Edutopia.org, 2013. — 14 pages.How to improve student engagement and build a positive climate for learning and discipline.
We'Ve all heard this about students: "If they are engaged, they are managed." And this is absolutely the truth. But we still need rules, routines, trust, and student ownership to make a classroom run smoothly and effectively. This guide will address those practical aspects of managing a classroom, with suggestions and resources appropriate for grades K-12.
Most of these tips are applicable to students of all ages, but the actual techniques will look different for the various grades. For instance, Build Community (tip #1), might mean playing name games with elementary students but involve setting up a photo booth for middle school students. Tip #8, Integrate Positive Classroom Rituals, may sound like it's all about elementary learners, but look for suggestions to make the morning meeting an important part of the day for teens and tweens too.
During my first year in the classroom, a seasoned teacher told me, "You are as much an ethics teachers as you are an English teacher." What she meant was that literature brings along life lessons and themes, so it's inevitable that you end up deeply discussing morals, what is right and wrong, and wise choices versus poor decisions. It's no accident then that the ten tips offered here also give a noticeable nod to social and emotional learning, or Sel, an approach that teaches children how to handle challenging situations, manage their emotions, and form positive relationships.
