This article describes how to use the app, Notability, to assist in classroom observation. Classroom teachers can easily adapt these directions for student observation. I recommend Notability at a cost of $1-$2 over any potentially costly commercial classroom observation system I’ve yet seen. Notability provides the most flexibility for meeting individual needs. If you’re looking …
Category: Classroom Mangement
Four Steps for Troubleshooting iOS Devices
There’s not too much you can do to fix a problem when your iPad or iPhone stops working…that’s the good news. There’s just a few things you can try and these usually work. Try each of these one at a time and see if one of them will fix your problem. 1. Update your apps. …
Parent Better and Change the World in 2012
On a recent journey to Costa Rica, I had the opportunity to reflect on good parenting. Due to a brief layover, we had to switch planes mid-way and on each leg of the journey, we found ourselves sitting in front of children (yes, the same people we left our classrooms to get a …
First Day of School Activities
First Day of School Activities Lots of First Day Activities from Cape Brenton Victoria School Board First Day of School Activities by Katie Hallum First Days of School Script for Teachers by Katie Hallum Back to School Preparation Checklist and Month by Month Schedule for First Grade by Terry Analore Everybody Needs A Rock Activity by …
Lessons for Teachers from the Oprah Finale
Background I remember when Oprah premiered on television, somewhere around the 2nd grade. I grew up watching Donahue at 3:00 and Oprah at 4:00 with my grandmother after school. I watched for many years though I started to lose track somewhere around high school. I must confess that as I got older I found the …
How to Encourage Parental Involvement
While some education reformers might argue that poverty is not a reason for students’ lack of success, I haven’t heard anyone claim that parental involvement doesn’t impact student learning. As a matter of fact, I would argue that a students’ best chance of overcoming poverty is parental involvement in their education. While we have little …
How to Reduce the Amount of Teacher Talk
Pair Sharing: A Best Practice Pair Sharing is generally acknowledged as a best practice in education. In classrooms I visit, however, I rarely see it used, let alone integrated into lessons as a regular practice. Reducing the amount of teacher talk and getting students to talk to each other is one of the cheapest and …
Six Ways Teachers Can Improve Education This Year
This post is about six things teachers can do in their own schools and classrooms to improve the entire field of education in the 2010-2011 school year. 1. Say hello at the door. I used to think this was silly until I read that the few words exchanged at the door may be a students’ …
First Day of School Activities
excerpted from Classroom Management for Teachers.com First Day of School Activities Lots of First Day Activities from Cape Brenton Victoria School Board First Day of School Activities by Katie Hallum First Days of School Script for Teachers by Katie Hallum Back to School Preparation Checklist and Month by Month Schedule for First Grade by Terry Analore Everybody …
Good Teaching Should Be Like Pulling Teeth (Sometimes)
Teaching students to work independently. Getting students to problem solve math problems without a teacher intervening. Facilitating student-led discussions. Asking students to engage in higher level thinking when analyzing literature. Doing any of these things in your classroom for the first time may be like pulling teeth. The reason why higher level thinking doesn’t happen …