Delivering quality professional development & resources for teachers
Planning does not just mean preparing your lesson content, but giving thought to how you want your students to behave before, during and after the lesson. Here are 5 simple yet highly powerful ways to create positive behaviour change with your students.
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.
Here is an outstanding list of Behaviour Management Resources for Teachers.
When I first started teaching (many years ago!) I was struck by the cookie cutter approach of the education system, that seemed to knock any individualism, originality and enthusiasm right out of young students. Any student who didn’t fit in was poked and prodded (figuratively) till they were made to fit.
While we cannot eliminate all change from a student’s school day, we can put some strategies in place that help students to cope and hopefully prevent difficult behaviour or meltdowns that may result from their anxiety.
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.
When a student displays challenging behaviour, teachers usually look for the antecedent or trigger. Simply put, the trigger is whatever happened immediately prior to the problem behaviour and seems to contribute to the behaviour.
With a focus on how the school principal and executive can lead their staff in the area of wellbeing by being role models and positive examples, the five ways to wellbeing fit beautifully into school life especially as part of building a positive school culture that supports staff health and wellness.
As teachers, we are always looking for ways to optimise the learning for our students, whilst also taking little extra preparation time. Simple, effective ways to engage your students that won't require any extra work for you!
Here are some simple techniques you can add to your teaching […]
The talk in your head impacts your wellbeing. Gandhi said, ‘I will not let anyone walk through my mind with his dirty feet.’ Sometimes we are the ones with the dirty feet in our own minds! Have you ever had Imposter Syndrome? Have you ever taught something important to your students and then thought ‘Hey, who am I to sprout about all of this? or ‘Hey, I don’t do that!’
While you may already give a lot of thought to increasing academic results by improving your instruction, providing better resources and designing better units of work, have you given any thought to the social and emotional development of your students? Here are 3 steps outline how you can improve academic results through a social and emotional curriculum
If you are feeling apprehensive about going back to school after the summer break, you are not alone. Many teachers find it daunting returning to school after a break to face the whirlwind demands of planning, managing, teaching, marking and reporting.
Here are 4 ways to implement differentiation in your classroom.
Here are 8 teaching strategies you can try to stop your students from being bored
We cannot control another person’s behaviour, but when we change what we do, we can increase the likelihood that students will do what we want. Here are the top 11 mistakes teachers make with behaviour management.
It is not necessary for your students to like you, but it is very important that they think you like them! Relationships are the cornerstone of your work as a teacher; kids will work harder for you when they know you care about them. The Top Ten Mistakes Teachers Make with Student-Teacher Relationships....
If you didn’t get the chance to attend the Positive Schools Conference in 2017 here are some quick takeaways. Common themes were the importance of school connectedness, positive relationships and student and staff wellbeing.
Schools often struggle with how to teach students to be accountable for their actions and to take responsibility when they have acted inappropriately. Howard Zehr, the restorative justice pioneer, coined the three “restorative questions” that guide restorative practices.