Delivering quality professional development & resources for teachers
This series discusses and provides practical strategies for teachers to effectively promote student success by using reward systems in the classroom. specifically, I will discuss the biggest mistakes made and how to correct them when implementing reward systems, how to use reward systems in the most productive way, how they fit into the school view and approach to rewards, and finally a discussion on punishment.
Whether you are a new teacher or a teacher looking for ways to invigorate your practice or whether you starting at the beginning of the school year or part way through there are basic principles and ways of operating that will support you in this wonderful profession of teaching.
Discipline must come through liberty. . . . We do not consider an individual disciplined only when he has been rendered as artificially silent as a mute and as immovable as a paralytic. He is an individual annihilated, not disciplined.
There are so many differing views on what positive reinforcement actually is, and whether you should or should not use it. Positive reinforcement can be a variety of things: grades on a report card, verbal praise, non-verbal acknowledgment, specific feedback and tangible rewards. Here are 13 mistakes that teachers make when using reinforcement.
Have you ever felt that it didn’t matter what the consequences were for a student’s behaviour, they didn’t make any difference? If a behaviour management strategy isn’t working, it may be time to change and perhaps that means taking a completely different approach. Despite all our best efforts at prevention, there will be times when students do not always follow directions or comply with our expectations. So how do we respond in a way that will help students learn appropriate behaviour and maintain positive relationships?
Having a positive classroom culture is one of the most important elements of a successful learning environment and thus teachers should actively work towards creating a classroom culture that encourages participation and student success.
Your students will live up (or down!) to your expectations. Student achievement is strongly affected by what the teacher expects of them and this has been demonstrated by many educational researchers. The first and most famous experiment is known as the Pygmalion effect.
How To Show Respect For Your Students In this video, I will […]
Developing consistency in your teaching, strangely, does not mean being exactly the same all the time. Nor does it mean being a robot and not reacting to circumstances, or showing your real feelings. Consistency does mean that students are fairly certain what they can expect from you. They know for example, that you will not get angry with them today, about something you laughed at yesterday. Here are 6 ways to develop consistency in your teaching
Prevention is always better than cure. Use these foundation teaching skills to prevent most behaviour problems before they arise...
How Listening To Students Improves Student Behaviour In this video, I will […]
Behaviour Management is one of the greatest challenges facing teachers. And it is not only new teachers who can feel overwhelmed by classroom demands. Because of the ever-evolving nature of teaching, the growing diversity of students and increasing societal pressures, teachers are constantly learning different ways to manage stress, workload and expectations.
In this video I will share with you the most effective ways […]
For teachers and schools to be able to do the best job possible with students, partnering with parents and caregivers is ideal. You are the parents, the first educators of their children. As such, you often hold the key to many issues that may arise for your child at school. In addition, when you and your child’s school are singing from the same hymn book, your child will achieve greater results socially, emotionally and academically. Here are 5 ways you can help your child be more successful at school:
The beginning of the school year is undoubtedly exciting, but it can also be an overwhelming time for new teachers, or even for experienced teachers and if you are changing schools, teaching a new grade level or a new subject area or going back to teaching after a break, this time can be even more stressful. There are three things that will make a huge difference to your classroom, your sanity and your students’ success and they are not about curriculum, they are about behaviour.
Your guide to solving behaviour problems in the classroom A Year 5 boy is in trouble again. He continually refuses to do his work, he wanders around the room annoying other students by touching their work and talking about random topics, he talks to the teacher in a disrespectful tone and uses some low level swearing in class. When the teacher approaches him, he moves away and threatens to leave the room.
ONE: Use their interests to make the learning relevant, meaningful and engaging. TWO: Give them choice in their learning indicating that you value their input and perspective. THREE: Give them opportunities to voice their concerns and their point of view about issues in the classroom and the school.
Student voice and choice. Creating a classroom environment where students and teacher really listen to one another in an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding may be considered idealistic. But what are teachers if not idealists? If students feel accepted and free to express themselves they are more likely to take risks with their learning. They will feel ok to say, “I don’t understand” or “I don’t get it” and to ask for help. To develop a non-threatening classroom climate takes time, effort and effective, consistent practices.
Some teachers will say that it is not their job to teach students how to behave, or how to regulate their emotions, or how to make friends or what to do when they feel angry. However, if you don’t teach them these important social skills at school, how will they learn?
The classroom environment can contribute to problems between students as well as reduce student engagement and learning. When teachers and schools give careful thought to how the environment is arranged, authentic learning is enhanced and incidental behaviour issues can be prevented.