One of the biggest factors that will determine your effectiveness in the classroom as a teacher will be your confidence in front of your students. Your students can only have faith in you if you have faith in yourself.
In today’s blog post, I will go through the top three actions you can take to immediately boost your classroom confidence as a teacher. These tips will prove to be equally useful for both trainee teachers and more experienced educators. Let’s get started!
#1: Know the topic you are teaching REALLY well
By far the best way to boost your confidence in the classroom, or even in any public presentation you will give (e.g. at a talk, seminar or assembly) is to have excellent subject knowledge.
This does NOT mean that you must have a master’s degree or a PhD to be an excellent teacher (on the contrary, some research even indicates that gaining an advanced degree has no effect on a teacher’s overall effectiveness). What it does mean, however, is you must read ahead, you must understand all of the content you are delivering to your students, and you must thoroughly understand how you will use the resources you have selected. Consider enacting the following action steps:
Read over the lesson material before you deliver the lesson. Do NOT assume that, just because you have a degree in this subject area or because you have taught the lesson a few times previously, that you will automatically understand all of the content. It can often be quite surprising just howmuch you may have forgotten when you read over the lesson materials again.
Never provide resources that involve questioning (e.g. worksheets and live quizzes), if the model answers are not available. Also, make sure you have read over the model answers to such questions and that you understand those answers really well.
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Subject knowledge is the ultimate confidence booster because it allows you to walk into a lesson knowing the ins and outs of what you will teach. Knowing the topic really well also prepares you for any questions the students may have on the content, and also provides you with the skills you need to provide your students with exam-style practice (never neglect that, too).
#2: Plan EVERY lesson thoroughly
Even if you have been teaching full time for twenty years (as I have), you must still go through the process of planning each and every lesson. This does not mean that you need to write a full A4 lesson plan for every class, like you did when you were a trainee. What it does mean, however, is that you should know the ‘running order’ of activities for every lesson you deliver. A good lesson should include the following:
A quick starter activity (see this link for ideas)
Between 1 and 3 activities that make up the body of the lesson
A quick plenary that summarizes what was covered (see this link for ideas)
I recommend using EdTech where possible for any part of your lesson. Live quiz apps are really good, as are shared collaborative whiteboards like Miro and G Suite tools.
Research tells us that lessons that are planned are almost always more effective than those that are not. For me personally, I simply use a teacher’s planner (see this link for the planner I created that you can purchase) and I include a few bullet points of notes for each lesson. I also do a weekly review, so that I know where I am at and where I need to go next. You can read about my top lesson planning tips at this very popular blog post.
#3: Utilize Professional Intelligence
What is ‘Professional Intelligence’ you might ask? Well, put simply, it is professional knowledge that you have gathered about your students. The kind of information you should acquire includes, at a minimum:
Student names – these can take a while to remember, even for the most seasoned educators among us. Consider utilizing live quiz apps in your first few lessons – these will help you to quickly identify the students’ preferred names.
Which students work well together and which students should be kept apart – this information can be gathered by simply talking with colleagues and line managers about the students before you meet them, or you can gather this information firsthand by trying out a few group games and activities.
Any students with Additional Learning Needs/Special Educational Needs in the class – make sure you have read their Individual Education Plans (if available), spoken with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (or the equivalent person in your school) and check out this blog post for tips on helping such students.
You may also want to gather non-confidential information about your students, such as hobbies and interests, as this may help you to create lessons that are tailored to student preferences. Also, don’t forget to check on the running order of school events – some students may need to leave class early, for example, to attend some kind of school event (e.g., orchestra practice) – have you planned for that?
Conclusion
Every teacher must exhibit confidence in the classroom in order to deliver an effective lesson. Much of this will come from experience, but even the most seasoned educators must enact three main action items before any lesson begins:
Read ahead and understand the topic you will be teaching
Plan every lesson, even if that just involves writing a few bullet points that go through the running order of activities
Gathered (and thought about how to utilize) professional intelligence
When ChatGPT first came out in 2022 it hit the education sector like a sudden whirlwind – whipping up a flurry of emotions, such as fear, excitement and uncertainty, as it tore its merry way through one teachers’ meeting after another. Around about that time I wrote a blog post that aimed to inform teachers about what generative AI could already do – and the list was impressive even then. From scoring a Level 5 on an IBDP Mathematics exam to outwitting plagiarism detection software – it seemed as though the fine arts of classroom instruction, assessment and active engagement would be bent out of shape forever.
Fast forward to today, and that whirlwind has been tamed to gentle breeze. The anticlimax has been deathly in its silence, and I am personally of the opinion that AI’s ‘saturation point’ is quickly approaching. People simply don’t want fake stuff (such as fake photos in ads, or blog posts written exclusively by AI), but people DO want the time-saving and cognitive offloading features that AI can provide. Even as far back as 2022, for example, the World Economic forum published the results of a major study which found that 60% of adults around the world agreed that AI products and services would make their lives easier, but just 50% said that they’d trust companies that use AI as much as those that do not. One year later, in 2023, The University of Queensland partnered with KPMG to conduct their own global study of people’s trust in AI. They found that:
61% of respondents were ambivalent or unwilling to trust AI
55% were comfortable with the use of AI at work to augment and automate tasks and inform managerial decision-making, as long as it was not used for human resource and people management purposes.
You can download the full report from the University of Queensland, here.
What is 100% certain is that whilst we’re still sailing on the open ocean of AI, we can harness certain tools to enhance the learning experience, streamline administrative tasks, and provide personalized education. So, in today’s blog post, I will share ten practical ways teachers can incorporate AI into their classrooms, complete with examples and tips for immediate implementation.
Let’s address the elephant in the room first: ChatGPT
It is my observation that ChatGPT is currently being utilized in a ‘skeleton before the meat is added’ way across the education sector:
ChatGPT can quickly generate student written reports, upon providing the system with a lengthy prompt (e.g. student names, genders and overall attainment). These reports are often incomplete and lack context, however, and teachers often need to revise the reports afterwards before final publication. PLEASE CHECK your school’s policy on using ChatGPT for report writing before you proceed – you may come across privacy issues. ChatGPT does ‘learn’ from user inputs, which technically means that the prompts and feedback you share with it are not confidential, as the model uses that information to develop itself.
