Articles for Teachers Effective classroom practice

Effective classroom practice

Effective classroom practice February 1, 2019February 9, 2021

Circle time done right

There is no ONE way to run a circle at all. Teachers who run truly successful circles are incredibly creative with how these circles proceed and they know that wait time is lost time.

Effective classroom practice February 1, 2019February 9, 2021

Teachers, schools and cyber-bullying

Students almost universally have access to the online world and the opportunity for respite has disappeared. Worse, the bullying that occurs online is amplified by the availability of an immense audience and also by the real or perceived anonymity that comes with online activity. Students often arrive at school on Mondays not refreshed and reset, but emotional and upset.

Effective classroom practice February 1, 2019February 9, 2021

The five keys to successful circles

Getting everyone together in a circle is sometimes seen as the domain of the early childhood educator – but not for much longer. I see businesses running board meetings in circles. I see sporting coaches gathering their teams in circles at half time in preference to the usual clump. I see bands huddled in tight circles for a pep talk before bursting onto stage for a performance. What is making circles so universally popular?

Effective classroom practice February 1, 2019February 9, 2021

Effective Questioning

Most teachers automatically respond to conflict, questionable behaviour choices and even instances of student bullying by asking questions. It is well worth examining the purpose of our questioning, as this will drive the questions we ask, the order in which we ask them and the way we ask them.

Effective classroom practice February 1, 2019February 9, 2021

Working to a deadline

I have the wonderful privilege of speaking with teachers around Australia about both the immense rewards and the challenges of being a contemporary educator. While there’s a little bit of Pollyanna in all of us, the truth is we speak a lot about the challenges. There are an enormous number of accountabilities in being a modern teacher and with the plethora of compliances that come with the profession, there never seem to be quite enough hours in the day.

Effective classroom practice February 1, 2019February 9, 2021

Cinema Syndrome

Teachers are adept at chunking and sequencing academic learning, yet we forget to chunk the time that students will be required to listen to instruction or to sustain effort. In much the same way that adults fidget when we don’t know how long the movie will be, students will resist our instruction if they have no idea how long they’ll be required to listen, or to sustain silence, or to work collaboratively.

Effective classroom practice January 31, 2019February 9, 2021

Self-esteem … we’re doing it wrong

The lesson for us in schools is to stop the vain attempt to build self-esteem through merit awards, ranking systems, competitive structures and tokens that reinforce already well established student hierarchies. The challenge is differentiating the academic program so that all of our students experience and value their own success.

Effective classroom practice January 31, 2019February 9, 2021

I tried that and it didn’t work

For decades, we may have given punitive and out-dated practices a consistent, clear and justified run despite the mounting evidence that they aren’t working. We might try something new, but the moment that it becomes difficult we’re tempted to assume our default positions, reinforcing previous patterns of negative student behaviour.