One of the most powerful teaching and learning practices is providing specific, timely feedback (Hattie, 2008). Feedback can take the form of acknowledgement and praise or error correction to help guide learners in strengthening new skills. This week’s post and accompanying module focuses on best practices for respectful, dignified, and effective error correction. The linked… Read More Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #4 Feedback for Growth: Error Correction
Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #1 Procedures and Routines
As we embark on a new school year, most educators are planning to use a teaching matrix to develop and model expectations within the learning environment. Using a classroom matrix (Robbie et al., 2022, pg. 4) that aligns with the language of the school-wide matrix (Robbie et al., 2022, pg. 5) is critical for success…. Read More Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #1 Procedures and Routines
Meaningful Mindset Shifts for Teaching, Learning, and Community
The way we view the world, education, our classrooms, and the students and families we serve is often influenced by numerous factors including the beliefs, values, and assumptions we have developed through our experiences and environments. We may often be unaware of them, yet they are one of the primary drivers of our actions. During… Read More Meaningful Mindset Shifts for Teaching, Learning, and Community
Mindset Shifts: Building Balanced Partnerships
Intentionally shifting our mindset around shared decision-making can be scary, yet can also be empowering. Ensuring your team embraces the power of including different voices to make changes can wield truly innovative, sustainable shifts in the culture of your school. Inviting stakeholders, those who are truly representative of your community, to be active participants in… Read More Mindset Shifts: Building Balanced Partnerships
Mindset Shifts: Expanding our View of Acknowledgement
Taking an instructional approach towards behavior is critical when establishing supportive, consistent learning environments. However, while behavior specific praise is a powerful tool that helps to shape behavior in the classroom, viewing acknowledgement through a broader lens can truly transform classroom communities. Consider how simple and welcoming gestures can also serve as a supportive strategy… Read More Mindset Shifts: Expanding our View of Acknowledgement
Mindset Shifts: Teaching for the Classroom and Beyond
An instructional approach to supporting students’ behavioral change and social skill acquisition isn’t just about decreasing referrals and the rate of off-task behavior in the classroom. At all ages and developmental stages, teaching learners new or needed skills to navigate the educational environment can positively impact their academic achievement and lifetime social experiences. This week… Read More Mindset Shifts: Teaching for the Classroom and Beyond
Five Effective Approaches To Address Interfering Behaviors: Student Apathy
Provide Voice & Choice “When students feel supported and have a sense of belonging, they are more likely to actively engage.” (Baker & Will, 2024) It is important for adults to remember that all behavior is communication – ours and our students’. Equally important is that we do not take student behavior personally, but rather… Read More Five Effective Approaches To Address Interfering Behaviors: Student Apathy
Five Effective Approaches To Address Interfering Behaviors: Excessive Talking with Peers
Dialogue by Design Off-task conversations can disrupt classroom instruction and constantly challenge teachers and their overall classroom management. While there are many effective routines for regaining the class’s attention and refocusing students on the lesson at hand, the most effective approaches are proactive. Talking and social learning are developmentally appropriate, especially for school-age learners (Wood,… Read More Five Effective Approaches To Address Interfering Behaviors: Excessive Talking with Peers
Five Effective Approaches To Address Interfering Behaviors: Refusal to Comply with Staff
One Strategy for When Students Refuse to Comply Ever looked at a student and wondered, why can’t they just follow a simple request or rule? I asked them something simple, yet they turned it into a fight. Why!? Sometimes there is more going on than we initially realize, including factors that could be negatively impacting… Read More Five Effective Approaches To Address Interfering Behaviors: Refusal to Comply with Staff
A Proactive Approach to Attendance: 10 Strategies to Add to Your Toolkit
On any given day, teachers across the country work tirelessly to develop lesson plans and learning targets that support students who are not always present to learn. In the years following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, student attendance has become an urgent concern for teachers and school leaders as schools have begun to focus… Read More A Proactive Approach to Attendance: 10 Strategies to Add to Your Toolkit
All Means ALL: The Virginia Literacy Act and Teaching Students with Complex Needs
Embracing a Holistic Approach The Virginia Literacy Act ensures every student in kindergarten to grade five will receive core literacy instruction based in scientifically based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction and, every teacher will use evidence-based literacy curriculum, use student-level data to inform instruction and intervention, and participate in training on evidence-based literacy instruction…. Read More All Means ALL: The Virginia Literacy Act and Teaching Students with Complex Needs
New Effective Practice Tools for Teachers
As a teacher, deciding what to focus on to better support your students or grow in your professional practice can be challenging. Here are ten of the most impactful evidence-based practices, proven effective and good for all students. These practices are core to building an effective classroom system because they are applicable across all grade… Read More New Effective Practice Tools for Teachers
Effective Classroom Practices One-Pagers Hub
Physical Environment Click the above image to access – This resource defines Physical Environment and how it works, lists steps for implementation, examples, key considerations, a tool for checking fidelity of implementation, and other linked resources and information in an easy to digest one-page format. Procedures and Routines Click the above image to access -This… Read More Effective Classroom Practices One-Pagers Hub
