Blog

Teacher questions not only serve as a way to assess students’ understanding, they also

It’s October 1, and you are interested in stepping up the amount of cooperative learning you are using in your class. You are considering how to structure your groups. Which of the following actions should you avoid as you make this decision?

Procedures occasionally need to be changed.

A teacher should avoid being assertive because it often makes the students think that the teacher doesn’t like them.

Miss Tipton comes to your room and says, “Eureka! I’ve figured out how to manage my classroom…I have the perfect incentive to get kids to follow the rules. You know that kids these days, even elementary kids, have cell phones…well, I decided to use that in my own favor. Even though our principal has said kids’ phones have to be in their cubbies during the school day, I figured out that if I tell the children that they can use their phones once their work is completed and checked, they will work really hard to get the privilege! So now our rule is, ‘Text or play games on your phone only when your work has been completed and checked by your teacher.’ It’s brilliant, I tell you!” As an effective classroom manager yourself, you think

Your next-door teacher, Mr. Dodd, comes in and says, “I can’t believe it! It’s the third day of school and every single student in my class has been perfectly behaved! I’m so happy! You know, my professors in college told me that management is an area that causes many beginning teachers concern, but I’m pretty sure they exaggerated its importance.” In response you

Color-coding is an effective strategy to use when managing student work.

Having students restate directions to the class or small group is an effective way to check for understanding.

When giving students a complex assignment, a teacher should avoid identifying the steps to be taken in completing it because the students will learn more by figuring it out themselves.

Problem solving conferences are usually reserved for chronic situations that have not yielded to simpler remedies.