1. Classroom management strategies
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Infographic: 20 Classroom Management Strategies and Techniques. Click to expand!
According to research from 2006, teachers overwhelmingly reported a lack of professional development support when it came to improving their own classroom management strategies. This can lead to confusion for students and frustration for teachers.
When students clearly understand what’s expected of them, they’re more likely to be focused and engaged with their lessons. Some tips for building a positive environment include:
Model ideal behaviour: Clearly explain proper behaviour, and then follow it yourself.
Encourage initiative: Allow students to actively participate in the learning process with class discussions and exercises that support the initiative.
Avoid collective punishment: While it can be difficult, make a point of calling out disruptive behaviours on an individual, not collective, basis.
2. Flexible seating
Kristine Fourman, a teacher in the Bucyrus Elementary Preschool Program, connects student seating and academics: “When students aren’t trying to hold themselves still in their chairs, they can integrate auditory, visual and tactile systems of the body.”
There are so many different ways to incorporate flexible seating into your classroom in a way that fits with your students’ learning goals.
3. Webb’s Depth of Knowledge
Norman Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DoK)is familiar to many teachers from a theoretical perspective, but it can be incredibly difficult to apply practically and consistently in your teaching strategies.
There are four DoK levels:
Level one: Recollection and reproduction
Level two: Knowledge application
Level three: Strategic thinking
Level four: Extended critical thinking
4. Summative assessment
Summative assessments are end-of-unit tests, final projects or standardized tests used to assess student understanding on a broad and absolute level.
Critics of summative assessments say they’re inauthentic and don’t accurately reflect the learning process. But there are important benefits to using summative assessments as a teaching strategy: they motivate students to pay attention and challenges them to apply their learning. They’re also a valuable source of insight for teachers, especially for those with larger classes — allowing them to easily identify and correct any wide gaps in understanding across the classroom.
