for reaching their maximum potential as a student & person.
Be open to educating your students using many different methods. The world they are growing up in is vastly different than the world you grew up in.
If you a student is having behavior issues, do not assume it is because of you. Often times it is not about you and is something outside of school they are having difficulty dealing with.
Appropriately compliment. This can be very effective in helping boost a student’s self-esteem and confidence.
Incorporate technology as much as possible.
Share stories about your life experiences with your students, so they can get to know you better. They will view you as more than just their “teacher”, and understand that you have interests and passions other than teaching.
Do everything possible to avoid taking work home (sometimes it is not possible). You need time to relax your body and mind in order to remain fresh.
Teach your students that making mistakes is an important part of the learning process.
Implore your students to ask questions. Asking questions leads to deeper understanding.
Teach your students about the 4 Stages of Learning Something New
Take your class outside for a lesson from time to time. A change in the learning space can be a good thing. Learning is not limited to your classroom.
Self-evaluate: daily weekly, monthly...always look for ways to make your lessons, teaching style, delivery better.
Incorporate Character Education into your curriculum. Most kids need this.
Attend conferences, grade-level meetings, and workshops. This is an excellent way to interact with fellow teachers and get ideas about what you can use in your classroom.
Establish boundaries on the first day of school, and be consistent.
Be flexible. There may be days when unexpected things happen that cause a change in the class schedule, but “roll with the punches”. There is always the next day.
Integrate learning as best you can. Collaborate with your specialists (if you have them).
Take as many field trips as possible. There is a lot to be learned from the world outside the classroom and textbooks

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9 Ways Teachers Can Cultivate Math Thoughts

1/19/2015

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Math can sometimes be frustrating to teach. Some lessons may be easy and some more challenging. However, teachers can always do things that will help each lesson/unit function smoothly. Here are nine tips that can help teachers achieve their math goals each year.

Never lose sight of your goal Teaching students math is your main goal, not test scores or filling their heads with content only to have it evaporate over the summer.

     2.   Trust the curriculum/program you use/designed Be confident that the program you are
           using is good enough to help your students learn over the course of the year. There is no
           single program that is perfect. Take notes regarding what works and what does not work
           for you with respect to your classroom dynamic. Each year your students will be
           functioning at different levels, so you need to adjust your plans and approach accordingly.

     3.   Don’t supplement too much You have committed to sufficient time for mathematics
           instruction each day of the week. Your subject matter will be adequately discussed,
           practiced, and learned.

     4.   It is not a race Avoid rushing through lessons and units in order to reach an arbitrary
           goal. Focus on your students becoming confident and proficient with each concept that is
           covered. Some lessons may take two class periods to complete. It’s okay. Not everything
           is learned with ease.

     5. Be patient  If one person or the entire class is struggling, make sure to use all available
resources to help them comprehend.

     6.   Informal Assessment is more important than you might think Keep notes regarding
           what students are grasping concepts easily and what appears to be a challenge on a
           weekly or even daily basis.

     7.   Use your best judgement regarding activities related to lessons You may have several
           great ideas, but use them based on areas in which your students need remediation
           and/or enrichment.

    8.   It is very important to expose your students to the proper math vocabulary- You and your
          students should always use them. Encourage them to use this vocabulary in their Math Journal as
well (if they have Math Journals). If you don't use Math Journals, you may want to start. It is a great
way for students to record their thought process and be able to use that journal later as a
reference tool if necessary.

9. Allow for students to have opportunities to create, explore, and problem solve I taught 4th grade
for 11 years. Each year, the kids enjoyed Fridays because I designated that day as Math Game Day.
Students were able to use the entire math period to work alone, with a partner or in a small group
(3 people was my limit). The rules were as follows: Games must reinforce a mathematical skill,
games played could be ones that I taught them or a game from the math program we used, and
they had the option of creating a unique math game but had to present it to the class.

How do you cultivate math thoughts in your classroom?

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Cramming vs Studying Regularly

1/12/2015

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We have all done it at some point in our lives. We have waited until the the night before to begin studying for an exam. Then spent all night and into the wee hours of the next morning trying to cram as much information into our brains as possible.

Research has shown that studying in chunks (experts call it the Spacing effect or the Distributed Practice Effect) is more effective than studying for hours on end (“cramming”) the night before. Research has also shown that sacrificing sleep for study time, be it cramming for a test or plodding through a load of homework, is fundamentally counterproductive. Regardless of how much a student studies if sufficient sleep is being sacrificed for study time, he or she will likely have more academic difficulties (rather than fewer) the following day.

Here is something to consider. If it is the night before the test/exam and you are organizing notes, calling a classmate asking if they will scan their notes and email them to you, and reading the text/handouts for the first time, you are not studying.

Below are three links to articles related to the affect of cramming versus consistent studying, the importance of sleeping, and the connection between ample sleep, learning and memory.

Sleep, Learning and Memory http://bit.ly/Q810RH

Cramming May Not Be Best Practice http://wapo.st/1BdoR6J

Sleep Loss Affects High Schoolers http://bit.ly/1u0hEpD

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26 Things I Learned As A Teacher

9 Ways Teachers Can Cultivate Math Thoughts

Cramming vs Studying Regularly

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