Students can use ChatGPT to generate ideas for projects and assignments, as well as the core elements of any written work they need to produce. This will, of course, need to be modified afterwards.
What has become clear about ChatGPT since 2022 is that it’s not (currently) as clever as we all thought it would be. Common issues/mistakes that arise include:
Lack of original tone and prosaic/robotic like syntax
Web references and links generated by ChatGPT 4o that are incorrect/do not link to the desired site upon further inspection
Misunderstanding of the original prompt, which often requires further prompt revisions by the user
Image generation is particularly problematic, and the average non-IT professional will still find it difficult to generate photo-realistic images of themselves and others using ChatGPT, even when reference images are provided
Let’s finally get into the ten AI tools that teachers should try out.
#1: Personalized Learning
AI can help tailor educational content to meet the individual needs of each student. Tools like DreamBox and Smart Sparrow adapt lessons based on student performance. For example, a math teacher can use DreamBox to provide customized exercises for each student, ensuring that advanced learners are challenged while those struggling receive extra support.
#2: Intelligent Tutoring Systems
Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) like Carnegie Learning and ALEKS offer one-on-one tutoring. For instance, a teacher might assign ALEKS for homework, allowing students to receive immediate feedback and explanations on math problems they get wrong, thereby reinforcing learning.
#3: Automated Assessment and Feedback
AI-powered grading tools, such as Gradescope and Turnitin, save teachers countless hours by automating the grading of assignments. A practical example is using Gradescope to quickly grade multiple-choice quizzes or written assignments, providing students with detailed feedback while freeing up the teacher’s time for other tasks.
#4: Live Quiz Apps
AI can increase student engagement through interactive platforms like Kahoot! and Quizlet. For example, a history teacher can create a Kahoot! quiz to review key concepts before a test, making the review session fun and competitive, which helps students retain information better than they might otherwise. I’ve written a separate blog post listing and describing my favourite live-quiz apps which you can read, here.
#5: Analysing student data and making predictions
Predictive analytics tools, such as BrightBytes, analyze student data to predict outcomes and identify students at risk of falling behind. A teacher could use BrightBytes to track student performance throughout the semester, identifying those who need additional support early on and implementing targeted interventions. In theory, the system could also be used to determine predicted grades for students applying to universities, although I wouldn’t recommend only using this tool. Predicted grades are notoriously difficult to pin-down and can be a point of great contention and controversy depending on the dynamics that are at play in your school. Always use assessment data and your professional judgement, coupled with AI if you wish, you make the best predictions you can.
#6 VR and AR tools
AI-powered VR and AR tools like Google Expeditions and Nearpod bring immersive learning experiences into the classroom. For instance, a geography teacher can use Google Expeditions to take students on a virtual field trip to the Grand Canyon, providing a visually engaging way to learn about geological formations. This great blog post by Jennifer Snelling at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) lists 23 brilliant AR and VR tools that teachers can use in the classroom (well worth a read!).
#7: Language translation
AI-based language translation tools, such as Google Translate, facilitate communication in multilingual classrooms. Additionally, language learning apps like Duolingo use AI to personalize lessons. For example, an ESL teacher can use Google Translate to help non-native speakers understand complex instructions, making the classroom more inclusive. For more tips on how to engage EAL/ELD/ESL students specifically, then this great blog post contains some useful advice.
#8: Admin
AI can streamline administrative tasks, allowing teachers to focus more on teaching. Tools like IBM’s Watson Education can handle scheduling, student attendance, and other administrative duties. A practical use case is using Watson Education to automatically generate class schedules based on student preferences and availability, reducing administrative workload.
#9: Collaboration and communication
AI-powered communication tools, such as Microsoft Teams and Slack, can be used to enhance collaboration among students and teachers. A teacher can create a Microsoft Teams channel for a group project, allowing students to share resources, communicate in real-time, and collaborate on assignments effectively.
#10: Professional Development
AI can also support teachers’ professional development. Platforms like Coursera and LinkedIn Learning use AI to recommend courses and resources based on individual interests and career goals. For instance, a teacher looking to improve their coding skills can use LinkedIn Learning to find and enroll in relevant courses, keeping their skills up-to-date.
Did I use AI to help me write this blog post?
I have to admit, yes, I did. But most of this blog post was written by me. I used ChatGPT 4o (which you need a paid subscription for) to do the following:
Write my references in Harvard style
Come up with the ten ideas for using AI in the classroom, to which I added my own thoughts
So, even I am guilty of succumbing to the temptation of using AI to save me time and energy. However, I do think that you, as my readers, deserve more than just a ChatGPT generated blog post every week, which is why I will only ever use generative AI to provide the ‘skeleton’. I must add the ‘meat to the bones’. Perhaps that’s what we should be training our students to do, too?
Even as far back as 2020, during the height of the pandemic, research was being conducted on the effectiveness of video conferencing in education, and some such research concluded that online meetings would remain popular long-after the pandemic was over. My personal experiences have certainly mirrored these predictions – tutoring has moved mostly online, online meetings are still being used by many schools for parent-teacher conferences and schools still find that an online meeting is the most convenient way to bring everyone together efficiently, even if everyone is in the same building! Some schools are still using online meetings for assemblies too – an efficient approach as all of the students can remain in their classrooms and simply ‘enjoy the show’ on the classroom smart board or projector.
The corporate world has likewise seen a dramatic shift towards online conferencing, and as a part of a recent Powerful Public Speaker Workshop I delivered to a team of insurance professionals here in Bangkok, I was asked to speak about the rules/etiquette people should follow for online meetings. The following seven rules are the result of my deliberations, and if you wish to download and use the slides I delivered to this corporate client, then you can find it linked as a pdf file at the end of this blog post. Please note that I have put a ‘teaching spin’ on each of the following rules to make them as relevant as possible to educators (which you will not find in the pdf file).
An overview
I was thinking about putting this summary at the end, but I think it’s relevant here. When it comes to ALL online meetings, remember the acronym MEET UP R:
Rule #1: Know your platform
Are using Google Meets? Maybe it’s the dreaded Cisco Webex (dreaded because I have such little experience with this platform). Perhaps it’s Zoom? Maybe you’re using Microsoft Teams for the first time?
Whatever platform it is that you’ll be required to use, the first Golden Rule is that you become familiar with the software. Spend at least 15 minutes before the meeting starts just getting used to the controls and settings, if you’re a newbie. Also, if you haven’t used a platform in over a month, then carry out the due diligence of checking its functionality first – it may well have changed since you last used it!
Rule #2: Be there early!
The reasons for the inclusion of this rule are not so obvious upon first inspection. Here’s why you need to try logging-in early:
Unexpected system updates can slow down your start (this has happened to me multiple times over the last several years)
WIFI may take time to set up. Don’t assume that that you’ll always be able to get online in the same way every time, using the same WIFI (especially if it’s public WIFI, such as that you would find in a coffee shop). Again – updates to systems and protocols do happen!
Bluetooth (e.g. For mics and headphones) may take time to set up (and setup protocols can change after system updates)
You may need an alternative device if there’s a technical problem (e.g. a smartphone connected to a 4 or 5G network)
Familiarity can often be the enemy of online meeting etiquette. On many occasions I have, for example, turned up at the same coffee shop multiple times in a row to use the same WIFI, only to find that the login procedure has changed. This unexpected hurdle clearly slows down my login time.
Getting to your online meeting destination early, and attempting to log-in early, allows you time to fix any issues that may come up.
Rule 3: Switch on your camera
The visual element of meetings is important. When you show yourself to the online audience via the camera, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that you are present and attentive. Those who leave their cameras switched off do, unfortunately, arouse suspicion. If you absolutely must leave you camera switched off (e.g. so as to reduce your network traffic and allow for an audible meeting), then at least tell the host in advance (if you can).
If you are the meeting host, then don’t be afraid to ask people to switch on their cameras too – facial expressions, nods, mannerisms and other visual information forms part of the effective communication ‘dance’ that must play out in an online meeting.
Rule 4: Mute your microphone when you are not speaking
Background noise can interfere with the meeting (especially via sensitive tech, like expensive earphones). Also, experiment with different mics (e.g. wired or wireless – which microphones provide clearer sound to your audience?).
Last year I purchased a very expensive set of AirPods Pro for use in online tutoring meetings. They’re beautiful – but not every student I teach likes them. They are so sensitive to background noise, that in some locations in which I am sitting the students find that they cannot hear me clearly, and I have to use wired earphones/mics (even when I turn on noise reduction).
It’s good practice to have at least three modes of voice input to your online meeting available, if possible:
The computer’s built-in microphone and speaker system (probably not the best if you’re in a public setting)
Wired earphones with integrated microphone (if you have an earphone jack on your PC)
Bluetooth headset/earphones
Having three systems, such as these, will enable you to join the meeting and communicate even if one system fails (and this, again, has happened to me multiple times!).
Rule 5: Raise your hand if you want to say something
This can be done visually (on camera), or through a hand-raise tool. Raising your hand on camera is usually better for smaller meets.
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Rule 6: Watch the chat window!
Requests and questions may come up at any time, so make sure you keep your eyes on the video conferencing software’s integrated chat feature window (and make sure you know where it is located too). At the very least, whether you are the meeting host or not, check the chat window before going for a break or leaving/closing the meeting – there could be some vital information in there!
The chat window can also be a good place to receive/ask questions and to leave contact information (e.g. if you are meeting with outside stakeholders, such as parents, teacher-training providers or ECA services).
Rule 7: Leave at the appropriate time, and in the appropriate way
If you need to leave early, then let the host know in-advance.
You can slip out unnoticed, but please leave a message in the chat window to say goodbye to the participants.
Respect people’s time, just as you would in a physical meeting (e.g. try not to make the meeting too long)
Slides are a staple of effective teaching, corporate presentations and workshops. They’re so ubiquitous, in fact, that many of us don’t realize just how much of a legendary, legacy technology they are. I was surprised to learn during my research for this blog post, for example, that MS PowerPoint was released way back in 1987! PowerPoint and other slide-based information delivery systems have stood the test of time because they are, essentially, extremely effective content presentation tools.
Slides are here to stay – that’s undeniable, so let’s discover the common mistakes teachers are making when utilizing them (note to reader – I have made ALL of the mistakes I’m about to mention at some point or another in my career, so I’m a real expert on this topic!).
#1: Putting too much text on each slide
The content needs to be readable, and not overwhelming. When we fill our slides with text, we tend to not only make our sentences too small for learners at the back of the class to read, but we also present too much information at once.
Whilst we often have a lot of stuff to get through in a lesson (especially if you are teaching exam-level students), consider spreading the information out over more slides. 3 sentences per slide on 3 slides, for example, is better than 9 sentences all crammed together on one slide.
#2: Making students copy from slides
Here are the problems this causes:
Children have different writing speeds, and you’ll always find that the majority of the class are sat around waiting for the slow students to finish copying.
It dramatically slows down the pace of your lessons, making it difficult to keep to a curriculum map schedule (if done repeatedly).
Copying notes from slides is one of the most ineffective ways to learn new content. According to Make It Stick (a book I highly recommend) when no effort is required in the learning process, learning doesn’t last very long. The book’s authors cited one study where students were allowed to copy notes word-for-word on some material but were made to rephrase other material in their own words. When tested afterwards, students did a much better job of recalling the material they had to put into their own words.
So, how do we solve this problem, especially when we have so much content to get through?:
Consider providing printouts of slides with blank spaces for the children to fill in along the way. I remember one of my Biochemistry lecturers doing this at Bangor University when I was an undergrad there and I loved it – not least because I was getting accurate notes to take home, but also because I had to focus on the lesson in order to fill in the blanks correctly. Whilst this is perhaps not the most effective way to learn content out of all the methods available, it does solve the problem of pace (i.e., you won’t go too slow using this method).
Consider differentiating texts by using the methods outlined in this blog post, in order to make large paragraphs more digestible for your learners.
#3: Not making slides interactive
Include some exam-style questions along the way during your slide presentation to break up the lesson a bit. Consider word-matching activities, fill-in-the-blanks, or even just questions with allotted time for the students to answer. Perhaps you could embed a link to a live-quiz app (such as Blooket, Quizlet Live or Kahoot!) into your slides to get your students competing in a healthy way.
#4: Not sharing the slides with the students
It’s so important to make the slides available to your students once the lesson is over, and for some classes it may even be appropriate to share them before the lesson begins.
VLE and LMS platforms, such as Google Classroom, Moodle, Firefly and others are perfect for this.
With pre-university students, such as IBDP or ‘A’ – Level learners, I often find that it’s helpful to share the slides ahead of time, as the students can then read ahead before the lesson begins.
Whichever method you choose, just make sure the materials are available to your students. That way you cannot be criticized for not providing the resources that your students need to revise for their tests and assessments.
#5: Reading the slides to the class
This is an absolute no-no for teachers and is an obvious behavior to avoid to those who are more experienced in the profession. For new and trainee teachers, however, it can be a challenge to present slides without reading from them.
Teachers tend to read from slides for two main reasons:
Lack of subject knowledge/lack of reading ahead
Nervousness
Consider the following solutions:
Freeze your slide and move to the next slide on your computer. Quickly glance at, and read, the slide on your computer screen before presenting it to your class. This will help you to re-phrase the content into your own words.
Print out a copy of the slides for yourself and have it in your hand during the presentation. Again, this will allow you to read-ahead in ‘real-time’.
This sounds obvious but READ AHEAD. Never present a slideshow without reading over it first (avoid sourcing a slideshow from a third party on the internet immediately before a lesson begins).
Practice pronouncing key vocabulary and technical language before the lesson begins.
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Other mistakes teachers are making with slide presentations
Getting the visuals wrong – include nice pictures, charts and graphics where possible, and make them big enough for the class to read. If you’re stuck for time, then SlidesGPT can use AI to make a visually appealing slide presentation for you with just a few prompts (FYI – always CHECK the slides once generated). In addition to this, MS PowerPoint now comes with visual suggestions and can make slides visually appealing by using its AI Copilot feature.
Not annotating slides – if you have the technology (e.g., a smartboard), then annotate your slides as you present them. Circle key words, underline key phrases, add extra information and even re-phrase things. This will serve to make the content clearer for your students.
Conflicting colors – Are your slides readable? Always check the color balance before you present (red text on a black background, for example, is notoriously difficult to read!)
Unclear fonts – avoid Brushscript! Calibri, Comic Sans and Arial tend to work really well for presentations.
Shameless plug – check out my Powerful Public Speaker Certificate Course
If you are interested in some excellent Professional Development for you or your team, which focuses on making your slide presentations as perfect as possible, then check out my Powerful Public Speaker Certificate Course. This can be delivered online or on-site. Feel free to e-mail me at info@richardjamesrogers.com if you’d like to book me for this training.
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Boo! Halloween is right around the corner, and it’s time to bring some spooktacular fun into your high school classroom. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or a fresh-faced teacher, these ten Halloween activity ideas will help you create memorable, engaging, and educational experiences for your students. So, put on your witch’s hat, grab a handful of candy corn, and let’s get started!
#1: Costume Day
Let your students come to school dressed in their favorite Halloween costumes. You can even turn it into a creative writing exercise by having them explain why they chose their costumes. It’s a fun way to break the ice and get everyone into the Halloween spirit.
Consider hosting a sustainable Halloween-themed fashion show, by awarding prizes to students who make the best costumes out of everyday, recyclable materials. Consider making this a group-project, with the Design Technology, Textiles, Art and Science departments all getting involved. What a great way to build collaborative skills!
#2: Spooky Storytelling
Organize a spooky storytelling session in your classroom, or in the school library!. Encourage your students to share their favorite ghost stories or urban legends, and even get those creative juices flowing by making subject-specific references a part of the task brief. Here are some examples:
Chemistry: The reactions involved in photography, and how objects can sometimes appear as ghosts when they’re not
Geography: World locations that are famous for ghost sightings, and their history
English Literature: An easy one! Students analyse chosen texts that deal with the supernatural (my favourite is Bram Stoker’s Dracula)
By creating subject specific briefs like this, which require some kind of presentation as the task output, you’ll be providing a fantastic opportunity for your students to work on their public speaking skills while indulging in the eerie side of literature.
#3: Halloween-Themed Quizzes
Create a set of Halloween-themed quizzes or trivia games. Topics could range from famous horror movies to historical facts about Halloween, or even subject-specific Halloween-linked content. It’s a great way to infuse some educational content into the holiday. See my blog post on live-quiz apps for some great systems that can help you deliver this.
#4:Pumpkin Decorating
Bring a little creativity into your classroom by having a pumpkin decorating contest. Provide pumpkins and art supplies, and let your students’ artistic talents shine. You can even incorporate some team-building by having them work in pairs or groups. This could be great for a tutor-time or PSHE activity.
#5: Halloween Art Projects
Give your students the chance to express themselves through art. Encourage them to create Halloween-themed drawings, paintings, or even 3D sculptures. You can display their masterpieces around the classroom to add to the spooky atmosphere.
#6: Halloween History
Explore the history of Halloween with your students. Discuss its origins and evolution over the years. You can even tie it into a broader lesson about cultural traditions and holidays. This page by History.com is great resource that can be used to facilitate such a lesson.
#7: Halloween Science Experiments
Turn Halloween into an opportunity for hands-on learning. Conduct fun and safe science experiments that align with the holiday. For example, you can create “boo bubbles” with dry ice or explore the chemistry of candy. We Are Teachers has a great page that contains lots of ideas for this.
#8: Halloween Movie Day
Let your students unwind by watching a classic Halloween movie. Pick a film that is both age-appropriate and has a good blend of spookiness and humor. Afterward, you can have a discussion about the themes and elements of the movie. You can find a list of Halloween movies for kids here, with some being available via Netflix Kids (i.e. easy to login and show via your smartboard or projector).
#9: Costume Parade
Organize a costume parade in your school. Invite students and teachers to participate, and even have a costume contest with prizes for the most creative, scariest, or funniest costumes. It’s a great way to build a sense of community and excitement.
#10: Halloween-Themed Writing Prompts
Encourage your students to embrace their inner authors by giving them Halloween-themed writing prompts. Have them write spooky stories, poems, or creative essays. This activity can foster imagination and improve their writing skills. Sarah Gribble lists 20 such prompts at her excellent site, here.
Final thoughts
Remember, Halloween in the classroom should be a balance between fun and learning. These activities not only create a spooktacular atmosphere but also provide valuable educational experiences for your high school students. Plus, it’s a great way to build a sense of community and camaraderie among your class.
So, get ready for some ghoulishly good times this Halloween season. Your high school classroom is about to become the coolest and creepiest place in town! Happy Halloween, teachers, and may your students have a wickedly wonderful time!
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Hey there, fellow educators and Instagram enthusiasts! Today, I want to talk about a nifty feature on everyone’s favorite photo-sharing platform: Instagram Threads. We all know that Instagram is great for sharing snapshots of our lives, but did you know it can also be a fantastic tool to support teaching and learning? That’s right! In this blog post, I’ll walk you through some creative ways teachers can leverage Instagram Threads to engage their students and make learning a whole lot more exciting. Let’s dive in.
#1: Creating a Private Classroom Community
Imagine having a space where you can interact with your students outside the traditional classroom setting. Instagram Threads provides just that! You can create a private group solely for your class, allowing for open discussions, sharing resources, and fostering a sense of community. It’s an excellent platform to keep the conversation going beyond the classroom walls and make learning a collaborative experience.
#2: Sharing Timely Updates and Reminders
Remember those times when you had to make last-minute announcements or reminders, and you wished your students could see them instantly? With Instagram Threads, you can quickly post updates, reminders, or even schedule them in advance. It ensures that important information reaches your students promptly, and you can bid farewell to those “I didn’t know about it!” excuses.
#3: Encouraging Visual Storytelling
Instagram is all about visual content, and Threads takes it up a notch! As a teacher, you can leverage this feature to encourage your students’ creativity through visual storytelling. Assign projects where students can capture and share images or short videos related to the topics they’re studying. It adds an exciting dimension to learning and allows students to express themselves in unique ways.
#4: Instigating Dialogue and Debates
Discussion is an integral part of education, and Threads provides an ideal platform for fostering meaningful conversations. Teachers can initiate discussions by posting thought-provoking questions or prompts related to the lesson material. Students can then respond, share their perspectives, and engage in healthy debates. This helps develop critical thinking skills and encourages active participation.
#5: Showcasing Student Work
Who doesn’t love recognition and appreciation for their hard work? Instagram Threads can be an excellent avenue for showcasing student achievements. Create a designated space to highlight exceptional projects, artwork, or any other outstanding work by your students. Not only does this motivate them, but it also inspires others and creates a positive classroom culture.
#6: Conducting Virtual Q&A Sessions
Want to provide additional support or address student queries outside regular class hours? Instagram Threads offers a seamless way to organize virtual Q&A sessions. Dedicate specific time slots where students can post their questions, and you can respond with detailed explanations or clarifications. It promotes active learning and demonstrates your commitment to student success.
Remember, while Instagram Threads can be an incredibly useful tool, it’s crucial to prioritize privacy and ensure all interactions are conducted in a safe and secure manner. Always adhere to your school’s guidelines and obtain necessary permissions from parents or guardians.
Conclusion
So, there you have it! Instagram Threads can be a game-changer when it comes to supporting teaching and learning. By tapping into its features, teachers can create engaging, interactive, and visually appealing learning experiences for their students. So why not give it a try? Your classroom is just a click away from a vibrant online community.
Stay connected, stay inspired, and let’s explore the incredible possibilities that Instagram Threads brings to our educational journey. Happy teaching, everyone!
Disclaimer: Instagram Threads is a third-party application and has its own terms of service and privacy policy. Please review and adhere to these policies when using the application for educational purposes. The minimum age for a child to have an Instagram account, at the time of writing, is 13 years old.
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Mobile devices seem to be infiltrating classrooms at an ever-increasing frequency as the years roll by. First, it was Walkmans (remember those?), then it was mobile phones in the late 90s. From then it progressed to iPods, then to Blackberrys, then to smart phones. The latest iteration of the digital classroom intruder, however, is more cunning and more covert than any of its ancestors (if you ignore Tamagotchis) – it’s the ninja of all learning space (invaders) – the smart watch.
Smart watches, once limited to fitness tracking and notifications, have evolved to offer a wide range of features and possibilities. These wearable devices have the potential to enhance the teaching and learning experience by providing teachers with innovative tools and students with interactive opportunities. In this blog post, we will explore how smart watches can be effectively utilized in teaching and provide valuable tips for educators who have to deal with smart watch-related incidents in the classroom.
#1: Real-time notifications and reminders
One of the key advantages of smart watches is their ability to provide instant notifications and reminders. Teachers can leverage this feature to stay organized and keep track of their schedules, meetings, and important deadlines. By syncing their calendars with smart watches, educators can receive alerts and reminders directly on their wrists, ensuring they never miss an important event or deadline.
#2: Health and wellbeing
In order to create an optimal learning environment, it is crucial for teachers to prioritize their own health and well-being. Smart watches equipped with health tracking features, such as heart rate monitors, sleep trackers, and step counters, can help educators maintain a healthy lifestyle. By keeping a close eye on their physical activity levels and sleep patterns, teachers can make informed decisions about their overall well-being, leading to improved focus and productivity in the classroom.
#3: Time management and productivity
Teachers often face the challenge of managing time effectively in the classroom. Smart watches can assist in optimizing classroom routines by serving as a discreet time management tool. With built-in timers, alarms, and stopwatches, educators can easily allocate specific time intervals for activities, presentations, or exams. This helps maintain a structured environment and ensures that students are aware of the allocated time for each task.
#4: Collaborative learning and communication
Smart watches can serve as powerful tools to facilitate collaborative learning and communication among students. With the ability to send quick messages, share files, and receive notifications, teachers can encourage student engagement and foster a sense of community within the classroom. Additionally, smart watches with voice assistants can enable hands-free communication, allowing teachers to quickly address questions or provide feedback while conducting activities.
#5: Personalized learning and differentiation
Every student learns at their own pace, and it’s important for educators to cater to individual needs. Smart watches can aid in personalized learning by offering customized reminders, progress tracking, and individualized feedback. Teachers can set up personalized notifications for students to remind them of upcoming assignments, study goals, or important events. Furthermore, smart watches can track students’ progress in physical activities, providing them with real-time feedback and motivation.
#6: Interactive teaching tools
Smart watches come with a range of interactive features that can be integrated into teaching strategies. For instance, teachers can use the stopwatch feature during science experiments or physical education classes to measure time or calculate speeds. The built-in compass can be utilized during geography lessons, and the voice recorder can assist in language learning activities. By exploring the various features of smart watches, educators can enhance their instructional methods and engage students in unique ways.
Conclusion
As technology continues to shape the education landscape, smart watches offer a host of possibilities for teachers to enrich the teaching and learning experience. By leveraging the real-time notifications, health tracking capabilities, and interactive tools of these wearable devices, educators can create more engaging and productive classroom environments. By embracing this technology and incorporating it into their teaching practices, teachers can stay ahead in their mission to provide quality education in a technologically driven world.
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Good teaching is built upon the foundations of effective classroom management. Most teachers recognise this, and I believe that’s why my 2015 book, The Quick Guide to Classroom Management, became an award-winning bestseller within a very short timeframe. We know that order must be maintained in the classroom for deep learning to take place, but how do we maintain that order in a way that is not confrontational, or stifling, for our students?
Thankfully, we have the wise words and fresh perspective of a great expert to guide us today. I’ve invited Mitch Metzger from Destination TEFL, Bangkok, to share his top tips for using proactive and reactive classroom management strategieswith our students.
Let’s face it, classroom management is the hardest part about teaching abroad.
Managing a classroom in ANY country is an immense challenge. It requires emotional intelligence and a deep understanding of human behavior. It involves aspects of psychology, educational pedagogy, and even philosophy.
Managing a classroom abroad means doing all of this on TOP of the fact that your students don’t speak your language!
ESL classroom management is a unique and, honestly, daunting challenge. Even with all of the right books and the best TEFL training, it can still take years to truly master managing student behavior.
But there are simple mindset and habit changes you can make that will immediately improve your ability to manage a classroom abroad. Mastery may take years, but applying what you learn in this post can have you managing like a pro in a matter of weeks.
ESL classroom management is a challenge, but it’s also an incredible opportunity. An opportunity to improve your EQ. An opportunity to become an expert at body language and non-verbal communication. An opportunity to learn transferable professional, personal, and leadership skills that will change your life even once you move on from the classroom.
Studies have also shown that these skills in teachers have a direct and significant impact on student achievement. At the end of the day, it’s all about our students.
Working to change their lives is what truly changes our lives.
So grab a notepad and pen (or, let’s be real, your phone), and let’s dive into some strategies that will put you on the path to classroom management mastery!
What is Classroom Management, actually?
Before we get into the secret sauce, it’s essential to first understand what we’re actually talking about when we say “classroom management”.
Because it’s not what most people think it is.
For many people, those words elicit memories of teachers yelling, sending kids out of the room, and otherwise strictly enforcing a set of rules “because I said so”.
Think about it, how did most of your teachers enforce classroom rules when you were growing up? Yeah, ours too…
Unfortunately, monkey see monkey do and we’re just really smart monkeys. Many of us, myself included early on in my career, fall back on the same disciplinary tactics of our teachers.
But that’s not what classroom management is supposed to be. At least, not great classroom management!
Great classroom management is about getting the most out of your students. Creating a safe space where they can make mistakes and try again. Developing deep bonds and trust with your students. Helping them to create a better vision for their own futures.
Most of all, it means being a true role model. We can’t expect students to do as we say and not as we do. After all, did we when we were young?
So how can we change the paradigm of classroom management? Good question, probably a bit too big to be solved in a single blog post (I smell a series). However, there is one simple shift that can make an immense difference.
Simple, but not necessarily easy.
Proactive vs. Reactive Classroom Management
Understanding (and actually creating habits around) proactive versus reactive classroom management strategies seems like a small change. However, it will forever change the way you manage your classroom, especially while teaching English abroad.
The difference is in the fundamental approach you take to potential issues in your classroom.
Reactive strategies involve solving problems that have already occurred. Disciplining “bad” behavior, what most people think of when they hear classroom management, falls into this category.
Proactive strategies are about anticipating potential problems and putting systems in place to prevent them from happening in the first place.
I like to say reactive strategies are putting out the fire. Proactive strategies are not putting a candle near the drapes.
After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
This is all nice in theory, but what do these different approaches look like in practice? What are some concrete strategies you can actually use in the classroom?
Reactive Classroom Management
Let’s start with reactive management behaviors. Now this isn’t necessarily “what not to do” (though some of these definitely fall into this category). Problems will inevitably arise in the classroom, and sometimes you’ll need to ‘react’.
However, these should be more of a last resort. Only leaning on these strategies, or using the wrong reactive strategies, is where problems can arise.
So, let’s look at various reactive strategies and see which might be effective and which should be left behind.
Reactive strategies to avoid
Some habits you’ll want to be careful to NOT get into include:
Yelling at students
Using shame as a discipline strategy (easier to fall into than it sounds)
Removing students from the classroom
Getting emotional or visibly frustrated
Not checking your biases
Expecting compliance
One thing we always train our teachers to take special note of is this: You can’t expect immediate compliance.
The truth is, respect and trust have to be earned. It doesn’t matter if the people you’re leading are 50 years old or five, you have to do the work to earn their buy-in.
Too many teachers expect their students to immediately listen to everything they say and get distraught or upset when that doesn’t happen.
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But students are people too, and we don’t particularly like taking orders from people we barely know and trust. Right?
Effective reactive strategies
Like we said, problems in the classroom are inevitable. Occasionally you’re going to have to put out some fires (hopefully not literally), so it helps to have a good extinguisher.
Some effective strategies include:
Practicing patience and empathy, even in stressful situations
Having a word or action that refocuses attention on you (e.g., clapping patterns, short phrases, etc.)
Keeping other students busy with a task while addressing issues
Having a calming space in the classroom students can go to when feeling overwhelmed.
This is NOT a timeout. It should be a comfortable space (seating, plants, maybe even a little fountain) students want to go to, you just have to train them on when they can be there.
Adding these strategies to your teacher tool belt will help you solve problems whenever they occur.
Proactive Classroom Management
Now time for the real secret sauce! Proactive classroom management strategies will completely change your classroom when done right.
So let’s learn how to do them right!
Here are 3 simple strategies to prevent problems from arising in the first place.
#1 – Be completely prepared for EVERY class
Let’s be real, it can be tough to prepare 20+ engaging classes per week. As a teacher, it’s easy to slide into a bad habit of not fully preparing for every class.
Whether this is just teaching straight out of the book, or over-relying on worksheets from the internet, underprepared classes are the top culprit for why students misbehave in the first place. We know that young learners (and hell, even people our age) have short attention spans. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that if students aren’t engaged consistently throughout the lesson they’ll lose focus, and this inevitably leads to classroom behavior issues.
So put in the groundwork and prep your lessons.
Work to make them physically and intellectually engaging. Challenge your students. Find ways to make the material relevant to their lives. And most importantly, have all of your lessons fully resourced and ready to go.
Another pro tip here is to work on your transitions. Any ‘gap’ in the lesson is an opportunity for students to potentially misbehave, so filling those gaps ensures students don’t veer off track.
This tip isn’t really fun, because it requires a bit more work on your part. But a bit more work in the preparation will pay off immensely in the form of better lessons, stronger relationships with your students, and better mental health. After all, nothing is more taxing than an ‘out of control’ classroom.
#2 – Get to know your students
This seems like a given, but you’d be shocked (and appalled) at the number of ESL teachers who don’t even bother to learn all of their students’ names.
In their defense (kind of), I’ve had jobs where I have taught hundreds of students. It can be tough to learn that many names, let alone get to know them all.
Yet too many teachers lean on that excuse as a reason not to really get to know their students at all. They spend all of their time in the ‘teachers’ lounge’, or only interact with their students for the 55 minutes of English class each day.
The truth is, though, there is NO better classroom management strategy than strong bonds with your students. If they trust you, if they respect you, if they like you, they will listen to you.
So what can you actually do to bond with your students?
Get a class roster, make name cards, or employ other strategies to learn their names
ASK them about their interests, and talk about yours
Eat lunch with them or play with them at recess from time to time
Come to school a bit early, or do your grading at school and leave a bit late
This doesn’t have to be too much, maybe 15 minutes. But you can get a lot of informal facetime with your students in those quiet little moments before or after school.
Learn a bit of their language (and practice where they can see you!)
If you follow these simple tips you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can get to know your students!
#3 – Let the students make the rules
I know, it sounds crazy. But hear us out…
Letting your students make the rules can be a powerful technique when it comes to actually enforcing the rules. Think about it: aren’t you more likely to follow rules you come up with yourself?
People naturally don’t like being told what to do, so if you give the students the power to decide what rules are fair then they’re much more likely to follow through.
It also makes it way easier for you to enforce the rules. Instead of saying “do this because I said so” you get to fall back on “Hey, these aren’t even my rules. YOU came up with these!”. Trust me, the latter is far superior.
Now, you’ll have to steer the conversation a bit to make sure some essential rules are hit. But this can be as easy as one or two leading questions. “Is it a good idea to talk if the teacher is talking?”
In the ESL classroom, you may also need the help of a co-teacher that speaks the students’ native language. It doesn’t take a really high level of English to make some of these rules, but if your students are at a lower level it’ll be good to have someone there to help formulate their thoughts if they don’t have the vocab for it.
The final proactive management tip
To wrap things up, I want to leave you with one more proactive tip.
Take care of YOURSELF!
Yes, proper self-care and work life balance is absolutely essential for classroom management. If you’re overwhelmed or burnt out, it will inevitably impact your students. Energy is contagious, and as the leader you are the conduit for the classes’ energy. This makes it important to learn to control your own energy.
So meditate, journal, go for walks, do yoga, eat healthy, travel on the weekends, pursue hobbies that interest you. Set up good, sustainable systems for work life balance. Grow in areas you feel are important for your life. The best teachers by FAR are happy teachers (not an opinion, studies show this to be true), so be sure to do things that make you happy.
If you do that, then teaching itself will become one of those things!
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Updated: 7th February 2023 – As this is an evolving topic, this blog post shall be updated regularly in order to make the content relevant for teachers and schools.
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You’ve probably already been swept up by the huge (and sudden) tidal wave of hysteria that has been generated by OpenAI’s latest product: ChatGPT.
From writing computer programs to producing beautifully formatted English and SAT essays, to answering Mathematics IGCSE examination questions – ChatGPT seems to be the digital guru we’ve all been waiting for, and big tech companies have been attempting to create, for decades.
You could almost say “Chat’s one small step for RAM, one giant leap for mankind!”
Whilst a witty pun like this is enough to break the ice and get a few giggles at your next Teach Meet (perhaps), it won’t be enough to calm the nerves of many who have suddenly realised that we have a major problem on our hands.
ChatGPT has hit educators globally with thunderclap surprise and is causing a lot of panic – and for good reason. In terms of updating Academic Integrity policies, schools will now have to go right back to the drawing board and devise intelligent solutions to a wide array of complex challenges that ChatGPT will pose. Another key consideration for all educational institutions will be how to figure out their position on AI, and which teaching practices to use, as these systems and tools evolve.
So, if you’re one of the many educators out there who is considering how ChatGPT will affect your teaching, then here are some interesting thoughts and resources:
The first rule with any new technology is to educate students regarding its use and to reveal what is ethically and academically acceptable (as they say the genie cannot be put back in the bottle so banning does not work). Is ChatGPT just another ‘cognitive offloading’ tool like spellcheck, Grammarly, or Amazon Polly, or is it much more than that? Read this good overview piece by Larry Ferlazzo at EdWeek to find out more.
#3: Plagiarism software cannot detect it quite yet
OpenAI have just recently created a kind of ChatGPT detector – to check if an assignment has been artificially generated – but even they themselves say that it’s nowhere near perfect: only 26% accurate! OpenAI recommend using their plagiarism detector, along with other software (like the tool from TurnItIn) to get a good, overall picture of just how much bot-generated text is present within a piece of work.
What if it catches a student who has used ChatGPT partially? Is this acceptable?
#4: Have a go yourself.
