March Weekend Program

CRAFTY SATURDAYS AT DK SCHOOLHOUSE

 

 

 

There aren’t enough days in the weekend—so make Saturday count for two! Give the kids a morning of pure revelry  with the DK Schoolhouse Crafty Saturday program. Every Saturday from 9.30 – 12.30 for children aged 2 – 10 years old!

WHATS UP THIS WEEKEND? Introduction to TINY TIKES YOGA POSES! Can you say “Ommmmmm” anyone?

Call / SMS / EMAIL your child’s reservation at:

078 777 466  (English/Khmer) / 095 777 466 (English/Khmer) / 092 777 466 (Khmer)

All About Organizing

Help for the Organizationally Challenged Teacher

By  Genia Connell

Not too long ago, I was in the school office talking to a parent whose daughter had been in my class years earlier. The mom said she wanted to thank me because she felt that the way I taught students organizational skills for home and school had provided her previously messy daughter with good habits she carried with her all through school and into college. I left the office feeling pretty proud of myself and shared the story with a close teacher friend who happened to walk into my room. She took one look at my desk piled high with a tower of carefully balanced books and papers, looked at me, and said with a smile, “So I guess the old saying is true . . . those who can, do, and those who can't, teach.” Ouch!
I really wish I was super organized, but I’m just not. I admire every teacher who has a neat-as-a-pin, clutter-free room, and I aspire to be like that, but it’s tough for me. Because I know my weaknesses, however, I have set up several systems to help keep me, my students, and my classroom running smoothly. Hopefully a few of my tips will help those of you who also find yourself organizationally challenged.

Keeping My Students Organized

 

 

Color-Coded Folders

When it comes to students' keeping their work organized, I take all the responsibility off me. My students have six color-coded, labeled folders in their desks. Every time a paper is to be put away, I tell them exactly where it goes, as in, “Put this map in your green social studies folder.” The next time we need a particular paper and a student says, "I can't find mine," I very nicely can say, "I told you to put it in your green social studies folder, so if it’s not there, I can’t help you.” Most learn quickly to listen to where their papers need to go. Print your own customizable folder labels. 

 

Visits From the Neat Desk Fairy

At random times throughout the year, the desk fairy pays a visit while the students are out of the room. Those with neat, organized desks free of loose papers, old snacks, or any extra items that don't belong get a certificate and a small treat. Since there is no set time when I give the awards out, the kids really work at keeping neat in anticipation of the desk fairy's visit.

Attendance and Homework Check at a Glance

From the second day of school, students know when they walk through the classroom door each morning that the first thing they need to do is put their red homework folder in their mailbox with their homework on top. Within two minutes of the morning bell ringing, I know who is absent and who doesn't have their homework just from a quick glance at the cubbies. Perhaps the biggest benefit of this system is that students rarely have late homework because they know I will know immediately and come talk to them about it.

Monthly and Thematic Materials

Totes above my cupboards labeled with the months of the year hold all my seasonal resources for bulletin boards, holidays, and units I teach during that month. At the beginning of each month, I pull down the tote and I'm ready to go.

Shoe Boxes — They're Not Just for Shoes Anymore

When I moved classrooms a couple of years ago, I discovered that I had enough sticky notes, paper clips, and push pins to last me through retirement. I had kept them in various places and just kept ordering more every year, not knowing what I had. Now, everything is kept in dollar store plastic shoe boxes, stacked in a cupboard so I can see what I have.

Pens, Pens, Everywhere

This fun-to-use dish filled with glass gems has cured my habit of leaving pens laying around. I like how my pens stand at attention ready to be used. If I do leave a pen laying by the wayside, one of my students always returns it to the container, mostly because they enjoy pushing the pens into the gems. This was two dollars well spent at the dollar store!

Community Supplies 

These colorful dollar store bins help kids easily access and put away community supplies like scissors, glue sticks, and highlighters.

 I found this storage seat in Scholastic's Bonus Catalog this year and had to have it. Not only does it provide an extra seat in the classroom, but it also hides all of my reading and writing assessment folders in hanging files.

