Good classroom management is one of the most important goals teachers strive to establish from the first day of class. The rules, procedures, activities, and behaviors set the classroom tone throughout the school year. By revising, updating, and systemizing classroom management activities, teachers can eliminate many problems created by students…

At the beginning of each school term, bulletin boards sport fresh ideas and desks glisten, but will students entering the classroom have their expectations met? Will they be engaged in the learning? How can teachers utilize resources and enlist others to provide an even stronger and more effective learning environment? In this article, the author…

Stutterer's incident in class draws national attention; Stuttering Foundation responds with tips for educators. In response to the articles in the "New York Times," Jane Fraser, president of the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation, wrote in a press release eight tips for educators regarding working with students who stutter. This article presents…

Teachers often complain about the professional development opportunities. And it is not uncommon for absenteeism to increase among teachers and staff during in-service days. The biggest problem that professional development has encountered is that it is usually developed as an isolated requirement, with no real connection to daily teaching and…

The author was a rookie with no student teaching experience who started working at a high school two months into the year. Because his classes had been taught by numerous substitute teachers, the students didn't believe that he was their "real" teacher. Adding to his challenge, the students were almost entirely male in a technology education…

Testing throws off classroom schedules any time of year. It can be especially disruptive during the first weeks of school, when teachers are establishing ordinary classroom procedures and building a sense of classroom community. The relaxed, safe atmosphere that teachers seek to establish at the beginning of the year can be threatened by the…

Asking 250 students to post questions on Twitter during a class doesn't risk life or limb. But it can cause ego damage if students get disorderly online. Opening up a Twitter-powered channel in class--which professors at other universities are experimenting with as well--alters classroom power dynamics and signals to students that they're in…

Over the past 25 years, Gallup polls have consistently reported that disruptive behavior and discipline problems are some of the top concerns of school staff and community members. In fact, problems with classroom management are among the most common reasons that teachers leave their jobs. In response, many schools are turning to more formal…

When the author's 25-year-old daughter Anna applied for a job as a secretary at a charter public school in the Rio Bravo neighborhood of Albuquerque, the principal thought she was overqualified for the job with her degree from St. John's College in Santa Fe. The principal instead asked her to take over for a teacher who was quitting her 6th grade…

Explaining the importance of a good foundation in writing to educators would be a case of preaching to the choir. The same can be said about identifying the connection between reading and writing. Writing can occur in the primary classroom in three ways. Demonstration writing happens when the teacher composes and writes in front of the class,…

As classrooms become more culturally diverse, it becomes more imperative that differentiated instruction occur in elementary classrooms. Today's classrooms usually contain students with a wide range of abilities and varied experiential backgrounds. These students learn at different rates and in different ways. Differentiation is important in the…

Real learning often can't be quantified, and a corporate-style preoccupation with "data" turns schooling into something shallow and lifeless. Ideally, attention to learning signifies an effort to capture how each student makes sense of the world, so teachers can meet them where they are. "Teaching is mostly listening." (It's the learners who…

Teachers know from their training and experience that questioning plays an important role in today's instruction. Modern lessons are fast-paced and interactive, with teachers asking a lot of questions. Because this instructional strategy dominates class time and because students are active during the lesson, there are more chances for management…

Teachers often tell their classes that "there is no such thing as a stupid question." But this is not completely honest. Questions aren't asked in a vacuum; their intelligence or stupidity depends on a variety of contextual variables. The ideal question is the right one, posed to the right source in the right way at the right time for the right…

Great teachers have an intense passion for learning, which is reflected in their students. Teachers make learning enjoyable while teaching students to better organize their ideas, explore their curiosity, and glean the most from each lesson. Students mastering these skills reap the benefits throughout their lifetime. Even good teachers can get…