Anything you ask your students to do repeatedly should be made into a routine. For example, whenever your students enter your classroom, transition from one activity to the next, or line up for recess, they should do so in the same efficient manner. The … Read more
The first day of school is about setting the tone. It’s about focusing on the first wee little steps leading to the most memorable school year your students have ever had. There is no room for weak first impressions, no room for indecisiveness, and … Read more
Walk into a typical classroom and you’ll find the teacher in perpetual motion. In an effort to be the best teacher they can be, most teachers over teach. That is, they talk too much, help too much, and are seen too much. They become … Read more
So you’ve got this great lesson. You’re excited, worked up, really feeling it. Everything is groovy, near perfect. You’re telling this cool story and your students are rapt—leaning forward, eyeballs glued to your every move. It’s a special moment. And so much fun. This … Read more
There is a compulsion among teachers to react too quickly to misbehavior. As soon as it shows up on their radar, they’re on it in a flash, making judgments and decisions before fully understanding what it is. Teachers with this compulsion tend to take … Read more
I think you’re going to like this strategy. It’s fun and easy, takes very little planning, and can improve behavior in your classroom the first time you try it. It’s called the preview strategy. It works through a simple change in the way you … Read more
Ask a hundred teachers if it’s important to be consistent with classroom management and every last one of them will tell you that it is. But knowing that it’s important is one thing. Actually being consistent is another. Most teachers only kinda-sorta follow their … Read more
Five minutes. That’s all it takes to improve your relationship with your students. And why is that important? Because having rapport with students translates to powerful and behavior-influencing leverage—the kind of leverage that compels them to want to behave, to want to do well, … Read more