Organization

Simple Solutions for an Organized Classroom Library

By: Genia Connell

Over the past 10 years, I have probably redone my classroom library five times as I looked for the best and easiest way to organize my large collection of books. At the beginning of this school year, I had no intention of redoing my library again. After seeing some cute new blue and green bins at the dollar store, however, I couldn't resist changing up my library one more time. The system I'm using now is one that has been tweaked many times over the years, and I think this latest incarnation's a keeper.

Make Book Shopping Faster and Easier

For their independent reading time (IDR), students are asked to select books that are in their "just right" reading range. Although all of my book baskets were labeled for genre and more than 75 percent of my books have a guided reading level written on them thanks to Scholastic Book Wizard, students were still spending a great deal of time shopping for books that both interested them and were at their appropriate level. I decided to change my basket labeling system to better reflect what my students were looking for when searching for a good book. Here is how I manage my library in a few simple steps.


Fiction is broken into several categories, such as "Fiction: Girl Main Character," "Fiction: School Setting," "Fiction: Sports Theme," etc. This gives students more information and allows them to go directly to a basket that matches their interests.
Nonfiction is also divided further to reflect the content area covered. Categories might include "Nonfiction: Life Science" or "Social Studies: Geography."

 Book baskets for series books are no longer labeled, saving me time printing and laminating. Each basket only contains books from that series, and series baskets are all stored in the series area of our library. Students can tell what's in the basket by simply looking at it. I think I finally realized that I had never had a student look inside a basket filled with Flat Stanleys or Cam Jansens and ask, "What books are these?"

 Each book is labeled with an adhesive sticker that matches the tag on the basket where the book belongs. This helps students easily put books back in their place.

Author baskets are labeled with the same label that goes on the book jackets, and they're stored on the same bookshelf so students can locate their favorite author easily. These baskets are especially great when I recommend an author I think a student may enjoy or when a student discovers an author he likes and then wants to read every one of the author's books. Students have even asked to take home whole author baskets during breaks!

Guided reading levels are written on the top edge of my books in permanent marker. Students can easily find their level when browsing through a basket without having to take the books completely out to look at the side or back. 

For years I have expended great amounts of time and energy keeping my book boxes organized. Even though every single basket is labeled, and every book has a label that matches its basket, students would still carelessly toss books in the wrong bin or put them in backwards or upside down. I'm not sure why that bugs me so much, but it does! Having classroom helpers in charge didn’t help much, either. This year, however, I had a stroke of pure genius.
I assigned every single student one or two baskets that they are in charge of for the entire year. Handing over “ownership” of the baskets has made a world of difference. Students do not want anyone “messing up” their basket. It’s not uncommon now to overhear students saying things like, “Hey, who put a Geronimo Stilton in my Magic Tree House?” as they put the offending book back where it belongs. A list of who “owns” what basket is posted on one of the bookcases for quick and easy reference. My classroom library has never been as neat and organized as it's been since I started this in October.
I think everybody has their own personal style when it comes to organizing their classroom library, and you need to find the method that works best for you and your class. I gave up trying to track, record, and catalog every book I own long ago, even though some of my colleagues were doing it; it was much too much work for me without enough payoff. I like things easy! The method I've settled on, at least for now, is one that is simple to manage and easy for my students to navigate, and best of all, it's working!

Active, Engaged and Learning

Helping Your Classroom Buzz with Excitement

By Jeri Asaro


Early spring is inching its way towards us. If you followed the advice listed in my last column, you know my belief is that January is for "taking back your classroom." Your school year is more than half-way over. Now that you have brought order back into what you do every day, March is a great month to try some new teaching ideas. Your students probably long for some surprises, and you could do with a step outside of your comfort zone. Undertaking new strategies during this time of year helps you to sample different approaches to add to next year's tool-kit. It keeps your teaching fresh, and you continue to learn.

