Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary is essential in building skills in any subject. Getting the students to really understand word meanings and uses has it's challenged. Here I have compiled a TON of strategies to help you get through to your students more effectively.

Vocabulary

Standards Based Grading

So much is changing is  education these days and this grading system in particular is one of the more challenging movements to enter the landscape. If your school is adopting this system, this presentation is definitely worth checking out. I have compiled many FAQ's regarding Standards Based Grading to make the system more understandable for every teacher.

Standards Based Grading

Note Taking

Although we are moving towards a more inquiry based and student centered curriculum across the nation, note taking is still a critical component of the classroom. There are many helpful bit of information in this presentation regarding note taking that can help any teacher!

Note Taking Strategies

Differentiation

Our learners are as diverse and complex as they come. Finding ways to reach all of them can be a daunting task. Luckily, I have compiled this presentation of tips, tricks, and easy ways to make learning accessible for everyone.

Differentiation

Developing Rubrics

With so much emphasis placed on authentic, standards based assessment these days, here is a PowerPoint to help guide your rubric making! Within the presentation are guides for outlining objectives and aligning rubrics with learning goals.

Developing Rubrics

Time Out

Time outs are typically known as a method of removing students from the learning setting because their behavior is not consistent with the teacher's expectations. The students need to understand why they're being sent to the chair and what they need to do to get back with the rest of the class. This time should be used to reinforce behavior expectations and make sure that the student knows why they are there and what they need to do to avoid being there again. Although this is mainly an elementary tool, the high school equivalent would be sending the student to the office. They need to understand why and need to be able to correct their own behavior in order to not return there in the future.

Intervention

Like clothes, one size fits all does not usually fit everyone. In the classroom, it is no different. Each student is different so an intervention plan needs to be tailored to their specific needs. The issue with a student may be physical, emotional, or biological so the plan needs to reflect the specific needs that the student has. Much like an off the rack suit needs to be tailored to fit the wearer, an intervention plan should be tailored to the specific needs for a student. Instead of placing each student into a box depending on the issue, they need to be worked with to make up for their individual deficiencies that are taking away from learning.

This one time...

My first year teaching, last period there were 2 students who were friends outside of school but could not get along inside the classroom. One day they were in class and they started throwing racial slurs at each other. This forced me to take action and send them to guidance for conflict mediation. I knew it was more than just a typical quarrel because they were both mean and intentional toward each other. I now know that it was because of the fourth high hit area of emotional behavior. The students were “getting emotional…from anger, fear, frustration, or anxiety” (Knoff, 2015). The students were legitimately angry with each other over the words that were being used and anxious with it being the last period of a very hot and exhausting day.

            The first priority was to not let other students feed off of the negativity and react in a manner that would escalate the situation. The second priority was to diffuse the situation so that the two students didn’t harm each other. In order to make sure that an intervention plan is effective, it must be planned ahead of time so that it is proactive to the situation instead of reactive. We make brash and emotional decisions when we react to different situations, so by having a proactive plan to deal with an intervention situation it makes for a much more smoother handling of the situation.

Knoff, Howard M., Ph.D.  (Lecturer). (2015). High-hit reasons for challenging behaviors. (Video recorded guest lecture number 1, Course CI5523 Interventions for Behaviorally Challenging Students). Chicago, IL: American College of Education

Symptoms

Behavioral issues are among the most frustrating things for teachers to deal with. It takes away from our instruction, gets students off task, and tests our classroom management skills. What is often lost is that the outlandish behavior is usually a symptom of something larger going on in the students' life. Whether it be a broken home, drug or alcohol abuse, bullying, etc. the student will feel the need to act out in order to gain attention. A good classroom management plan will be able to mitigate the disruptions but a solid intervention program needs to be in place at the school so that the student gets the attention they need to address whatever larger issue is going on in their life. So, next time a student is going bananas, it may be because a lack of potassium, in which case a banana will help.