Questions are the lifeblood of learning; they mustn’t be discouraged. But yet, if left unchecked and unopposed, they can throw you far off topic, cause boredom and restlessness, and slow learning to a crawl. Though more art than science, it’s possible to trim the … Read more
You notice it an hour or so into the school day. Your students are chatty and distracted. Their heads are on a swivel. They’re squirming in their seats. Only the most dedicated appear to be following along. What do you do? Do you plow … Read more
It’s one of the great challenges of teaching. How do you compete with the distractions of a modern student’s life? How do you interest them in what you’re offering when their entertainment options are so immediate, so exciting, and so easy? How do you … Read more
Do you repeat yourself when giving directions? Most teachers do. Besides wasting time and energy, repeating yourself weakens the power of your words. It causes students to tune you out. When your students become conditioned to you repeating yourself, they know they can take … Read more
It is one of the most common teacher complaints. You give a single direction to a quiet and seemingly attentive classroom, and then watch as a third of your students either don’t know what to do, or they do it incorrectly. It’s as if … Read more
Several years after beginning my teaching career, I went back to school to earn a second master’s degree. I wanted to reach the end of the pay scale and was hoping to learn something new in the process. After researching colleges near my home, … Read more
Can you get your students’ attention—and keep it—any time you want to? Can you do it consistently and without fuss? When you give your signal, do your students immediately stop what they’re doing and look at you? Being able to get your students’ attention … Read more