3 Time Management Hacks For Teachers

3 Time Management Hacks For Teachers

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Teaching can be quite a challenging task if you're not prepared. You need to ensure that you are well prepared to go ahead and give the best to your students. This will require adequate planning from your end. as well as an investment of both time and resources.

Taking the time to prepare your lessons will require that you understand the needs of your students. This will ensure that you can give them the best lessons possible, whether on quadratic equations or civic Australia. In return, your students will comprehend what you are teaching and fully participate in your classes.

What Time Management Hacks Can You Use In Teaching

Good teaching is more than just passion and talent. Proper planning and time management are essential so that students can be given the attention they require. Good teachers have to stay tuned with educational standards while ensuring that their students are engaged and understanding the content. 

This will require keeping the students involved by making their lessons engaging and fun, challenging the students to think creatively, and encouraging students to actively participate in the lessons. As a result, learning will be more fun for them. Here are three time management hacks that teachers can use.

Action Plan

Your students look up to you, and you can't afford to fail them. You need to understand their needs well enough since this will help you in formulating an action plan. You can't afford to go with the flow since they are unique.

Your action plan should describe what your lessons entail and how they will be delivered. Allocate the amount of time that you will require to accomplish this. You can then time yourself to ensure that you stick with the plan.

This is important because it can be very easy to get drawn into trying to make a perfect lesson plan, or lose hours searching online for better ideas.  Limit your time, focus your efforts, and stick with the plan.  Allocate a certain amount of time and then stick to that. 

Have specific times set aside to go through your emails

There is a lot of valuable information that comes through emails, as well as some things that are time-sensitive. However, if you are teaching, or working on lesson plans, or doing something that needs your attention, it can be very disruptive to constantly stop for every notification.   There is nothing wrong with closing your email or turning off your notifications for an hour to two to focus and utilize your time better to complete a specific task. 

Achievable Deadlines

Give yourself deadlines when it comes to executing your duties. Whether it is going through assignments or planning lessons, have specific deadlines in ensuring that you get them done.  You can also use task managers or to-do lists to help with this. My personal favorite is Todoist because I can quickly and easily enter tasks and access them from any platform. If you are interested, here is a link to check it out

How Does Time Management Make A Teacher Qualified

Most schools face a similar challenge when it comes to getting teachers who can manage their time effectively. If time isn't well organized, the students will be the ones who will pay the ultimate price. They will not be able to cover their lessons or return graded work in a timely fashion which will affect student success and movement from one grade to the next.

However, when a teacher is skilled in managing their time, they will ensure that they allocate proper and sufficient time to their lessons. They will find a way to ensure that the syllabus is completed during the school year. They will do this with a lot of ease. They become an asset to the school because of their impeccable time management skills.

What are your best time management tips? What have you found worked well for you, or where do you struggle? Feel free to leave a comment. 

Helping Your Students Adapt To Online Learning

With such a huge increase in online learning, students are finding it more difficult than ever to cope. A large change in the style of learning is tricky to deal with, as most pupils are used to having a type of support from their teachers that is hard to achieve in a virtual classroom. Helping your students adapt to online learning will benefit their education dramatically, and it couldn't be easier to get started today. So, if you would like to find out more, then read on to uncover some brilliant tips that you can utilize today to show your students how to make the most of online learning now! 

Image Source - Pexels 

Make Yourself Available

One of the most important things that you must always remember when attempting to support your students through online learning is to make yourself available. You can have set times to respond to messages or emails, and set office hours on Zoom, but it is important that your students know how to reach you, and know that they will get a response. Having to work remotely can make it difficult for you to 'be there' for your pupils, as you can't physically stand by their side and talk through any issues they may have. Ensuring that you offer some kind of virtual replacement in the form of an email address or messaging service is essential, as this way your students will be able to get in touch with you at any time. Some kids may struggle when speaking in front of the class which might be the only option when performing an online lesson, so having the choice to virtually step to one side and speak in private (such as via email, messaging, or a Zoom breakout room) can be a real benefit. 

Adapt Your Teaching Style

As the style of learning has changed, so should your teaching. Attempting to follow your old work plan will make things far more complicated than it needs to be. It's going to be much easier to start again with a new way of thinking. Virtual learning requires a different approach, so it's a good idea to perform some research on useful platforms such as an edtech blog for K-12 teachers and administrators or an online learning center that you can use for inspiration. Some schools have been using virtual classrooms well before the pandemic struck, so it's a good idea to look to them in order to learn from past mistakes to avoid encountering any bumps along the way. 

Relieve Some Pressure

Though of course your students must still meet reasonable deadlines, you should aim to relieve a little pressure when performing virtual learning. There are many struggles that a child can face when attempting to learn from home, from an increase in distractions to a lack of support, so it's vital that you don't maintain the same high expectations as you would in any normal school environment. Be lenient, or flexible, when necessary, and always listen to what your students have to say - their issues could be justified, so it's important that you give them the opportunity to shine in their own time. 

Helping your students adapt to online learning has never been so simple when you can take the time to utilize the brilliant tips and tricks detailed above.

The More Organized You Are, The More Your Students Benefit

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As teachers, we spend a lot of our time thinking about the needs of our students. After all, it’s our job to make sure that they receive the style of learning best suited to them. We don’t want children left behind. 

But it turns out that we can help students the most when we focus on improving ourselves - how we do our job. Yes - we all know our subjects inside out. But many of us are lacking in the organization department. And that’s slowing us down, draining our energy, and making us less available to students.

In this post, therefore, we take a look at some of the strategies that you can use to improve how you spend your time and deliver lessons. Here are some of the steps that work for all teachers. 

Add Bins And Buckets To The Classroom

Organizing for one child is a challenge. But when you have thirty in a classroom, it’s a nightmare. 

The solution here for many teachers is to use labeled buckets and bins, arranged on racks. Storage containers allow you to neatly tidy away all of your learning tools and implements, without them cluttering up the classroom or storage cupboards.

How you arrange this is very much up to you. Usually, you can think of overall categories that allow you to make the best use of your available space.

Create Paper Routines

Classrooms have a habit of generating vast quantities of papers. Teachers have papers for teacher reports, students have them for graded tests and homework assignments. And you may even have papers for lesson plans. 

Here’s an idea: create a routine for all your papers by placing them in specific trays. One tray is for tests, another for student work, and another for staff documents you’re working on right now. This way, you can prevent them from getting muddled up and see how much work you need to do before your various deadlines. 

Keep Your Notebook With You At All Times

We can’t emphasize this point enough: keep your notebook with you at all times. It’s critical because it allows you to jot down ideas and record information on the fly, instead of trying to recall it from memory later. 

Sites like https://nottai.com/ show some examples of the types of notebooks that teachers use. Yes - they’re colorful. But they also include handy dividers that allow you to segment information logically. 

Keep Your Lists Nearby

You can either use a notebook for this or a separate piece of paper. But always make sure that you keep your lists nearby. Most people keep their lists next to their computers or desk, according to https://www.mindtools.com.  This way, you always have a record of what you’ve done so far, and what you still need to do. 

Make Sure That Every Item In The Classroom Has A Home

Lastly, you’ll need to ensure that there’s a place for every learning tool in your classroom and that your students know where they are. If things don’t have a home, clutter will quickly build up. 

What are your organization tips? Please comment below and share your best classroom tips!

The Best Sources of Literature to Read in Science Class

Encouraging students to read is such an important piece of education, at all grade levels and ages, and across all subject areas. Even as a science teacher, and although I am obviously a huge proponent of hands-on engaging science activities, I still consider reading so important.  In fact, I have an entire section of literacy posts on my blog. 

As we face a school year where things are quite different than usual, and where we are changing our teaching methods in many ways. Part of that change, or many of us, maybe an increased need for relationship-building activities with our students. At the same time, we are feeling pressure to make sure that we cover the curriculum.

I would like to suggest that you add in reading some books, or sections of books with your students. Reading can be a great way to engage students, to build community, to build literacy skills, and to engage them, particularly at a time when many hands-on activities may be off-limits. 

There are many fantastic science books that can be used in any of the following ways (and more):

• Used in an English class to supplement your science lessons

• Used as an enrichment activity

• Used as a more engaging resource than a textbook

• Used as an engagement hook at the start

• Used as a way to see applications and wrap up a topic

• Used as a tool to build vocabulary

You do not have to use the entire book or a long book. It is easy to use a chapter or a short story.  This can ensure that students start out on the same page, with a common experience. At this time when we are more divided than ever, it is important to create a place for students to connect. It’s even better if we can connect to our classroom and our lessons. 

These books will allow us a chance to do both. Did you know that every year since 1973, the National Science Teacher's Association has published a list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for students grades K-12 (Prior to 2002 the lists are only grades K-8).   Some years they even linked suggested activities. 

I hope you find this useful and fun.  I think your students will really enjoy this addition to the class. If you do use any of these resources, I would love to for you comment below with what resource you used, and how you used it.

 

The Lifestyle Changes You Can Make After Lockdown

When it comes to our lifestyle there is no denying that lockdown may have had us question some of our processes and the habits we have. As teachers, we are taking on new roles in the classroom, and approaching our jobs in ways that many of us never have before. However, we may also want to re-evaluate and approach some things differently in our personal life, or in our work-life balance.

With time to think things through, did you decide to make some changes? The truth is, we may have come out of lockdown wanting to make some positive changes, but where to start? Here are some of the lifestyle changes that you could make apart from eating well and exercising. 

Image source - pixabay - cco license 

Take better care of yourself

One of the first things that you could do would be to take better care of yourself. This means booking those dental appointments, regular check-ups at doctors for blood pressure and tests, and even the eye appointment you have likely been putting off. If you need glasses there are some great frames online and they can help you in different ways of your life such as reading or long distance. Taking good care of yourself means that you will be at optimum health in all areas of your life. Leaving you time to focus on the other changes you want to make.  This is not the time to skip these things. If anything we should realize that our health is top priority!

Get more sleep

There is no hiding from the fact that so many of us would like a little more sleep in our lives. Of course, you can do the obvious thing that would mean going to bed a little earlier, but is it really going to be the right thing for you? Instead, why not focus on getting a better quality of sleep. That means developing a bedtime routine just for you. Shutting off the technology at least an hour before bed. Relaxing in a warm bath and drinking a warm drink instead of something alcoholic or caffeinated. Getting better sleep can drastically change your mood and energy levels, which ultimately could have a positive effect on other aspects of your life. 

Say yes more

Could you say yes more? Are you one of those people who are afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone or taking that leap of faith? If this sounds like you then maybe a good approach to the year would be to say yes more. Yes to that night out. Yes to that night in. Yes to a holiday, or yes to more responsibility at work. Yes, yes, yes. Of course, Don’t do things that feel forced. But if it is a situation that you think you may regret it if you don’t say yes have the courage to just do it. 

Know when to say no

Finally, on the opposite end of the scale, you have people who just can’t say no. They say yes if it means inconveniencing them and they don’t want to do it. They say yes when they don’t want to do something. So a good lifestyle change for you would be to decide whether you should in some cases be saying no. Think about yourself and your family instead of others. It could really change the way you approach life. 

Let’s hope that some of these options have you considering other ways to take on the year ahead. 

What changes are you thinking of making, particularly as we head back into the school year?

How Teachers Can Support Students Studying At Home

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At the time of writing, many children are studying at home due to school closures instigated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many teachers are having to find new ways to support their students, and also their student's parents who have been encouraged to provide learning opportunities at home.

Of course, going beyond the pandemic situation, you might still find cause to support those pupils who have to study at home. There are instances when some children can't make it into school, for a variety of reasons, and there are reasons why schools might be closed too. We are thinking of the weather, for example, which can cause disruption for many.

When offering support then, you might want to consider the following suggestions.

Provide activities in a range of formats
You already know that children have a range of different learning styles, so try to vary the activities you send to them. Some children will benefit from recorded lessons that can be accessed online, whereas others might need to experience hands-on learning when under the tuition of their parents.

It's important to remember that children from low-income families might not have access to computers and smart devices, so paper-based activities should be provided when digital learning isn't possible. You will already have printables that can be used at home but click here for some literacy examples.

Thinking about your students then, consider their individual needs, and then try to match them when preparing activities for them to do at home.

Offer parents practical support
In a lot of cases, older children will need little support from their parents, other than the encouragement to actually buckle down and work. Younger children will need more support, so their parents will need to have some understanding of how to teach their youngsters effectively.

So, give parents clear guidance on what they need to do to support the needs of your students. Share activity ideas, give them instructions on how to deliver a lesson, and offer tips on time management. Remember that most parents won't have your expertise, so stay clear of jargon, simplify your instructions and share tips that can easily be adopted.

Be reachable too. While you don't want to inundated by calls from parents, you might still offer your services online. If your school has a Facebook group, make yourself available at certain times of the day, as you will then have the opportunity to support any parents who have questions or concerns about the lessons they are being asked to deliver.

Go live!
Skype and Zoom both offer group chat functions, so you will have the opportunity to connect with small groups of pupils at a time. Use these platforms to talk to your students, offer them encouragement and reassurance, and when its practical to do so, provide some level of teaching from behind your computer screen. This is also your opportunity to connect with parents, so encourage them too, and guide them if they need advice on any aspect of their children's learning.

Thanks for reading!

How to know if you are successful as a teacher

How to know if you are successful as a teacher

One of the down sides of teaching is that you may never feel like you have done enough. It can be overwhelming. Particularly now, when we are doing distance learning and transitioning to new methods of teaching, in many cases while taking on responsibilities at home with our own children, it may not feel like you are “doing a good job” or “being successful.”

First of all, there are answers, and no hard rules right now for what you should be doing. All bets are off. You are doing enough. You are doing your best to help your students and take care of yourself. You are doing it right.

So how do you measure success? Many of our common measures of teaching success are not fair to teachers (as well know), or only tell part of the story. For example, test scores. We all know about that. Many of these ‘measures’ are out of our control and influenced by so many other factors, that they are really not measuring teachers’ success at all. 

So how do you measure and evaluate your own success?

This question came up in our Facebook Group a while ago, and I would like to share some of those responses here, as well as add a few others that are specific to some of the more recent events.

From the Facebook Group

• From member Louette McInnes: New teachers take note. When I started teaching, an experienced teacher told me that if I had 'one really great lesson a day', that was success. He also said it would take me a year to get one course set up so I knew it would be really successful and do what I wanted it to do. He was right.
• Don’t compare yourself to others - look at your own progress, look at the interactions and progress that you can see with individual kids
• Are kids respectful (for the most part), are they engaged? Are they learning?
• Are they thinking?
• What do they know that they weren’t able to do when they came to you?
• And more in this post

In addition, right now, some things are more important than academics.

• Are you building or maintaining relationships with your students (and their families)?
• Are you working to meet your students needs (both academic and otherwise), while taking care of yourself?
• Are you helping students to make some progress, within their other constraints?
• Are you doing the best you can? Not giving up? Trying some creative ideas, even if they don’t all work? Taking some risks with the hope of improving?

Then you are successful as a teacher!

Keep building relationships, keep thinking, being creative, and building relationships with your students and the rest will come. Teaching is not a place for instant gratification. You won’t start your teaching career, or your school year, and have it all be successful. It’s a slower process. You will make gradual gains, and have ups and downs. But over the long haul, as you look back, you will absolutely see signs that you have been successful!!

Integrating Math and Science in the Classroom

It’s easy to focus on teaching just our curriculum. But often, in science class, we are expecting students to be able to use certain math skills but in actuality, their math skills may be a big source of struggle.

As teachers, there is always a balance between teaching students our content area, and following the curriculum, but also teaching students other core skills that they will need for our class or for others. I am often asked about how to integrate more math into science class. Here are five strategies that I have found to be helpful.

Five Strategies to Integrate Math into Science Class

1. Talk to your math teachers; find common ground on how you are teaching the content. It is confusing to students if we are teaching the same or very similar concepts but using different language, or slightly different instructions. Pull out key math concepts that you need the kids to know and talk to your math teachers. Find out if they cover those topics. At what grade level, how do they already teach it? This might include things like graphing, solving a proportion, converting units, or basic algebraic equations. Kids have a hard enough time transferring skills between classes, or retaining what they learn and applying it outside of class. Any time we can put in working with the math teachers to come up with a common language and skill set will absolutely benefit both of us.
2. Utilize opportunities to talk about number sense and practice if the answers make sense. Kids are often so stuck on doing the steps, and getting an answer, often using a calculator, that they don’t stop to think about their answer and consider if it makes sense. I like to put a stop to this, if possible, by starting the concept or math lesson with very easy numbers, and not letting them use a calculator. Keep the numbers SUPER easy so they build up some confidence and focus on the topic.
3. When it gets too complicated, it’s ok to use a calculator. After they’ve gotten the idea, I think it’s ok to use a calculator. Many times, kids get frustrated and overwhelmed by the numbers. If, in fact, they will be able to use a calculator going forward, then I think it’s ok for them to use a calculator moving forward in the class, and they have an understanding, then allow them to focus on the concept.
4. If there is a good climate for collaboration, take it one step further. Work with your math colleagues to use some of your data from science class for math. This can be done in many parts of math class, practicing graphing, data analysis, and more. Here is a great example Successful Math and Science Teacher Collaboration: The Administrator's Role
5. Last, but absolutely not least, build up students’ math confidence. Many students can do the calculations, but they struggle to feel confident and to be comfortable applying their knowledge, particularly in a new situation. I cannot overstate how important it is for kids to feel comfortable. They will more willing to practice and take risks if they feel more comfortable.

I would love to hear if any of these tips help you, or what other suggestions you have to integrate math and science in your classroom. Feel free to comment below!

How to Streamline your Lesson Planning

How to Streamline your Lesson Planning

I would like to suggest a few things:

• Start with a similar structure like a template not only for the lesson plan itself, but for your unit, so you know what sort of activity you're looking for to plug in there.  Here is a basic example, but obviously you would have to make it fit the structure that you prefer.
• It also may help to know what type of activity you are looking for. Are you looking for something hands-on? What skills do you need to address? Are you looking for something technology based? Are you looking for a writing assignment? You may want a mixture of those skills and types of assignments throughout the year.  It can be very helpful to make a grid, or even a list of the different types of skills and activities. Then you can track when you have used them, or check them off as you use them.  This allows you to see which type of activity you haven’t done in a while, or what you want to utilize more of.  Again, then you know what you are looking for in your upcoming assignments. This can narrow your search, and be better than staring at a blank screen. 
• It’s also a good idea to go back to your objectives and focus on what you're really trying to accomplish. What is the most important thing for students to know both in terms of skills and content?  How are you going to get this across in your lesson next? 
• Once you have some of these things narrowed down, absolutely don't be afraid to look at what's already out there!  I think it’s better to get a clear idea before you just start looking though. It helps you more efficiently find something that fits your needs. You don't need to reinvent the wheel!  If it already exists, or something very similar already exists, by all means use it!!  It’s also ok to start with something and modify a little bit. Maybe there is something that’s a reading and writing activity but you decide to use the reading, and make the response in the form of a presentation, go for it!
• These tips won’t take away your lesson planning, but perhaps will save you some time and make it a bit more efficient.

What are your tips and strategies to use your time more wisely when planning?

Why is it so important for teachers to have good time management skills?

Why is it so important for teachers to have good time management skills? 

I'm sure you already know some reasons, but I'm going to go a little bit different direction. It's extremely important for teachers to have good time management skills in order to protect their boundaries their own health and their families. Just today, another teacher said to me “you’ve got to find time to play, or this job will drive you crazy.” 

In other words, manage your time, so it doesn’t manage you! 

One of the drawbacks of teaching is that the job is never done. There's always more you could be doing, so it's important to manage your time and manage your boundaries. You have to make sure that teaching and teaching-related tasks don't take over your life.  So, when I say manage your time, yes, I mean productivity tips and working efficiently, but I also mean that it's important to manage when you're going to work, how much time do you have to allow for work?  What tasks do you have to complete? And how are going to fit those tasks into that window of time?

Grading

For example, think about the amount of time that you are willing to spend on grading, in order to have some balance with your own life.  Don't assign more than you can read.  Set up the assignment in a way that will be easier to grade, such as making a rubric, have some peer review first, or grade only a portion of the questions.

Lesson Planning

Lesson planning….Yes, there are perfect ideal lesson plans that are engaging and inquiry-based and project-based, but it has to be a balance! It's okay to do some packaged lesson plans.  Maybe not every day, but sometimes it’s totally fine.  Sometimes you and the students both need an easier day!  Choose carefully about where decide to spend your time.  Make sure you are spending time on the things that are really valuable to you and your students.  There may be things that you are good at, or you enjoy doing, but and they won't really have a benefit to your students.  If you are doing them for fun, that’s ok, but don’t get confused between the two. Do you see a difference because of the work you put in on that task?  Is it a good use of your time?  For example, it's very easy to get sucked into formatting documents, changing weights of assignments and adjusting the layout on the page, but those are probably not an efficient use of your time.

A different mindset

Think of it this way.  If you worked at an office job, in many cases your boss would manage your time for you. They want you to be accountable for the time that you're at the office and they allow you a certain number of hours off.  They may even have billable time for certain projects, and a budget or limit of hours for those projects.  Teaching is a little bit different. You have to manage your own time. You are (in a way) Your Own Boss. So manage it accordingly!  Be the boss of your time1 Make sure that the time you're spending on the right things and would be reasonable if you were accountable to someone.

How to Motivate Students in the Classroom

How to Motivate Students in the Classroom

Why are they unmotivated? 

How to motivate students in the classroom is such a difficult topic!  So many students that I see are very disengaged for a variety of reasons.  These reasons are discussed in depth here, along with some methods to address various reasons.  However, there are some general statements that can be made as well.  In order to get them motivated, I think it is really important to find out what those reasons are.  There can be many varied reasons within one classroom. Are they disengaged because there's something going on with them outside of school?  How can they focus on academics when they're concerned about where they're going to sleep or where their next meal is coming from? Are they disengaged simply because they don't understand and they have not been successful in school in the past? Are they disengaged just because it's not their topic of interest? And there are probably as many more reasons as there are individual students. 

What to do about it?? 

Lots of Encouragement

So what can you do about that? It can be difficult to get students motivated, for sure!  Again it's important to be positive with students.  Don't assume that their behavior is coming from a negative place, or is directed negatively towards you.  Telling them something like "you're doing a great job," or "you're off to a good start, let's see if we can finish this up" or event "do you need help getting started?" can go a lot further. Also, helping them see the bigger picture and see the progress and successes that they are making is so important.  This alone be motivating. Constant encouragement that they can do it and that they will be able to have success will also be so important. 

Bigger Conversations

Having those bigger conversations, if the opportunity arises, with students about their goals, and  about not following blindly what their friends are doing is important. They may not have someone else in their life often talking to them about what they want (graduation? College?) and how those goals fit into what's happening today.  I have seen quite a few students who don't make the connection between what's happening today, and their longer term goals. 

Engaging Lessons?

Of course, you will hear recommendations to motivate students by making a lesson more engaging.While it is absolutely true making a lesson engaging and relevant to students is absolutely key, this is not the only way.  Doing something that gets their attention right away is so important but then we don't want them to lose that motivation the minute that it's not as engaging. 

I'm now working in a program with students who are recovering credits.  They are all behind on credits to be in the program.   In fact, much of their coursework is pre-packaged and is not particularly motivating or engaging all the time.  It has been interesting for me to look at what keeps them motivated.  For many students it's simply a desire to earn credits, to graduate, to be at the appropriate grade level, or to catch up to their peers. They are willing to do what they need to do.  It's been an interesting lesson in making engaging curriculum vs. other motivating factors. 

Our students are successful when they build positive relationships with the teachers, when they feel that they can be successful, and when they have some flexibility to get the help that they need. 

Ultimately I think the motivation has to come from within the students. If that means taking the time to do some mindset/reflection type of work, build relationships and work on things that are not content specific I think it will pay off.  There are other articles that have researched and had similar findings about student motivation. 

Aiming for Respect and Discipline in the Classroom

Aiming for Respect and Discipline in the Classroom

If you are struggling with classroom management and feel like it’s a struggle to have your students respect you and follow your discipline, here are a few key suggestions. 

My Background

Before I start, I want you to understand where I’m coming from. I have taught for 14 years in an urban district, with an overall free and reduced lunch rate of about 85%. Our population is mostly minority, largely African-American. I am not an expert on classroom management by any means, but as a small-stature, white female I have learned quite a bit over the last 14 years!

Relationships

First of all, respect and classroom discipline all comes back to building relationships. Relationships are the biggest key! You've probably heard it over and over again but it can't be said enough. So, how do you build relationships with your students? Be a little bit flexible. Get to know them as people. Share parts of yourself with them as you are comfortable. It doesn't have to be anything too personal. But don’t be afraid to show that you have a sense of humor and that you are a real person.

Be Flexible

Appreciate that they are people, not just students. That also might mean being flexible with how they do an assignment or giving them a little bit of a break on a particular day if you can see that they really need it. Treat an isolated day of non-compliance the way you would want to be treated if you weren’t feeling well or had an off day. However, when you see a pattern, treat it differently. But still with respect. Don’t humiliate and confront a student. Discuss it with him or her separately. Think about it, we go to work and we are not always at our best. We appreciate it when our co-workers help out, but we sometimes don't allow students the same flexibility. There may be a way to compromise with a student or to meet their needs while still getting them to do the work.

You are the Adult

Remember, you are the adult, and they are the child. I say this not to hammer home the idea of the student ‘listening to the adult’ and ‘following directions.’ Instead, I am suggesting that you can outsmart them! If you can make some small concessions and at the end of the day they are still doing work then you win! Remember the big picture, and don’t get into a confrontation with them. Keep your eye on the goal - their classwork and their learning and figure out a plan together to help them get there. If they're doing what they need to be doing in some format, then you're winning even if they didn't do it exactly the way that you had in mind.

Consistency

You can also help with discipline in the classroom by being really really consistent for a long period of time so that when students walk into your room they always know what the expectations are. They know that when you say something you will mean it. This doesn't mean being confrontational necessarily but being clear and then sticking to it. For example, if you ask students to be quiet when you're talking, and when they are talking, you may need to stop and remind them that it's your turn to talk and then wait. It will feel like you're wasting class time waiting. The waiting might be brutal. But, by establishing those norms at the beginning of the year, it will save a lot of trouble later. Similarly, if you expect students to pick up a folder or paper on the way in, and they walked by without doing it, remind them to come back and get it.

Plan for Success

Lastly, another step towards respect and discipline in the classroom is helping the students feel successful and feel like their time is not being wasted. I believe that even our struggling students want to feel that they can accomplish what they're supposed to be doing in class. Many students may get frustrated. You may be seeing what appears as disrespect or discipline problems but if, instead, students can focus their energy in a more positive way you may not see as many behavior problems in class.

Safety First

Also remember, safety first so if you are ever concerned about safety don't hesitate to have a student removed from your class.

Need Additional NGSS Science Resources? Start Here

Need Additional NGSS Science Resources? Start Here

If you are starting NGSS and finding it overwhelming, don’t be overwhelmed. It’s really not completely different than good science teaching practice has always been. We already teach students about thinking like a scientist, using evidence, problem-solving, and basic inquiry processes. Many of us are already using engagement activities or a discrepant event (not so different than a phenomenon). A discussion of the similarities and differences between inquiry and storylines is given here. They do differ, but there is overlap,

Yes, the curriculum and assessments might change, and your day to day teaching may change because of that, but it may not be as dramatic of a change as you may be afraid of!

As you are looking to build lessons that support NGSS, here are a few links and resources that could help: 

NGSS Lessons

NGSS Lesson screener - this is a tool to check if your lesson is aligned to NGSS. A lot of your prior lessons might just need tweaking in one or two areas to fulfill the requirements. This is a very in-depth evaluation tool. They state that “a lesson is defined as a coherent set of instructional activities and assessments that may extend over several class periods or days; it is not just a single activity”

If you find that you need some additional tweaks, storylines, phenomena, or other resources to get you started, here is a shortlist of places to start:

Tweaks, storylines, & phenomena

• NSTA NGSS Hub - a hub of resources created by NSTA, and organized by topic
• Next Generation Science Standards - The standards themselves but searchable by grade level, topic, crosscutting concept, etc. If you are getting ready to teach a particular topic, it can be really helpful to see where it connects with other topics, or what exactly the students are required to know.
• NGSS Phenomena - one part of NGSS that I really like, personally, is that it asks students to look at phenomena from the real world and to examine what is happening. As I mentioned, these are a lot like discrepant events or engagement activities, but they can also be used in other ways. This is a searchable database of pictures, videos and other phenomena. It also includes some pages on “How to Use Phenomena” and examples.
• The Wonder of Science - This is a treasure trove! Of course, not all topics are present, but it is searchable by standard, and then includes examples of complete units with storylines, phenomena, etc. I would definitely start here to get your brain going!
• Next Generation Science Storylines describes themselves as a project dedicated to providing tools that support teachers in developing, adapting, and teaching with strongly aligned NGSS materials in classrooms around the country. A storyline is basically a series of coherent lessons (coherent to students) that focuses on solving a problem. The steps should be driven by students’ questions. Again, for the topics that are covered, there are examples of complete units, with teacher handbooks and supporting materials.
• Science Buddies NGSS Lesson Plans - Lastly, if you are looking for something a little briefer, that will let you get right into the lesson plans, this is a good place to search.

I also wrote about NGSS here. New York seems to be a bit behind, so I am not an expert, but I’m trying to share it with you as I learn. I’d love to hear from some of you who are ahead of the curve!

Four Unusual Subjects Your Class Could Study!

Four Unusual Subjects Your Class Could Study!

Children love to learn - that’s not a secret. They are small sponges right up until adulthood jades them a little, taking in every single tidbit of information that they are given. Those of us who were privileged enough to go to school and get a formal education all had a favorite subject at one time or another. The interesting classes that piqued our interest and got our creative and intelligent juices flowing seemed to fly by at school, whereas the other classes that we were least interested in dragged on by.

Education authorities across the globe are always doing research to ensure that they are offering the best possible educational opportunities for children. The system we have around the world isn’t the same as it was 20-30 years ago; it’s all changed now, with more on offer than ever before. Learning is supposed to be an interesting and pleasurable experience, and that means offering more interesting and fun subjects. Below, we’re going to talk about four subjects that are happening right now around the world that are a little different, but could spice up your educational offerings! These would be great additions for a filler kind of day, a class that is ahead, after a test, the day before a break, as an introduction, or just to get your brain thinking in a different way about your class. They could even be a jumping-off point for perhaps an elective, or a mini-unit.

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Admiration for Nature - Taught In Japan

In Japan, there are always subjects that are a little different, but Admiration for Nature is a subject designed to teach young children to value the aesthetics of the world around them. Modern kids are so caught up in technology nowadays that they often fail to see the world around them, so this subject forces the screens down and eyes up for a moment to just see. Pupils still have to receive grades and take exams at the end of the year to show their knowledge and appreciation of the natural world.

Cyber Security - Taught In Israel

With a world moving to use cloud services more and more, cybersecurity is paramount. Our world is a digital one and it’s now a vital area of knowledge as the internet permeates more and more of our daily life. Cybersecurity and data security are important, and while schools everywhere are now introducing Coding and Computing to their students, cybersecurity is a big part of the lesson. Children are being taught how to move around cyberspace and how to deal with negativity online. These lessons are important for the future of our society and it’s an interesting lesson to learn!

Surfing - Taught In Australia & Hawaii

Countries that have the privilege of having some of the most beautiful beaches around the world also recognize the importance of teaching children how to respect the ocean and ocean life. Surfing just happens to be a great Physics lesson waiting to happen. You can see some examples here and here. Australians are teaching their best sport to their youngest minds, and these lessons ensure that children are burning some energy while also indulging in some much-needed fun!

Beekeeping - Taught In Bashkiria

There are more than 100 schools in Bashkiria that are running their own apiaries. The bees are integral to our world continuing, and kids are learning to tend beehives, respect the work that bees do and harvest honey!

What creative and unique topics have you taught in your classroom? How do your students react?  Feel free to comment or jump in the Facebook Group.

Students are so used to being taught curriculum out of a book or taught to a test, that its a great chance to have them spend some time on something different, and then even better if we can connect it back to science or STEM.

5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Commute Time

How Can You Best Use Your Commute Time?

I don't know how long your commute is but one of the things that I really like to use my commute time for is to listen to podcast or audio books. What podcast do I recommend? It depends upon how you want to use your time. There are several great options!

Escape Reality

Sometimes I enjoy podcasts that are audiobooks or story and give you an escape. They are just fun and make you energized and uplifted. That's completely fine! Some of my favorites in this category are:

• Serial
• NPR StoryCorps
• Six Minutes (appropriate if you have middle-grade kids with you)

Professional Development

There are also educational podcasts if you want to get some professional development time while you are driving. Some of my favorite educational podcast are:

• Google Teacher Tribe
• Chalk Full of Life (actually recently ended, but there are still many old episodes to listen to)
• Cult of Pedagogy
• Truth for Teachers

Personal Growth

If you're looking for podcasts that are not just teaching related, but still allow some room for growth and learning, of course, it will depend on your interests. There are podcasts on almost every topic under the sun! However, two in particular that I think might appeal to a lot of people are:

• 3 in 30 Takeaways for Moms
• Brooke Castillo Life Coach School
• Ted Talks Daily

Audiobooks

Besides podcasts, other great ways to use your commute time include audiobooks (available for free through your library on the OverDrive App, Hoopla, or sometimes other options depending upon your library). You can always listen to music that will get you energized during the day or put you in a good mood.

