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8. Flexible Fronts: Arranging Your Classroom

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8. Flexible Fronts: Arranging Your Classroom

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The biggest takeaway from this strategy is flexible seating and purposeful seating arrangements. Flexible seating can help students feel comfortable and "at home" which allows for a more collaborative learning experience. Structuring the classroom so that there is not necessarily a front or back of the classroom can also make the students feel more engaged throughout the lesson. Another way to accommodate the classroom is to have built-in technology to facilitate instruction. An example of this is to have multiple screens where students can look to or have an engaging technological activity to keep the interest of the students The most important idea I've found in this strategy is that teachers should aim to structure their classroom for the most effective collaboration between students and their peers and the students and the teacher.

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7. Be Purposeful When Asking Students to Answer Questions; There is Safety in Numbers

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7. Be Purposeful When Asking Students to Answer Questions; There is Safety in Numbers

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Asking students to raise their hands when they know an answer is a common method to assess if students know the answer to a question. However, many classes fall victim to the phenomenon where students who like to participate answer, and students who do not like to participate go under the radar. It is difficult to gauge a class's understanding when you are getting skewed results via this method. Another common method is cold-calling which does ascertain an answer from students who might not participate often, but it has been shown to cause students anxiety. An effective way to gauge a class's understanding is by asking students to hold a thumbs up at their chest so that their answer is hidden from everyone but the teacher. Another way to increase participation is to pair up students or put them in groups as they might feel more comfortable sharing within a small group formed of their peers. The idea of safety in numbers arises in this situation according to Wathall. Another strategy that can be used is "Think-Pair-Share" where students think individually, discuss as a pair or within a small group, and then share their answers with the class at the end.

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The assessment strategies touched on in this chapter emphasize pre-assessments. Oftentimes, teacher use pre-assessments at the beginning of the year to gauge a student's level and understanding of foundational skills. It can be helpful for teachers to use pre-assessments before, during, and after a lesson or unit to assess what a student retained. Wathall discusses the idea of a Learning Curve Tool. This tool has students create a symbol and move the symbol on a premade chart to show their understanding during class. The method is extremely helpful for a teacher as they can glance at a student's desk and assess which students are struggling and when to circle back on certain topics.

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5. Cater to Everyone in Your Class; Use Differentiation Strategies

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5. Cater to Everyone in Your Class; Use Differentiation Strategies

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Effective differentiation ensures that all students despite their academic level are making progress. To fairly differentiate a lesson for students teachers must give ample opportunity for students to be challenged at their level and the activities are equally time-consuming. A method to accomplish this is to give students tiered tasks with varying levels of difficulty where students are able to choose their entry-level. When teachers give students choices while learning they are able to reach a wider diverse group of students at once without the risk of excluding students. Highly scaffolded activities are a great choice to use for students who are more in need of help. By ensuring that all students despite their academic level are being attended to, a teacher is able to connect with students making them feel comfortable and safe. This leads to a more positive learning environment for everyone involved.

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Teacher Talk Time (TTT) is the time that a teacher talks to the entirety of the class. This is usually when a teacher is lecturing or presenting instructional content. To maximize student focus, teachers should aim to teach lessons in 15-20 minute segments. This amount of time allows for the students to retain information without overloading them and losing interest. Reducing TTT allows for more student autonomy and creates a student-centered learning environment.

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3. Use Appropriate Levels of Inquiry and Employ Inductive Approaches to Develop Conceptual Understanding

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3. Use Appropriate Levels of Inquiry and Employ Inductive Approaches to Develop Conceptual Understanding

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Concept-based lessons provide a clear path from facts and processes to conceptual understanding. It is important to accommodate opportunities for different pathways of learning as not all teachers or students learn and absorb information the same way. The goal is for us to have students develop generalizations via an inductive approach. These inductive approaches can be structured, guided, or open depending on the ability of the students. A more hands-on structured activity will be more helpful for students who are struggling with foundational aspects of a lesson. An open inductive approach is more advanced and allows learners to take the wheel as they can make generalizations and come to conclusions on their own.

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2. Provide an Open, Secure Environment to Allow for Mistakes as a Part of the Learning Process

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2. Provide an Open, Secure Environment to Allow for Mistakes as a Part of the Learning Process

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Due to the neuroplasticity of the brain, when a mistake is made and corrected by the student, new neurons and synapses grow and create new pathways. This type of safe environment allows for the fostering of a growth mindset. A student with a growth mindset views difficult tasks as opportunities to grow and views mistakes as vital to their learning process. As a teacher, it is important to create an environment where students feel comfortable making mistakes and feel like they can ask for help without the fear of humiliation.

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This is important because it can enhance the student's ability to creatively solve problems and apply their conceptual knowledge. Giving students the opportunity to be social with their peers can increase their motivation to participate. Many traditional methods for teaching can feel stagnant and undermine and demotivate students. If teachers can change their teaching method to be more student-centered, collaborative, and discussion bases it can reduce student anxiety relating to the subject and keep students engaged.

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8 Strategies for Engaging the Hearts and Minds of Students

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8 Strategies for Engaging the Hearts and Minds of Students

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This chapter in Wathall discusses different strategies that teachers can employ in a classroom setting to help students to stay engaged in their learning process. Many of these strategies help students feel more comfortable in class which can lead to them asking more questions and developing a better understanding of the content covered.