What can music do for you??

There are many great reasons and ways to use music in your classroom. What can music do for you? Well, music creates a mood, engages the brain and it actually boosts endorphins! The human brain can process 800 words per minute and a teacher can only speak about 150 words per minute. Playing music in the learning environment engages more of the brain than our words alone. Teachers can use music for transitions and energizers. Since memory is linked to emotion and students usually remember most what happens in the beginning and ending of an experience, playing music as they enter the classroom and leave the classroom will leave them with memories of a positive experience.
Try it! Your students will thank you!

Directions! Directions?

Here is a management tip! Give one direction at a time. This may sound simple and a no-brainer, but it's harder to do than you think. When giving directions, break them down into steps. Give each step as a separate direction and WAIT for students to accomplish each task before moving on. If you don't wait, half of your students will not hear the next direction and you will get the dreaded question, "What do we do now?"
It will take patience and practice on your part, but it is well worth it! You will save your voice by not having to give directions over and over again!

Who's Thinking??

An important goal as a teacher is crafting instruction that gets all students to think and participate at the same time. Instead of asking kids to raise their hands to answer questions, have them turn and tell their neighbor what they think. Then have them share out. This way they all have to come up with a response and they can learn from each other. Using cooperative learning structures is a great way to hold students accountable for learning and capturing their attention. For other ideas see the mentor website.

Clipboard Cruising

Grading papers got you down? Here is a great tip to keep your desk from piling high with papers to grade. Make a chart with many columns and the names of your students going down the left side. Write the names of the assignments that your kids are working on across the top and the point value. Walk around as the kids are working and choose problems or portions of assignments to grade. Mark the grade on the top of their paper and record it on your chart. They can take the paper home that day and you don't have to touch it again. If you need to grade the whole assignment, give them something to do as they finish and grade it right in front of them. Mark their paper and record it on the chart. You will know exactly what your students are able to do and they will have instant feedback. See the mentor website for other grading tips!

Communication Log

Communicating with parents on a regular basis has many benefits. Parents will be included in the learning process, and can provide further learning experiences at home.
Students will be held more accountable when they know that their teacher and their parents are in direct contact, and are working as a team. Also, you may find that a parent has an expertise that they can share with your class. Documenting your communication is a helpful hint. This provides a record that can be quickly accessed throughout the school year. See the mentor web page for a printable communication log.

Parents as Partners

Working with parents is critical for the success of your students. One way to get started is by asking parents to fill out a survey about their child. This lets parents know that you value their knowledge,concerns and feelings about their child, as well as gives you insights on your students that you can use to plan your instruction. Many times you will discover things about your students that you would never have know otherwise! See the mentor website for a printable parent survey.

Knowing your students...

Knowing your students' interests and background will help you to make informed decisions about your instruction. This knowledge will also make it easier for you to make connections with your students and parents which will foster the spirit of collaboration between home and school. One way to get to know your students is to give them an interest survey. Find a survey on the mentor website on the resources page.

Make a Plan!

Planning ahead is essential if you want to integrate curriculum, find resources, engage your students and be stress free. Creating a curriculum map at the beginning of the year will give you a sense of confidence because you will know where you are headed with your students at all times. Planning ahead gives you the extra time to find needed resources, collaborate with colleagues and think about how you will assess your students. Try to plan at least one week ahead. This can be challenging as a new teacher, but if you stay late one evening a week or spend a couple of hours on the weekend, you will be much happier in the long run. This tip will leave you carefree when the copy machine breaks down!! Check out the mentor website- teacher resources- to print out a curriculum map.

Welcome to Teacher Tips!!

This blog will describe many tips that will be helpful to use in your classroom. Please feel free to comment on any post or ask questions regarding any topic in the classroom.