Hot Tip Tuesday- 15th Edition

Hot Tip Tuesday

Each week I bring to you helpful tips to become a more effective educator on the Always A Lesson fan page on Facebook. (Give it a quick like by clicking here!) I decided to start grouping my social media posts into a blog post in case you didn’t catch it in your feed. (Want more? Simply type in ‘Hot Tip Tuesday’ in the search bar on my blog to easily find past editions.)

Time to get caught up:

1. Summer learning is only as effective as the action you take to implement it in the Fall. Hold yourself accountable and develop a plan!
2. Film a lesson and only look at one aspect per day (behavior management, giving directions, student engagement etc). This will give you a more realistic picture to make adjustments.
3. Avoid the Back-To-School mayhem and make your to-do list now. Then, divide up the tasks by available work days. A calm, organized brain breeds productivity!
4. Blame removes accountability from the path of progress. Own your part, plan for improvement and take action immediately.
5. Team building activities aren’t something to just do at the beginning of the year. Build in 5 min each week for your class to connect as people. This bond will eliminate numerous potential problems throughout the year.
6. Save packing materials from online shopping for center manipulatives or project creation
7. Reward students who don’t lose pencils, otherwise your classroom turns into the pencil abyss with no accountability!
8. Share the lesson objective daily with students by explaining WHAT they’ll learn, HOW they’ll learn it, and WHY it’s important to learn it.
9. Commit students names to memory quickly by attaching an adjective to best describe the student (ie. Jolly Jeff, Friendly Freddy). Pass the ownership by having students decide on their own adjective and introduce themselves to the class.
10. If you cannot greet students at the door, greet them by name from wherever you are in the room so that their presence is acknowledged and your warm smile starts their day off on the right foot.

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About the author, Gretchen

I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.

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