It is a common belief that as teachers we should teach. The idea makes perfect sense. However, I urge you to reconsider that statement. Our role as teachers is to help our students to learn, and that does not necessarily mean we need to stand-up in front of a classroom and teach. Teacher-centered learning has a place, even on a daily basis, but a classroom where students are learning, takes the time to use student-centered strategies. Students need to be involved in their work, whether that means a lab experiment or an essay assignment. Teacher-facilitated and student-centered activities bring energy to the classroom. In the eyes of your students, you are showing them the benefits of the lesson in a more concrete format. Due to television and commercials, we are all trained for breaks every eight minutes. If you teach high school sophomores, you should not lecture for more than 15 minutes without an activity. Keep in mind; the average attention span of your students is the average age of the class. Most K-2 teachers use active learning strategies naturally as they are a necessity for survival. I encourage each of you to divide your lessons into smaller intervals mixing some teacher-centered ideas with student-centered activities so that students truly learn the material.

When you add tangible value to what is happening to your room, your class becomes enthusiastic to be there. Being in touch with your learners' perspectives makes any subject come alive to them. Achieving objectives becomes a student goal, rather than a teacher goal. Life skills are developed and expanded when communication skills are emphasized. As an educator, you become more alert and responsive to the needs of your students, and ultimately, the transfer of learning is more likely for them. Your subject comes alive to each and every learner. Simply put, the students enjoy it!

What are some strategies to consider? Let's start broad and simple.

• Stimulate discussion. It is one of the most common strategies in promoting active learning. It helps to motivate students toward learning through application of the information within a new setting. It develops critical thinking skills. Successful discussions are not always easy. Here are some ideas to consider:
1. Manage your classroom so that it is a supportive environment where students are encouraged to take risks without fear of being chastised or rejected.
2. Use open-ended questions to persuade students to answer using higher-order thinking processes. At the end of this column, please find a listing of good websites based on Bloom's Taxonomy.
3. For truly thought-provoking questions, give students a few minutes to write down their thoughts (how about a do-now activity as they enter the room), and then begin the discussion. Sharon Bowman, author of many books filled with active learning ideas, calls this activity the "One Minute Paper." (See a listing of her helpful books at the end of the column.) Some sample question starters include: "How does …?", "What is …?", "What are the differences between …?", and so on. Another good use of the One-Minute Paper is at the end of the class to ask questions like "What was the main point of today's class material?" "What was the "muddiest point" in today's lecture?" "What (if anything) do you find unclear about the concept of …?" You can take the same idea and use "the clearest point."
4. Consider small-group dialogues before whole class discussion begins. When students speak in small groups first, they gain some confidence in their ideas. Sharing with the whole group, later in the lesson, becomes more likely.
5. Use wait time when you ask the whole group a question. Give all students a chance to think for a minute and then join the discussion. Wait time is essential for both encouragement and achievement. Research shows that when wait time is increased to four-seven seconds, students respond more often and in a more thoughtful manner. Sometimes those seconds seem like hours, but they are worth the wait. Encourage all hands to be up and ready to share.
6. After giving students a chance to think about your question, consider calling on students using a random method – like popsicle sticks with students' names. This idea prevents you from always calling on the same three students.
7. Allow your students to include you in the discussion, and do not be afraid of being caught without knowing the answer. You are human.
• Try visual-based or audio-based instruction. It can be helpful in creating focal points for students. Use audio-clips or video-clips, and ask students to report their reactions to some facet of the material. If using a written response, ask students to provide an emotional or evaluative response. When using a video, or a long video-clip, this idea works great at a climatic point in the movie. Stop the movie, and force students to react or predict.
• Mix lecture with active learning methods. As I said before, there is definitely a place for teacher-centered instruction in every classroom. Sometimes it is even appropriate every day for a short period of time, but if you want students to listen to the lecture, they need to take some ownership about what you are going to say.
1. Try providing your students a list of important questions in advance of your topic, so they can take practical notes during the lecture process.
2. Have students jot down their questions during the lecture, and take breaks from time-to-time to discuss those questions.
3. During your lecture, ask students pointed questions which force them to make connections to prior knowledge.
• Ask questions all throughout any lesson. Effective teachers do not ask all of their questions as the end of the discussion, class period, video, chapter, novel, lecture, or meeting. The same is true for your students' questions. Do not make them hold those questions until the end.
• Use journal writing or writing prompts in all disciplines. They are a great way to settle down a class quickly, and a productive idea for involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing. Journaling ideas in all disciplines can be easily found on the internet. A great quote about your discipline is also a thought-provoking writing and discussion idea, and many of the state-mandated tests use quotations in assessing student writing.
• Consider the life skill of reading as a way to get students involved in your topic. We all know that the more we read, the more we comprehend, the better we write, and the more our vocabulary develops into one that is age-appropriate. These skills should not be saved for English class or homework. Within the classroom period, have students read silently or in a round-robin fashion. The reading activities should be kept short and should be assessed in some fashion, but time needs to be made to show and encourage literacy in every discipline.
• Promote problem-solving activities. When students learn to listen and rely on each other, they become a cohesive group. Brain-teasers, word-games, Sukudo, and riddles of all types work very well and can easily be found in books and on the internet. Small group, mini-activities in all disciplines can encourage team-building.
• Facilitate cooperative learning, in the true sense of the words. Within a group, students each take on roles with separate responsibilities, and they come together to share ideas and produce a product – whether it be a poster, a graphic organizer, a PowerPoint, or something extraordinary. If facilitated well, students love to work in groups, and they learn well in groups that are properly run. Teamwork skills, which will be needed in the workplace in years to come, are emphasized. But, cooperative learning should only be one tool to use in your tool-kit. Cooperative learning is a very specific strategy, and you should research how it works before you begin a cooperative group idea in your classroom.
• Attempt some project-based ideas which often take a few class periods, but more often than not, they meet many of the state standards. Debates, panel discussions, jigsaw activities, drama, role-playing, service-learning, simulation, student creative construction or writing, peer teaching, peer-editing, using technology and creative software programs all encourage active learning. Project-based learning is more upfront work for the teacher, but while you are in the classroom with your students, you gain the time back. Students are active and working, while you circulate and facilitate.

The aforementioned ideas are all rather broad, but what small concrete ideas can you try right away -- just to add a little spice to the classroom environment? Through my travels, I have found some great and easy-to-understand books with terrific ideas. At the end of the column, I have listed those book references for you. Below are my tried and true favorites obtained through many years of research. Trust me; I did not think of all of these ideas on my own. Observations, internet research, reading great books, and practicing what I saw in action elsewhere provided me with many great options.

Any of these easy, student-centered ideas could be added to your tool-kit tomorrow, but I encourage you to take baby steps. Try just a few in a week to see how they work, and then force yourself to give them a chance to develop. The first time, depending on the age of your students, you might see some eye-rolling and hesitation, but that reaction does not mean that students do not want to do these activities. Explain to your classes that you want to try some new ideas so that your class is more interesting for them. In my years of teaching, I have never had a class that did not eventually give in and actually enjoy the activities. But, kids are kids – they are going to give you a hard time at first.

Using Journaling as a Teaching Tool

Using Journaling in ALL Classrooms

By Emma McDonald


We often think of Journaling and Language Arts as going hand in hand. But what about Science, Social Studies or Math classes and journaling? Crazy! Right? Maybe not. Although journaling is commonly used in English and Reading to assess student writing ability and/or comprehension of a story, the process of journaling can be applied to any academic subject. It actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

The process of journaling is not merely a way for teachers to correct student sentence structure, flow of thoughts, or grammar, but instead is like taking a tour inside each students' head. No, I don't mean the mucus, eyeballs, and brain tissue! Instead, I'm talking about their thoughts, reasoning processes, and insights. The journal, when used appropriately, is such a wonderful way for students to tell us what they've learned, and for us to offer one-on-one feedback to each individual.

At the end of each class I set aside five minutes for journaling. I like this for several reasons. One, it puts everyone in a calm quiet mode before the bell rings. Two, it allows me some time to wind down before my next class. Three, it gives me some time to offer a private word or two to each student. And four, I can see who "got it" and who didn't.

When students are able to write down what they've learned, then you know that it is on its way to reaching long term memory. If you get a blank page or a bunch of "I don't knows" then maybe the lesson should be re-taught differently. It really acts as an evaluation of the lesson and of student learning. There have been many times when students sat there looking blankly at the page, and I knew that I just didn't reach them. Then there are other times when I hear complaints of hand cramps because five minutes isn't enough time for them to write down everything. Either way, I am getting a quick impression, right there, of what my students learned in class. It is only later, when I have time to read them, that I get the full picture. However, the quick assessment does help me decide whether to continue the lesson as is with the next class or whether to try something different.

When I first began journaling in my classes, I didn't really understand the point. It just seemed like everyone was journaling, so I felt maybe I should too. However, the more I used the journals, the more I realized their potential. Instead of leaving students free to write about "what you learned today," I began planning specific topics related to each lesson. My topics started becoming more defined such as, "In what way are earthquakes and volcanoes similar?" I made sure that my journal topic was the basis for my lesson. By planning ahead, rather than leaving it as a last minute activity, the journal became a true assessment for me.

Another great thing about the journal is the idea that it is one way for me to provide one-on-one attention to each student. I'm always complaining to my colleagues about how difficult it is to get around to each and every student. Some of them, I fear, may fall through the cracks as my attention is captured by those in the worst need or those who are excelling beyond my expectations. My border-line students sit precariously tottering on the edge, and I need some way to reach them. I use my journals.

Each day after school I do my best to at least skim each one and offer one comment. Now with 150 students it can be quite challenging, but since I'm not evaluating each one, it goes pretty fast. I read to see how well they either answered the question or finished the statement. I look for misunderstandings and/or lack of information. I provide correct information so that students know the right answer. It sounds like a lot, but rarely is it more than a word or two. I always try to have one thing to say so that everyone feels I have read their journal. It is like the proverbial tree in the woods--If the teacher read the journal, but left no comment, did he/she really read it?v
Making comments is one of the most important things you can do for the success of your journals. Once students believe that you aren't really reading them, they'll stop writing truly and will start the "BS". However, you don't have to make extensive comments in each one every single day. We have too much paperwork as it is! Instead, I choose one class each day (or several students when I taught elementary), to really provide detailed feedback on their answer. I write further questions for them to think about, try to stretch their minds a bit more, and sometimes when no comment is necessary, I ask about their life in general.

You'd be surprised at how quickly students look for their journals at the start of class to see what you might have written to them. Sometimes it is just a quick word or two, and other times it may be a paragraph. Either way, they are excited to see what you have to say to them, and become more eager to write in their journals again. They like the feedback and they like the attention.

Oh my gosh, you may be thinking to yourself, how in the heck can I do journals every day when I'm barely keeping my head above all these papers to grade? Just ask yourself, what are you grading? Why not let the journal substitute for one or two of those extra papers you are handing out? It definitely is an assessment of student learning each and every day. It shows level of participation and understanding for each student - which holds each individual accountable for their own learning!

Additionally, I found that my attitude also affected my use of journals with my classes. At first I found them to be tedious as if this was something thrust upon me. Then, once I began providing structure for each journal entry, I gave myself a serious attitude check. Why must this be tedious for me? Each student is unique, sometimes funny, and sometimes insightful. Reading my journals could actually be enjoyed instead of dreaded.

What I started doing was to set aside time to read them each day before I left school (although reality sometimes dictates that I take them home). I shut my door, turn off the lights (we have lots of windows), turn on my classical music, grab my favorite pen, and go for it! The closed door and dark room keeps away unwanted interruptions and the music helps me relax. I actually look forward to reading my journals every day as part of my daily ritual. Sometimes I'm irritated with the responses, but usually I'm pleasantly surprised at what I read each day.

I think you will find that with the right attitude, with structure, and with self-discipline, journaling can be one of the best ways to assess and meet the needs of each individual student.

