Besides just getting to know their learning styles, seating preferences and academic progress, take time to get to know their hobbies and interests. "I make a goal to attend a personal event for each student." This could be a sporting event, play, dance or music recital, or even a scout meeting. "This has a HUGE impact on classroom behavior and family connections and is well worth a few hours of your weekend." I completely agree with Jennie. It is a wonderful experience watching your students perform in a theatrical production or play in a softball tournament. It brings our students great joy when they see us there cheering them on. Incorporate Student InterestWhy not use the latest fad to get your students motivated? Jennie is all about using student interest to motivate and engage her students. She suggests using fidget spinners as fun timers, hiding Pokemon around the school so students can reveal math challenges and playing a Magic styled card game to illustrate the differences between renewable and nonrenewable resources. As a gamer, she loves being able to share her passion of Minecraft with her students. Her students use Minecraft Edu to model geometric concepts of area, perimeter & volume, the setting of a story, place value and many other engaging activities. "They are engaged in learning because you are speaking their language." Whether it's gaming, music, movies, or pop culture, find someway to use your passion and their interests and incorporate it into your lesson design. Old School + New School = Best School"Incorporate old school tried and true methods in your classroom. Turn off the computer and build, draw, color, or cut. In short, MAKE things." Wow! This is so true! Jennie points out that too many times her 4th graders have a difficult time with liquid glue because they have little or no experience with it. Kids need opportunities to develop their fine motor skills even in upper elementary. Some of her suggestions include creating artifacts of content learned in class such as historical sites or events, creating scientific models to show Earth's rotation, planning a soil buffet for students to "play in the dirt" while discovering the physical properties of different types of soil, and creating 3D maps of severe weather patterns. "We as teachers are doing them a disservice if we do not give them opportunities to hone these skills." Couldn't have said it better myself! Thank you, Jennie, for inspiring us to build strong relationships and engaging lessons through the sharing of passions! Looking for something to boost your students' science vocabulary? Check out Jennie's TPT store! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Choices4science Remember... Never stop learning!
2 Comments
Suzanne Barker
8/8/2017 07:48:49 pm
I'm so excited to watch this in action this year!
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Janet Martin
8/8/2017 08:33:58 pm
Great teachers! Great ideas!
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AuthorHi! I'm Karen - a passionate educator dedicated to learning, growing, and sharing! Thanks for stopping by! Archives
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