Connection

If you have Bluetooth in your car, or a good hands-free setup, this is also a great time to catch up with family or friends and make a quick phone call for connection.

Bonus - Quiet Solitude and Recharge! 

Additionally, depending upon your personality, if you feel like you've been talking to people all day and you need a break, then absolutely use this as a time for peace and quiet! It's perfectly fine to turn the radio off. Just enjoy the time to yourself in the car so that you come home calm and ready to face your family and the rest of your day

Some of you may need some peace and quiet some of you need a chance to interact or tune in to something else. You know yourself best, but don’t waste that time! Use it to your advantage! It can help you in one way or the other throughout the day.

Who am I - In Terms of Science?

Science Says: Who am I?

In 2014, Nicole Kidman, Mark Strong, and Colin Firth kept the audience on the edge of their seats in the thriller Before I Go To Sleep. Every morning, the character played by Kidman experiences a fresh start. She wakes up, not knowing where she is or who she is with. Her husband explains that she has suffered extreme brain damage in an accident several years earlier that left her unable to process any memory from the past twenty years of her life. For the rest of the day, the wife records her thoughts on a camera, which she consults in the morning with the help of her neuropsychologist. The thriller then evolves and unravels the mysterious accident that has led her to sustain a life-changing injury.


If we ignore the thriller element for a moment, the story of Nicole Kidman’s character is fascinating. Every morning, she can get to explore who she is. How many of us have been given such an opportunity to indulge in self-exploration? The truth is that not many people would be able to tell you who they are as clearly as the movie – which is also a book – projects. Answering the question of who you are can be tricky. The quest for an answer is enough to throw anybody into a profound identity crisis. Except if you rely on science. Science, as it happens, can reveal a lot about yourself. Here’s how it works:

I am the person who can

More and more proud adults are showing off their STEM roots. Science, technology, engineering and math programs have become a priority all around the country as too few students are choosing to pursue degrees in these fields. As a result, teachers are constantly looking for ways to attract new students. Thankfully, public opinion has gradually warmed up to the idea of STEM. Many suggest that TV shows such as the Big Bang Theory or Sherlock have helped many young people to make peace with science. STEM role models have also become more vocal, giving the science community a strong and engaging voice. In conclusion, young girls and boys get to meet a variety of mentors and industry leaders who come from a scientific background. The message is the same everywhere; the STEM community is stronger together. For many, embracing STEM studies turn you into a do-er. You become the person who can send rockets to the moon, or who can find a new dinosaur species. You are the name the story will remember because you’re the one who made it happen.

I am the descendant of someone great

Everybody loves looking through old family albums. Here’s a picture of grandma. Here’s your great-great-uncle you’ve never met. It’s always exciting to look through the black and white faces from the past and trying to find similarities. Do you have that person’s nose or this one’s eyes? Finding out who you are is always about knowing where you come from. Not everyone is keen on building their genealogical tree by themselves – it’s hard work, and it’s not always rewarding research. However, some specialists can take the pain out of thorough genealogy research for you. Finding relatives to an individual who has passed away is sometimes the only way for solicitors to discover unexpected beneficiaries. A genetic test could let you learn more about your family, and therefore about yourself too.



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My genes dictate what I can eat

While we’re in the field of genetics, it’s a good idea to learn the lessons that DNA can teach about your body and needs. There are currently plenty of tests available that can let you know more about your dietary requirements based on your DNA patterns. The science is exact, however, if you want reliable results you should probably wait until the off-the-counter tests become more performant. Nevertheless, the human genome can reveal a lot about your health. You are maybe a lactose-intolerant person who didn’t know about their condition. Or your tendency to overeat could be marked by your genes. Knowing more about your DNA helps you to become the best you can be.

Maths guides me through my identity crisis

Philosophers argue that the best way to address an identity crisis is to support your reasoning with maths. Indeed, a philosophical quest can’t rely on intuition. Instead, mathematics becomes the ultimately philosophical language that navigates through logic to the most appropriate answer. To pursue a rational debate or self-introspection, you need to be able to engage ideas logically and rigorously until you can confirm or reject your assumptions. In other words, brilliant philosophers are mathematicians.



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Am I the result of a complex human genome that defines how my body reacts? Am I the person who discovers a new dinosaur? Or am I the person whose distant cousin made a fortune? I could be all of these, and only philosophy can guide me to the truth. Science answers the darkest identity crisis for you.

Students see science as so abstract, and distant from their lives, but this is a different way to take a look at the role science plays in defining who we are, and really grabbing kids attentions. Who am I? could be a great ongoing theme throughout the year!