Delivering quality professional development & resources for teachers
Social and emotional learning is a vital element of student development with clear research showing the positive impact on academic results. However, with all the curriculum content teachers need to cover, many teachers are asking how they can possibly add social and emotional learning to their load. Here are 8 easy ways.....
One of the key takeaways from the Teacher Wellbeing Workshop in 2017 to reduce workload, was prioritising tasks to use your time and energy more effectively. Deciding what tasks you need to do and what can be left undone can be very freeing. As can realising that you can say no: no to students, to colleagues, to parents, and (even!) no to your boss. Teachers are notorious for saying yes to far too many projects and then burning out. It’s a downward spiral.
Here is an outstanding list of Behaviour Management Resources for Teachers.
The end of the year is fast approaching and if you are like any other teacher ever, you will be checking up on how much content you have taught this year, how much you didn’t get done and frantically trying to assess students for their learning so that you can write an accurate report for the end of the year.
As teachers, we are always looking for ways to optimise the learning for our students, whilst also taking little extra preparation time. Simple, effective ways to engage your students that won't require any extra work for you!
Here are some simple techniques you can add to your teaching [...]
Make the most of all the time you have with your students and show that you value their time by being prepared with tasks, resources and work that is meaningful and relevant. Don’t waste time on trivial activities, busy work and fillers. Make every moment count! Have high expectations.
Here are 4 ways to implement differentiation in your classroom.
Behaviour management that relies on rewards and sanctions is like using a typewriter instead of a computer. Your scope for success is limited. When schools and teachers are committed to educating the whole child, behaviour management processes are based on a pedagogical approach rather than simply carrots and sticks.
Teachers talk 80% of the day Ask 150-200 questions Most are process based, requiring little analysis or relationships Teachers allow approximately 3 seconds to respond
Is resilience the key to student success? How to promote resilience in our students is a hot topic in education and health at the moment and for a good reason. Resilience is the ability to cope with negative life events and challenges. It has been described as the capacity to 'bounce back' from difficult situations and persist in the face of adversity. Developing resilience in young people is considered by many as the antidote to the epidemic of mental ill-health across our society today. The rate of students with anxiety and depression is of growing concern (Sawyer et al, 2000; Mission Australia, 2009) and schools are uniquely placed to contribute to healthy student attitudes and self-awareness.
Getting your students to do their work can sometimes be difficult! There are times when kids are disruptive or challenging because they are bored! A relevant curriculum combined with student-centred, engaging pedagogy, can go a long way to preventing off-task behaviour. Here are the top 10 mistakes teachers make.
Do your students always seem to be asking, ‘What are we meant to be doing?’ One of the biggest issues teachers have is how to get students to listen and follow directions, without having to repeat themselves. The secret lies in giving clear directions the first time. It can mean the difference between effective learning and time wasting confusion!
If you consider problem behaviour as a lack of skill, in much the same way students may lack literacy or numeracy skills, this can give you clues as to the most effective approach:
Have you ever heard your name called so often in class you threatened to change your name just so no one could call on you? Teaching your students alternative ways of accessing your attention will contribute to smooth running of the classroom, help manage behaviour problems and save your sanity! Teach and model non-verbal ways of communicating to your students.
Have you ever taught a student who just didn’t seem to care about achieving at school? They don’t seem to care about their work, they may or may not be disruptive, but their lack of achievement and drive is understandably disturbing for a teacher. The student may even be quite capable but they do not seem to have any motivation. These students can be the most challenging because their lack of interest may push our buttons, particularly if they are apathetic about our subject or class!!
While there is no quick fix for the difficulties schools face with the behaviour of some students, many of the issues can be mitigated by having a positive whole school behaviour management approach. Schools that work well with students with challenging behaviour, usually work well with all students. It is about putting most of our efforts into positive, proactive strategies and having a solid foundation.
To get the most out of your students, it is important that you get the most out of yourself first. You can do this by modelling high standards in your lesson preparation.
Much off task behaviour and disruption could be prevented through the use of relevant, engaging curriculum and interesting pedagogy. If you consider how long you can sit still in a meeting or professional development and remain focused it is not that difficult to understand why students can be off task and unmotivated.
Have you ever decided to use group work in one of your classes only to have it very quickly turn to chaos? When I first started teaching Year 1 I had just this experience. I was so excited to use group work because I had read all the literature on how students learn better in social situations. I was convinced my students were going to benefit so much because of this wonderful cooperative learning strategy. Of course what ended up happening was just a mess! There were kids rolling around on the floor, some of them were bossing the others around and some went off on their own to read in the reading corner. It was an unmitigated disaster!
