Forming Positive Relationships With Students-- Easy Things You Can Do

Student learning in your classroom depends on relationships you have made with your students.  All the strategies in the world will not be effective unless your students believe in you.  Establishing good rapport is easier than you might believe.  The following article is excellent and if you do them you'll find an amazing difference.




4 easy ways to form positive relationships with students. Josh Strumppenhorst. 6.9.15. eSchoolNews

 

Four- Brain Engagement Using Technology

Author, Joli Barker, gives us excellent tips to engage students in deeper reading of complex text. Her premise is that active minds need to adapt, negotiate, problem solve and produce. She urges teachers to allow students to explore in four-brain based areas.  Each are is explained and examples are given.
Excellent!


Tech Tip Engage students in deeper learner.  Joli Barker. 6.2.15.  SmartBlog on Education
http://smartblogs.com/education/2015/06/02/tech-tip-engage-students-in-deeper-learning/?utm_source=brief

Excellent Virtual Field Trips For Your Students

I've posted a few articles on field trips and I know you value the experiences for your students.  While there are countless examples - actual and virtual - it may be difficult for you to make excellent choices.  Meris Stansbury, associate editor of  eSchool News gives you a list of 10 wonderful virtual field trips that will help build useful lessons that engage students to learn more.  I particularly like those that contribute to the 21st Century Skill, "global awareness."  So many of our students understand the world around them but are ignorant of other lands and world issues.
Explore these virtual sites and I'm sure you'll find several that fit into your curriculum.


Ten of the best virtual field trips.  Meris Stansbury, 4.7.13. eSchoolNews
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2013/04/07/ten-of-the-best-virtual-field-trips/?

How to Give Feedback to Students More Effectively

We hope that the feedback we give to students will help them in the future with similar assignments.  What ;happens when you don't see that occurring?  Perhaps it is the way you give feedback in the first place.  The author of the following article, Taylor Meredith, saw that happening with her students.  After reading John Hattie's & Dylan Wiliam's work, Ms. Meredith changed her method completely. She learned that relationships with students were the key for  student feedback.  Excellent article and well worth your time.


Starting Student Feedback Loops.  Taylor Meredith. 5.16.15.  edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/starting-student-feedback-loops-taylor-meredith

Field Trips - One Teacher's Excellent Ideas

Amanda Wall has taken many of her students on overnight trips.  She shares 6 of her lessons as examples for you to see how field trips are worth the preparation and lead to more in-depth learning.  Ms. Wall offers 6 tips for successful academic field trips that you could yourself in planning class trips.


6 Tips to Boost Learning on Class Field Trips.  Amanda Wall. 4.29.13. MiddleWeb, featured in Stenhouse Newslinks. 5.15.15
http://www.middleweb.com/7285/academic-field-trips/

Common Core Math - We Need to Learn Along With Our Students

The new math is a huge change from the way teachers have taught in the past.  Memorization, calculation, and procedures are no longer the "end-all."  What is required is inquiry, communication, connections, and visual ideas. Author, Jo Boaler says,  "We need students who can ask good questions, map our pathways, reason about complex solutions, set up models and communicate in different forms."  Read this article to better understand what Common Core math standards is all about.
Memorizers are the lowest achievers and other Common Core math surprises.  Jo Boaler. 5.7.15.  The Hechinger Report
http://hechingerreport.org/memorizers-are-the-lowest-achievers-and-other-common-core-math-surprises/

What Do Preschoolers Need to be a Success Student?

Research has shown for some time that babies and toddlers benefit immensely from words spoken, heard, and tried themselves.  However, many low income parents do not provide these essential conversations and their children have a great deal of difficulty when they enter school.  The following article points out that if a child is behind in third grade, he/she has a high risk of not finishing high school.  We as teachers must do everything we can to engage parents in filling this need.  Many parents find this very difficult to do even though they love their child.  Often they are not instructed how to help or otherwise their time is spent providing the basic needs for the family.


What Do All Babies Need Yet Aren't Getting Equally, Melissa Fay Greene.  October, Reader's Digest.
http://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/babies-need-words/