Making the Classroom Book Friendly

Reading: The Key to the Past, Present and Future

By Heather Skipworth Craven


When I look back upon my different classes of students over the years, I vividly recall something that has continually amazed and fascinated me. The last eight years of my teaching experience were spent in classrooms with students who had severe behavior/emotional disorders. Needless to say, these children didn't respond to traditional teaching methods. Some days a tenuous hold on control was all we could manage to produce. But even on the most difficult of days, my students would submit to and embrace listening to the reading of a story. It seemed no matter how severe a child's issues were, he or she would manage to become enraptured in the pages of our most recent book. And so often a child deep in the throes of a behavioral crisis would be able to escape and calm himself inside a story. It has been all too heart wrenching to work with students whose disorders made learning to read an enormous obstacle. I have watched many a 2nd or 3rd grade child struggle to read through a primer book independently for the first time. The looks of pride and supreme accomplishment on their faces over shadowed our days of anger and frustration.


I've always been intrigued by the ongoing debate about the best method of teaching reading. Be it phonics, whole language, language experience, the proverbial list goes on. I've learned through trial, error, and my own student's frustration that there is no catch all, "one size fits all" method of teaching reading. It is a matter of getting to know your students' unique learning styles and perception of language. That task can be at the very least a juggling act not only for our students who struggle, but also for those students who have seemingly been avid readers since birth and present the need to be consistently challenged.


There are many ways a teacher can structure her classroom reading environment to meet the needs of her student's different learning styles. The following are suggestions to creating that type of environment:

• Make your classroom a "print rich" environment. Offer a wide variety of books, magazines, and posters; create word walls, and word and story games.
  
• Offer manipulatives for younger children such as letter blocks, puzzles, and magnet boards.
  
• Create a story center with recorded books, and provide opportunities for students to record and listen to their own reading.
  
• Use a bulletin board to feature "books of the month", student stories and illustrations, or simple reading activities.
  
• Establish a daily "DEAR" (drop everything and read) time for silent or buddy reading.
  
• Develop a classroom book file. Have students offer input about their favorite kinds of books in an interest inventory, and then gather books on different subjects, such as animals, humor, fairy tales, virtues such as honesty, trust, etc.
  
• Start out a new month by having kids observe the new colors and decorations in the room and brainstorm holiday, weather and seasonal words associated with the new month. Begin each month by making a seasonal word list from the kid's observations. The list can be used as a basis for choosing books, writing, spelling, etc.
  
• Preserve your students' writing by giving them the opportunity to write, edit and publish their own books. Spotlight students' books by having an "author's chair" which gives them an opportunity to read and share their books with others.
  
• For students in grades K-1, read short passages aloud, invite authors to visit, and use reading volunteers. Global students often lose interest quickly when taught solely through analytic approaches, such as phonics. Provide many hands-on games for skills practice, some whole-class and small-group time with the teacher, some choice of reading materials, and lots of movement. Centers are ideal, and so are informal areas (couches, pillows, soft light, rugs).
  
• For students in grades 3-4, teach reading using strategies similar to those for grades K-1, with the addition of more visual techniques (boardwork, filmstrips, posters), greater choice of reading materials to increase motivation, and more choice regarding partners.
  
• For students in grades 4-6, teach reading using strategies similar to those for grades 2-3, with the addition of more auditory techniques (interviews, reporting, discussions), more analytic material (nonfiction, newspapers, magazines), greater choice of reading materials to increase motivation, more choices of how to work and with whom, more interaction with peers, and somewhat less movement.
  

I believe that before one can implement any method of teaching reading, a key component is to develop what I consider an innate fascination with language and the printed word that is within most children. In this millennial age of high technology and computerized learning tools, there is still no substitute for the printed page. Reading is the key our children need to unlock their history, present and future.

Fanning the Spark

Lighting the Learning Fire

By Heather Skipworth Craven

"He who has no inclination to learn more will be very apt to think that he knows enough."
- Powell

"It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up to it's glowing..." I affectionately recall the first two lines of that old church camp song, and it seemed a very appropriate beginning for this article. Hopefully, our students come to us with that innate spark of natural curiosity and a need to know.


