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Give students a sense of control.
While guidance from a teacher is important to keeping kids on task and motivated, allowing students to have some choice and control over what happens in the classroom is actually one of the best ways to keep them engaged. For example, allowing students to choose the type of assignment they do or which problems to work on can give them a sense of control that may just motivate them to do more.
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Define the objectives.
It can be very frustrating for students to complete an assignment or even to behave in class if there aren't clearly defined objectives. Students want and need to know what is expected of them in order to stay motivated to work. At the beginning of the year, lay out clear objectives, rules, and expectations of students so that there is no confusion and students have goals to work towards.
What can our colleagues do for us? What can we do for them? Here are some ideas that might help you.
- Share lesson plans. As an experienced teacher, your lesson plans may be so abbreviated that they may look something like a cross between a secret code and a list, but consider the benefits of rewriting a particularly successful lesson plan in a readable format and sharing it with your peers. Aren't you curious to know what practices others are using in their classrooms? The exercise of reviewing someone else’s lesson plan
Author Nancy Paulu recommends these tips for teachers who give homework:
* Lay out homework expectations early in the school year.* Create assignments with a purpose, and make sure students understand that purpose.
* Make assignments clear and focused
We all have had a student or two who were a handful in the classroom .I tried this trick more than once and it worked like a charm . I pick out a surprise activity, such as an extra free time , a small treat , no homework or quiz that week, then write "SURPRISE" on the board. Throughout the period, if the class gets noisy or students shout answers or get out of their seats without permission, I erase a letter starting at the end of the word. Add missing letters when everyone is behaving well. If the complete word is intact at the end of the period, the students get the surprise.
1-3 letter house . A great game to help children with cvc (consonant, vowel, consonant) words. Choose a word ending or a middle sound. Read the words and decide whether they are real words. (ICT Games)
2- Starfall This is a brilliant site with lots of phonics games. Choose the sound and play a game, or choose an online book to read. When you are reading the book, you can click on any word to hear it being sounded out.
I have not been blogging lately because I had been super busy. Hopefully in 2013 I will have a new post each week.
