Some Ideas for New Teachers....

Some teaching ideas….

• Someone’s going to be in control of the classroom; it has to be you.

• “Please follow all of my instructions correctly and completely.”
• Make sure that you link students’ prior knowledge to the current lesson goal/objective.
• Have teacher-directed, student-focused, engaging lessons.  You drive the class pace and instruction.
• Generally, have one way monologues, no dialogues, when presenting material; don’t allow for student input or feedback at all times - use that for formative assessments.  Essentially, don’t ask open ended questions, give direct instruction and structure.
• Give instruction from the front of the room.  Don’t float around while giving out important information.  OK to float for formative assessments, checking work, etc., but there should be a “spot” that when you’re there, it’s all business.
• Give direct instruction:  “Draw this ____,” “Put this ____,” “Turn to page ___,” “Underline the second sentence.”  Avoid, “You may want to draw the ___,” “You may want to notice the second sentence.”  If it’s optional that means it isn’t really important right?  If the content, process, or produce is important, tell them to do it.  If the content, process, or product isn’t important, then let them choose - but give them a list of two or three choices only.
• When students have to write down several sentences from the board, don’t read the whole section and wait for them to write; then, they’re in control of the time and speed of the class.  Don’t say, “The earth’s outer layer is called the crust; the second layer is called the mantle, and the next layer is called the core” and wait for them to copy it all.  Tell them, “Turn to page 22 in your notebook.  (time)  Write this as I say it:  ‘The earth’s outer layer…(time)...is called the crust - that’s c.r.u.s.t. (time)  ‘The second layer…(time)...is called the mantle - that’s m.a.n.t.l.e.’”  This way, you control the time and speed of the class, but more importantly, the students stay engaged with you, the material, and don’t cause disruptions if they can’t see, can’t spell, finish early, etc.  You’re all together and on task.

Some procedural ideas….

• Have a list or outline of the class on the board (warm up, actions, learning goals, projects, handouts, turn in, etc….) and point to them without talking.  You don’t have to say, “Do the warm up.”  You can just point to it; it reinforces the idea that you are a) directing them, b) the teacher, c) setting the pace of the class, etc.
• Don’t talk over the students; make them be quiet (they can do this) and then give them instructions.  Give commands (sit, quiet, stop talking, etc.) and wait so that you are in control of the room.
• A student is clearly not doing what you’ve told them to do (i.e., they get up and start walking to the trash can while you’re delivering instruction).  Don’t say, “Glenn, what are you doing?”  Say, “Glenn, sit….  No...wait.”  Don’t say, “Glenn, why aren’t you writing?”  Say, “Glenn, write.”
• If your rule is for the students to raise their hand (and not shout out your name, or grunt, or snap their fingers) to ask a question, then do not answer any questions, or acknowledge any student, if they do not raise their hand silently.  Do not answer any questions, or acknowledge any student, if they call your name.  (I taught a couple of classes recently where students yelled at the teacher to get their attention or raised their hand and snapped their fingers, etc.  They did it once, I told them not to; just to raise their hand or I would not call on them.  They did it again; I ignored them.  They raised their hand quietly the third time; I called on them.  Easy as that.  In one case after the second time of raising their hand and saying my name, they immediately said, “I’m sorry.”)
• Don’t ask the open-ended, whole-class questions unless you want chaos - and that is rarely effective.  Ask questions that require a one-word answer, and you and they know exactly what the answer is, and be very specific.  “In your handout, what color is the crust?  (blue)  What color is the mantle?  (red)  What color is the inner core?  (black).  Then, “Raise you hand if you can tell me why we colored them that way.”  You control the pace.
• Have a set time when students can get out of their seats - sharpen pencil, throw away trash, get paper, get hand sanitizer, etc.  I wouldn’t recommend whenever they want to.

Some ideas for questioning...

• “Raise your hand if _____.”

“...you think the answer is _____ (a, b, c; green, blue, red; loud, soft, short).”

“...you need a _____ (pencil, paper, break, handout)”

“...you understand the idea about _____ (rain, the earth’s layers, dynamics)”

• On simple things: 3 answer choices only: “yes,” “no,” “I don’t know.”  (Can be shown with “thumbs up,” “thumbs down,” or “thumbs sideways.”)  I like, “Raise your hand if you think the answer is, ‘Yes.’  Raise your hand if you think the answer is, ‘No.’  Raise your hand if you  don’t know.”  It’s always amusing to see how many students raise their hand on “yes” or “no” and then again on the “I don’t know.”  It’s a great formative assessment.
• “On a scale from 0-10, show me with your fingers how you would rate yourself on that.”  “On a scale from 0-5, show me with one hand how you would rate yourself on that.”

Some “behavior modification” (i.e., discipline) ideas….

• Remind the students: “self-discipline” is what you use to do the right thing, “discipline” is what I do to you if you don’t use self-discipline.
• I learned from an elementary student that when they raised their right arm and made a fist, that meant to be quiet.  I took that one more step; “when I do this (fist in air), that means ‘1) still and 2) silent’ and you raise your fist to so that everyone sees it.  Got it?  When you’re too loud and I need to tell you something, I’ll raise my hand instead of yelling/raising my voice at you!  Would you rather me raise my hand or yell at you?”  (If they choose “yell,” I tell them I don’t get paid to yell at students so I’m going to raise my hand instead.)
• The pressure has to increase on the student individually and immediately until they choose to modify their behavior and do what you tell them to do.  Immediate could mean: relocate, alternative assignment, sign discipline log, write down parent phone name and phone number and give it to you, etc.
• State the behavior you want, then the action/answer you want before you do anything.  “Raise your hand silently without talking if you need more time to _____.”
• Use some non-verbals too: “the look,” snap your fingers, wave your hand, signal “Ssssh” or “zip it” or “silence.”
• One word commands (not suggestions): Stop, Sit, Look, No, Wait.
• When you ask a direct question or give a command (not an open ended question), the only response you require is, “Yes, Ma’am” or “Yes, Sir.”

Some physical management ideas….

• Have the students facing you.  You’re delivering, guiding, facilitating, directing instruction at all times on some level.  If ½ of your class always has their back to you, you are not in control of what’s going on in their head; they are.  Look at your room; are the desk/chairs set up to promote student attention and focus on you, or promote conversation with each other and distraction to the learning environment.
• Idea: get rid of the 4-student pod idea.  Use the pods only for group and project activity where they don’t need to pay attention to you.
• If your class time is going to involve pencils, handouts, glue, highlighters, etc., have the students get them all out at once at the beginning of the learning session.  There is a lot of dead time, talking, and lack of engagement when a classroom full of students is searching for “stuff” during the main part of the learning goal.
• Make sure your chair/desk arrangement serves the purpose you want it to.  If there’s too much talking, analyze how the chairs are arranged; are they too close, set up in ways that promote interaction, etc.?  Move them.  If your primary means of instruction is at the front of the room, make sure all of the chairs are arranged so the students can see.
• Have a “time out” area, separate from the main group, for students to calm down, do their work away from the group, or have an alternative assignment.