The ability to ask for and receive your students’ attention is crucial. It’s crucial because it saves precious learning time. It improves listening and performance. It allows you to give instruction anytime you need to and know that it will be heard and understood. … Read more
It’s common for teachers to bemoan the state of listening in their classroom. “Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to myself.” “I say it over and over again, and they still don’t get it.” “It’s almost as if they’ve completely tuned me out.” But … Read more
Listening is a topic we return to again and again here at SCM. Because it’s that important. The difference in learning and behavior between a class that listens well and one that doesn’t is monumental. It’s also an area many teachers struggle with, as … Read more
After giving directions, it’s common for teachers to ask, “Are there any questions?” Which isn’t a bad idea, per se, especially if the teacher follows with an extended pause. After all, it’s good practice to allow students a moment or two to ponder the … Read more
Listening is always a problem with a new group of students. You can count on it. Dwelling on it or complaining about it—as many teachers are wont to do—is a waste of time. The effective teacher is only concerned with what they can control. … Read more
Conventional wisdom says that you move around the room to keep your students engaged and involved. It’s an approach that buys into the notion that students are unable to focus without extraneous stimuli—movement, sound, proximity, novelty. It’s a belief that even in the midst … Read more
Following directions doesn’t improve by harping on it. It doesn’t improve by making a fuss about it or showing your frustration over it. And it doesn’t improve by pointing out to students how often or how poorly they’ve messed it up. The only surefire … Read more
There exists an amazing strategy that will dramatically increase student interest, motivation, and comprehension in virtually whatever you’re studying. It’s so remarkable, in fact, that it will pull your students deeper into your topic than any other single strategy. It will cause them to … Read more