L-O-V-E for Reading
3/9/2010 5:55 PM
Creating a love for reading is one of the most important things we can instill in our students. However, age-old book reports often encourage quite the opposite. Fortunately, there are other ways we can test our students’ reading comprehension without making them write the dreaded book report. Try oral reports. Have students express their likes and dislikes about the book to you or other students. Another option is journaling. Have students write a journal entry after reading each chapter of the book showcasing what they learned,their thoughts and likes and dislikes.
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The Class Psyche
3/5/2010 4:57 PM
A phenomenon of teaching is that every class has its own unique "class psyche." Smart teachers work with that. Don’t be influenced by a class’s reputation or what other teachers say. Form your own opinion and adjust your teaching techniques accordingly.
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Individualize the Group
3/4/2010 6:22 PM
Group work is a good way to get students of different abilities to work together. Group work helps students with teamwork, brainstorming and critical thinking. When grading, be sure to give a group grade that reflects the groups' performance as a whole. In addition, give each student an individual grade. This way, if one student does all the work and another completely drops the ball, other group members aren't penalized and/or rewarded for their teammates' efforts.
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Allow Students to Choose
3/1/2010 1:03 PM
Always leave a student with away out, don’t push them to the wall. Avoid phrases like “do this this instant!” Instead, say something to the effect of “I would appreciate it if you could have this done in five or ten minutes. Could you do that for me?” This will allow them to make a choice and feel as though the have some control in the situation. Additionally, if the situation is tense, the five to ten minutes will allow the student to calm down, think rationally and make the right decision.
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If at First Lesson Plans Don't Suceed, Try and Try Again
2/26/2010 4:42 PM
Be flexible, if your lesson plans don’t work out as you envisioned, put them aside and go on to something else. You may find your plans didn’t fit the comprehension level of your students. Don't fret though, reworking or tweaking your plans will only make them more comprehensive and effective.
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