A colleague of mine used it in class with students on an IB Digital Society essay and he reported that it was interesting to examine and use the results. It writes pretty good TOK (Theory of Knowledge) essays based on last year’s prompts, for instance. However, it does have many limitations and I believe it’s important to discuss these with students. I do think the TOK assessment, and other essay-based coursework, will have to radically change over the next few years. It wouldn’t surprise me if we see a shift in schools towards more internal assessment methods like group/individual presentations and practical work.
#5: Should we be concerned about students using it?
As schools continue to set essay assignments (as per current requirements) I recommend using a new tool called Elicit which can help students with searching and ranking sources alongside improving the quality of their research questions. This is a great introduction to the Extended Essay for IB, for example. A list of the many other tools out there can be found at this link – Future Tools – Find The Exact AI Tool For Your Needs.
In addition to the current disruption already caused by ChatGPT, Google (of course) are planning to stamp their feet and make their mark very soon. The AI arms’ race is on, and Google’s offering is a system called Bard – so advanced that its predecessor, LaMBDA, was controversially described as being “sentient” by its developer.
Will we see the day when self-aware AI systems are given the same rights and responsibilities as people? In LaMBDA’s case, the system described feeling “happy or sad at times” and reported having a deep fear of being switched off – a fate comparable to being killed, in its ‘opinion’.
Special thanks to Jeremie Tisseau, CEO of Morphosis Holdings Co. Ltd., for acting as my ‘go-to consultant’ and for sharing his expertise on all things ChatGPT and AI with me. Your input has allowed this blog post to remain relevant, useful, topical and accurate.
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As a teacher or a parent, you’ll likely have an interest in the subjects that children are learning in school, especially newer subjects like computer literacy, robotics, coding, or even game development. And while some parents and teachers might be worried that children already spend too much time on tablets, mobile phones or laptop computers as it is, the good news is that all of these subjects are likely to enhance the learning of more traditional curriculum areas, such as mathematics and English.
Coding, in particular, is quickly becoming a key skill that school students must achieve basic competency in before they graduate. In August last year, for example, former President Uhuru Kenyatta presided over the nationwide rollout of Kenya’s first ever coding curriculum in primary and secondary schools. This made Kenya the first African nation to create an official coding syllabus to be delivered in schools.
Today, I’ve invited Kat Sarmiento (content writer at Katreena’s Content Studio) to share her thoughts on why coding is such an important subject for students to learn.
Kat Sarmiento
In this digital age, when technological advancement continues to transform our lives, learning coding is crucial, especially for school students. Because if you think about it, the apps and websites children use all run on code. Thus, it’s vital for them to learn and understand the basics of coding to make the most out of the apps and websites they visit and utilize.
As you may be aware, in the current curriculum, students in classes 11 and 12 are taught fundamental programming languages, such as C, C++, Foxpro, and more, while sixth-grade students and up learn computer basics. And as online education came to light, more and more students eagerly took online tuition coding classes to test various programming languages.
Given this situation, education professionals must also understand that teaching coding is as important as teaching sustainability at school. It offers numerous benefits for your students – from academic excellence to better career opportunities. To explain it further, we’ve listed down the reasons why coding is essential for students. Let’s get started.
#1: Coding improves critical thinking skills
One of the many reasons why learning coding is important is that it can help students improve their critical thinking skills. A 2014 study actually demonstrates that the five brain areas associated with language processing, working memory, and attention are activated when people work with source code. Because besides memorizing various programming languages, students will also need to understand how to use them correctly. But to do that, it will require them to think differently.
Dealing with codes requires you to break down problems into smaller and more manageable pieces to understand what happens next. This strategic problem-solving technique is called computational thinking. Coders must examine the data, assess the situation, and decide which course of action will help them achieve their objectives.
In light of this, students who learn how to code can improve their problem-solving/critical-thinking skills by figuring out the best solution to a problem at hand.
#2: Coding boosts creativity
Aside from honing problem-solving skills, coding also fosters the creativity of students. It gives them the opportunity to express themselves, experiment, and be creative. They can design websites, apps, or games in a fun and exciting way.
“But how does coding help with creativity?“, you may ask.
Well, while you learn various programming languages and techniques to create various programs, you always need to start building from scratch. For instance, when students are tasked to make an animated object, they have to think about what it should look like and how it can be presented on the screen. This is when they need to use their creativity and problem-solving skills to achieve what they picture.
#3: Coding teaches patience and persistence
Learning how to code is similar to how we learn a language. The only difference is we use programming languages to communicate with the computer. So, typically, we start by memorizing the alphabet, some words, and phrases before we begin creating sentences for use in conversations. And, of course, we will inevitably make mistakes along the way. It’s the same scenario in coding.
As you might already know, coding is complex and can be frustrating. But it teaches us patience and perseverance. Because to be successful, one must be able to experience failure and bounce back from it. It will take some testing and troubleshooting before the codes work effectively.
Students can use this process of trial and error to their advantage as they go through life, helping them to understand that perseverance is often necessary to find solutions to many difficulties.
#4: Coding improves communication and teamwork
Coding also teaches two of the best things students can use when they enter the real world: communication and teamwork. Most of the time, teachers assign students to work in groups when developing projects. That requires them to communicate with one another and make collaborative efforts for a successful program. But, even if they’re working on individual projects, they can still seek feedback from their classmates. Thus, by teaching coding to students, they’ll develop their communication skills and learn the importance of teamwork.
#5: Coding creates career opportunities
Finally, learning to code opens up many career opportunities. Considering how technology continuously advances as time passes by, coding is an extremely useful skill to possess. Computer programmers, web developers, and other IT jobs are now in demand because of the increasing number of businesses relying on code. And it’s not just those in the technology sector, but also those in finance, retail, health, and other industries.
If people learn to code at a young age, they’ll have the advantage of having better career opportunities in the future. Not to mention that the salary can be at a high level for those qualified, talented, and experienced IT people.
The bottom line
There are many reasons why coding is important for school students to learn. Besides learning how to build websites and apps, they also learn valuable skills and lessons they can use in the real world. Not to mention that you’re also bringing them numerous career opportunities in this ever-growing digital world. And if they grow interested in developing more advanced and amazing software, they also contribute to our future.
Kat Sarmiento
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