It’s among the most frustrating classroom management problems. You give directions and your students either ignore them or they . . . kinda-sorta follow them. grudgingly follow them. try but fail to follow them. So you reteach. You remind. You narrate. But the problem … Read more
When students are uninterested and struggling to focus, the instinct is to back off. It’s to require fewer paragraphs and math problems and to stop being so nitpicky about rules and routines. It makes sense. If you’re demanding more than they can handle, then … Read more
You have good classroom management. Your students like and respect you. They follow your directions and are attentive while you’re speaking. Yet, the second you look away, even for a brief moment, you lose them and the momentum of your lesson. You’re able to … Read more
Since the advent of the smart phone, interest in acquiring academic skill and knowledge has dwindled. This is undeniably true. Kids spend hour upon hour scrolling hits of dopamine and it’s crushed their desire to learn. Even worse, once their phones are put away … Read more
Okay, I won’t bury the lede. When students are doing, stop talking. Most teachers—yes, most—talk students through just about everything. Lining up to leave the room. Getting into groups. Starting work. Walking down the hall. Putting away materials. Playing a learning game. You name … Read more
The ability to get your students’ attention anytime you need it is critical for good teaching. Because . . . It saves time. It allows you to give further instruction. It’s a sign of a well-behaved class. The signal you use is unimportant. It … Read more
It’s critical that you create a culture conducive to excellent behavior. Indeed, and of course. That’s what we do here at SCM. We teach exactly what you need to do to cause students to want to listen, learn, and behave. Much of this work … Read more
More and more teachers are allowing students to listen to music in class. Perhaps not during direct instruction. But once students are let go to work independently, in go the earbuds. It’s odd to me, to be honest, that anyone would think this is … Read more