Tag Archives: Teaching Strategies
Brain-Based Teaching and Learning
Brain-based teaching and learning is a necessity to effective teaching and learning. Over the past 25 years, research has exploded with studies that demonstrate the power of teaching to the unique needs, intelligences, strengths, and aptitudes of all students. Brain based teaching intersects, is integrated and is a compatible foundational component for differentiated instruction, assessment, behavior management and an intricate aspect of a holistic education.
When we meet the child or adolescent where they understand “how” they process, retain, and retrieve information, we are creating a successful platform for deeper learning and an extravagant mastery of knowledge. Author and educator Martha Kaufeldt said that neuroscience research may be in its infancy or specific to unique situations, but the new knowledge can provide teachers with insight into the behaviors, learning abilities, skill acquisition, and more importantly the emotional and social development of students. The research is confirming what great teachers know intuitively: Continue reading
Teaching with Technology in the Facebook Era
As educators, we know all too well how prevalent Facebook has become in the lives of today’s students. While almost all students use Facebook, many have a love/hate relationship with it. They like staying constantly connected with their friends – and their friends of friends – but they also know how much time they waste on it. They might not be willing to admit it, but students actually want to get away from Facebook in order to study. At StudyBlue, we learned this lesson firsthand. Continue reading
Use Nonverbal Cues to Communicate with Students
My daughter, a high school freshman, came home from school the other day in a bad mood. She’d worked all weekend on her Social Studies presentation about Cuba, but the speech didn’t go well.
Like millions of Americans, my daughter suffers from a public speaking phobia. The number one phobia among Americans is public speaking. Number two is death. As comedian Jerry Seinfeld said, at a funeral, most people would rather be in the coffin than delivering the eulogy. Continue reading
Pop Quizzes: Are They Good Practice?
I’ve been reading Dr. Allen Mendler’s book, Connecting with Students and I came across this passage: “Limit pop quizzes. Pop quizzes contribute unnecessarily to anxiety and rarely lead to increased competence. In fact, the sudden wave of fear that an … Continue reading
Appreciation Sets a Positive Classroom Tone
One summer teacher inservice, our trainer asked us to give people in our small groups an appreciation. An appreciation, she explained, was a specific thank-you to a group member for his contribution to the group. It could be, “Thank you for bringing up the point about special needs students, Stan. We needed to make sure we were addressing their needs,” or, “I really like the way you kept us on track, Laurie.”
I think that those appreciations helped me to get to know my fellow teachers better and they went a long way to creating good will among us throughout the school year. I liked the idea so much that I implemented it with my own students. Continue reading
Dealing with the ‘Math is Hard’ Complaint
As a mathematics instructor I have heard this complaint more times then I like. We allow ourselves to be brainwashed by this belief. It has become so accepted that saying it is as common as “How are you?” “Fine.”
Math doesn’t have to be hard. It is a tool: the tool of science and economics; the tool of problem solving and the algorithmic approach to issues. One of the many beauties of the tool is, it has been around for thousands of years, and although we find and develop new aspects, it is largely unchanged. I approach teaching math by trying to show the students that what they are learning is all within their current knowledge. Continue reading
How Much Teacher Help Is too Much?
I have always been perplexed by the term spoon feeding. I know that it means that the teacher gives his students too much help, but I’ve never been clear on how much is too much. I’ll give you five possible … Continue reading
Six Ways to Make a Classroom Lecture Interesting
Back in the day, when I was a beginning teacher, I was convinced that my students would love my three-class-period Shakespeare lecture as much as I did. My students quickly let me know that three days of note taking, no matter what the subject or how interesting the details, was way too much for them.
Over the years, my students have taught me how much lecture they can tolerate and what holds their attention the best. Continue reading
Want to Boost Test Scores? Wish Your Students Good Luck
Ben Goldacre is a medical doctor in the U.K. who writes a column in The Guardian called “Bad Science” and has a blog of the same name. Goldacre takes pride in debunking the pseudo-scientific claims from the dietary supplements, baby genius, and cosmetics industries.
Despite the fact that Dr. Goldacre doesn’t believe in the amazing health benefits and antioxidant powers of chocolate, I think that his conclusinons are sound, expecially those about the mind’s incredible response to belief.
Easy Student Engagement: Name Dropping
This teaching tip is courtesy of the junk mail that piles up on my kitchen table. When the pile gets too large to ignore, I sort through it and toss uninteresting junk mail in the trash.
My husband asks me why I don’t just throw it all away.
Well, some catalogs I might be able to cut up to use as conversation starters or metaphors in class. Some flyers I might be able to use in my mass media class to teach a persuasive print advertising technique.
And let’s face it: I like the pieces that call me by name. Continue reading