Some children arrive with a mere glow and others already burn brightly with insatiable questions. How do we, as educators accomplish the daily task of lighting the learning fire in some of our students while keeping the flames from burning out in others?


Motivation is defined as:

1. the act of giving somebody a reason or incentive to something
2. The cause or driving force behind something that somebody does

I believe that success is the end product of consistent and appropriate motivation. The word success is defined as:

1. achievement of desired aim, the achievement of something planned or attempted
2. attainment of fame, wealth and power (Encarta World English Dictionary)

I thought the second meaning of success was rather ironic. Coincidentally the day I looked up these words, I also came across a powerful point in a daily devotional series I study. "There are many things that fame, power and wealth can do-and there are many things they cannot do. They can buy happiness, but not joy. They can buy control of people, but not what people think. They can buy cars and airplanes, but they cannot keep them from crashing. They buy pleasure, but not peace or purity. They can buy education, but not integrity or honor. They buy lots of things for children, but they cannot keep children from hurt of addictions." (Progress Magazine Daily Devotional Series, 9/9/00)


Motivation and success are defined is many ways to different people. I've often said that I believe we are a nation whose children and families are in crisis. We spend so much time and money on things to keep our children distracted, entertained and basically away from us, that we often fail to nurture and motivate their natural ability to learn and succeed.


MOTIVATING STUDENTS - Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I encourage students to be active/interested?
• From the first day, demonstrate and talk about your own enthusiasm for the course material, and how it affects you personally. Look for ways to connect the material to the lives of your students. For example: if you are teaching an environmental studies class, bring in examples of environmental issues going on in the area where your students live (Eugene, Oregon is perfect for this...). Use current event articles, editorials from local newspapers, or examples from your own life that illustrate your points. Solicit these examples from your students.
• Create a "need to know." As you are preparing your lesson plans, ask yourself - why would a student need to know this? This helps you think about material in terms of its relevance to students' lives.
2. How do I deal with apathetic students?
• Try to build a personal relationship with these students, and take an interest in them to find out what is at the bottom of the "perceived apathy." Learning students' names and using names in class can help students understand that you are interested in them and in their success in your course. Consider e-mailing a student who seems disinterested or unresponsive and let him/her know that you would like to help them in any way that you can. Oftentimes their apparent apathy has nothing to do with the course. There may be personal matters that are dominating their attention. Some students are going through a period of depression which disconnects them from their studies. Showing a little concern can be very helpful.
3. How do I get my students to prepare for class?
• Give students some kind of assignment. They often need this structure. They also need accountability. Make sure the assignment is not just busy work. Design it to be relevant and use whatever the students have prepared directly in class. Some teachers ask a few study questions, some give a short quiz, some ask students to write a response to the reading. You can require a short assignment with each reading, but they do not all have to be graded. You can tell students that out of the 8-10 assignments they will turn in, X will be graded. These will be done at random so it is important that each assignment is completed. This will help with your grading workload.
4. When assigning reading, give the students a few questions on which they must take a stand (debate) at the next class meeting.
5. How can I recognize different learning abilities and work with them individually?
• In order to recognize different learning abilities, you must observe your students carefully and make written records to help you see any patterns that may be occurring in the child's learning. You might notice different ability levels in the way they think, the product they produce, and the way they interact with others. These are all differences which affect student learning. Be sure that you offer a variety of different learning experiences in your class. Provide some creative/artistic activities, book work, skits, real-world scenarios, music, discussions, etc. that will both challenge some students and make others feel a higher level of success.
• It is hard to find time to work one-on-one with students. However, you might be able to find parent or community volunteers who are willing to come into your class and work one-on-one with different students. Another way is to spend some extra time with those students while monitoring during individual work time. Pairing a higher ability student with one who needs extra help is an excellent way to provide peer tutoring. This should not be done every single day, but on an as-needed basis. Lastly, before and after-school tutoring is an excellent time to work one-on-one with those students who need extra help.