You’re lucky. You’re lucky because you are a teacher – best job in the world. You’re lucky because you’ve just had a half-term break – lovely, wasn’t it. And you’re lucky because if, say, classroom behaviour wasn’t quite what you wanted it to be before the break, your first day back after the break is [...]
By Robin Launder, behaviourbuddy@hotmail.co.uk For an explanation of the theory behind retrieval practice, click here. Otherwise, here are the 12 strategies. You’ll be familiar with most of them, but don’t let that familiarity fool you into thinking they’re not powerful, because they are. Very. Here’s the list: 1. Questions A particularly effective [...]
What is retrieval practice? Have you ever tried to remember the name of a film or a song or a restaurant? Or perhaps an acquaintance’s name? Or your spouse’s? You know it, you do, but it is a real struggle to recall it. It’s right on the tip of your tongue. Well, that struggle, as [...]
7. Revisit your rules At some point during your lesson, though earlier is better than later, revisit your classroom rules. The following approach works well. Shush activity Cover your rules display. Tell the students that they have two minutes to write the classroom rules down exactly as they are written on the (now covered) display. [...]
Be under no illusions: when it comes to behaviour management, your first day back after the Christmas break is crucially important. In fact, it’s the second most important day of the whole year. The only day that’s more important is the first day back after the summer holiday. Of course, what these two days have in [...]
Ten top tips for a great start to the academic year Be the boss Students want you to be the boss because that makes the classroom a safe place. Now, that doesn’t mean that you have to be terrifying, shouty or stern (all counterproductive in the long term), but you do have to demonstrate your [...]
Every teacher needs to know this word: constructivism. Why? Because it’s the word that describes how we learn. When we learn something new, we construct that learning out of what we already know. We do it in one of three main ways: by noting similarities, by noting differences, by combining concepts. Often we do all [...]
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Cooperative Learning is the name given to a range of teaching methods that promote learning that is structured, purposeful and, of course, cooperative. The students work on a common assignment. Assignments can range from the simple to the complex, and can include experiment-based work, design, creation of a graphic organiser, extended writing projects, problem solving, [...]
