tweenteacher.com » CORE

Top 10: How to Take Control of Your Teaching

heather — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Occasionally, I repost this article so that new readers can find it more easily. Based on some very enthusiastic feedback, it has since morphed into a book proposal called The Top Secret New Teachers Handbook. I’ll share more as it evolves…

I’ve been developing this Top 10 list of ways to take control of your teaching even in the face of, well, teaching. It’s an advice list on how to encourage respect, and, if necessary, how to demand it as a means to make sure you aren’t being taken for granted.

Let’s face it, if you are feeling appreciated, you will be happier in this difficult job. Consequently, your students will be happier, and quite frankly, if they are happier, they will be more successful. After all, an unhappy teacher’s room has the smog of misery in it, and for a student, it hovers like a stench that affects their own victories. And while it benefits a school to keep its teachers happy, it is a teacher’s responsibility to demand those things that make this challenging job better than tolerable.

I think that finding those tricks or strategies to keep in your pocket is important in any career; but in education you need them even more so. Otherwise, the day-to-day duties of the job will eventually grind your enthusiasm to a halt and it won’t just be you who is affected, your students will be affected as well.

I will be expanding on each of these over time, but in a nutshell, here’s my TOP 10:

(...)
Read the rest of Top 10: How to Take Control of Your Teaching (1,396 words)

© heather for tweenteacher.com, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 100% accountability, 2008, achievement gap, America's Choice, Art, assessments, blog, budget, Careers, carnival of education, Character Education, collaboration, competition, CORE, CST, CUE, curriculum design, curriculum development, data, differentiation, Ed Tech, ELA, failing, induction, integration, iPods, k-12, k12, LA Times, Language Arts, merchandizing in schools, merit pay, middle school, MP3, NCLB, new teachers, New York Times, ny times, online, performance pay, PI, podcasting, powerpoint, Proficiency, reform, school accountability, school funding, teaching, technology, Technology Entertainment and Designers, TED, Title I, TLN, top 10

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

The Carnival #178 is in town!

heather — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:49:35 +0000

An (aspiring) Educator is hosting this week’s Carnival of Education #178. I’ve tweaked my How to Take Control of Your Teaching list and although it’s still in an evolving state, you can read it here. Enjoy the Carnival and the post.

© heather for tweenteacher.com, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 2008, achievement gap, assessments, blog, book review, btsa, budget, Careers, carnival of education, character, Character Education, classroom library, collaboration, computers, concrete, contract, CORE, credential, critical thinking, CUE, Curriculum, curriculum design, curriculum development, differentiation, Ed Tech, education policy, ELA, electives, essay, essay starters, jobs, k-12, k12, Language Arts, life long learners, merit pay, metacognition, middle school, NCLB, new teachers, online, peer teaching, performance pay, PI, podcasting, powerpoint, professional development, Proficiency, school accountability, school funding, speeches, standardized testing, technology, tenure, Title I, TLN, top 10, union, voice, websites, Writers Project, writing

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Hooks Powerpoint: or, How to Get a Reader’s Attention

heather — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:58:28 +0000

Here’s how I have set up this lesson:

Having been trained in the America’s Choice Writer’s Workshop as well as History Alive, I have my students keep a Writer’s Journal with a running Table of Contents. This is a journal that serves as a student-created textbook of sorts. If your class doesn’t keep such a journal, having them take notes and keeping it in their binder will do as long as the students have access to the information as a reference guide to use in writing any essays that come their way.

The following Powerpoint should be shown in conjunction as students take notes on how to write a proper Hook. It allows for student choice because it teaches so many different styles . At the time of its creation, I was teaching CORE (Language Arts and History) so the examples I have used integrate both subjects. The subject for the mythical essay that I am writing is “The Plague” so you’ll notice that the Hooks cover the same topic but in different ways to introduce the same paper. (...)
Read the rest of Hooks Powerpoint: or, How to Get a Reader’s Attention (167 words)

© heather for tweenteacher.com, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: America's Choice, Attention-getters, CORE, essay, essay starters, History, History Alive, hooks, k-12, k12, Language Arts, middle school, powerpoint

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh