Well-taught routines eliminate the need for narration. They also . . . Save time. Fill students with purpose. Support independence. Increase responsibility. Improve motivation. But each of these benefits can be enhanced and made more effective with one small adjustment. It’s an adjustment very … Read more
Two teachers standing next to each other were supervising a large group of students when two of them began wrestling. One had the other in a headlock. They weren’t laughing. They were bent over, red-faced, breathing hard. It may have been a fight. Or … Read more
You taught your group-work expectations in exacting detail. You modeled what it should look like. You had a few students model while everyone else looked on. You took your time. You checked for understanding. You made sure your class was ready before trying it … Read more
Classroom management isn’t micromanagement. It isn’t narration and correction. It isn’t guiding, advising, or praising students through every this and that. It isn’t shepherding them like little soldiers from point A to point B. This is handholding—which is a gross misunderstanding of effective classroom … Read more
Wild-eyed parents. Petrified students. Bat-crazy colleagues. Changing policies. Uncertainties. Obstacles. Frustrations. STRESS. Political division and its effects is enough to make you curl up rocking and sobbing on your kitchen floor. But there is one thing you can control. A trump card, if you … Read more
You no doubt have a packed schedule the first week of school, but classroom management must take precedence. Far and above everything else. Because it’s the foundation upon which effective teaching is built. It also ensures your peace and protects your students’ right to … Read more
Recently, I was asked whether I was good at classroom management my first year of teaching. I said yes but failed to explain a couple of important caveats. First, I had a remarkable role model. All four years of high school I took a … Read more
Question: How do you know what you want your students to do from one moment to the next? Yes, you have a curriculum. You have a schedule. You have learning strategies. But how do you know what it’s all supposed to look like? How … Read more