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A breakdown of each level of Bloom's.

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Everything you've ever wanted to know about Bloom's Taxonomy

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Bloom's Taxonomy is the most important education framework and every teacher needs to know how to use it in their class! Find out here! Benjamin Samuel Bloom (February 21, 1913 - September 13, 1999) was an American educational psychologist who examined and then restructured the way teaching should be approached, to maximise learners' performance.

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Activities to promote higher order thinking.

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A review of formative assessment that includes execution ideas for the classroom.

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Formative Assessments: Why, When & Top 5 Examples

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Steps, tips, reminders and examples of ways to ensure that you are producing and assignment valid assessments.

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How can you ensure your assessments provide accurate feedback?

What's the best way to assess students' learning? During the past several years, we have developed a process that help us ensure we are using valid, effective, and rigorous assessments with our students-a process that every middle level teacher can use.

Step 1. Deconstruct the standards.

First, identify the standards that will be addressed in a given unit of study. Then deconstruct each standard. Deconstructing a standard involves breaking the standard into numerous learning targets and then aligning each of the learning targets to varying levels of achievement.

In their book, An Introduction to Student-Involved Assessment for Learning, Rick Stiggins and Jan Chappuis cite four levels of achievement:

1. Knowledge-Focusing on knowing and understanding, such as vocabulary, syntactic structures, numbers, and numeration systems.

2. Reasoning-Using knowledge and understandings to solve problems and interpret information.

3. Performance skills-Processing; turning knowledge into action.

4. Products-Creating "tangible products" that represent the application of the content-for example, a science fair project or a creative writing piece.

Table 1 provides an example of how this deconstruction might appear for a sixth grade math unit based on the CCSS

Table 1
Deconstructing Standards Based on Common Core State Standards

CCSS Standard
Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution, which can be described by its center, spread, and overall shape.

Levels of Achievement
Knowledge

Reasoning

Performance Skills

Proactive Strategies (Products)

Learning Targets
* Define statistical question and distribution.
* Identify center, spread, and shape of a distribution of data.

* Read/consider scenarios; determine the need for data to be collected.
* Develop an appropriate statistical question to collect data.

* Compare and contrast data collected to other pools of data.
* Collect, organize, and analyze data.

* Report/display data based on a statistical question.
* Report data to an interested or affected audience.

Step 2: Align items and levels of thinking.

When the specific learning targets have been derived from the standard, consider the assessment you will use to determine if students have learned the material. This assessment may be a traditional paper-pencil test with multiple-choice questions, matching, and short-answer items, or perhaps a performance-based assessment such as a project or lab. Regardless, the assessment must align with the learning targets derived from the standard(s).

Additionally, the items within the test (or the expectations within a project) must cover a variety of critical-thinking levels. A chart or table works well to track the alignment between learning targets and items and to examine the distribution of critical-thinking items. Table 2 illustrates the beginning of the process using Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. (Webb's Depth of Knowledge could also be used.)

Table 2
Tracking the Alignment Between Learning Targets and Assessment Items

Step 3: Create valid and reliable assessments.

Before actually implementing assessments, ensure that the assessment items are valid and reliable.

Validity relates to the interpretation of results. Can a teacher make accurate assessments about a student's knowledge and skills based on the student's outcomes on any particular assessment? If the assessment tool is measuring what it is supposed to be measuring, it's much easier for the teacher to recognize the knowledge and skills of each student.

Reliability focuses on consistency in a student's results. If the assessment tool is reliable, the student should score the same regardless of the day the assessment is given, the time of day, or who is grading it.

If an assessment is valid, it will be reliable. However, just because an assessment is reliable does not mean it is valid. To promote both validity and reliability in an assessment, use specific guidelines for each traditional assessment item (e.g., multiple-choice, matching). Use the guidelines in Table 3.

Table 3
Guidelines to Promote Validity and Reliability in Traditional Assessment Items

Directions refer to specific headings and address "extra response."

Right column "answers" listed in alphabetical/ numerical order.

Specify point value for each response.

Right column contains one more item than left.

Only one accurate response to the question.

The elements in each column are homogeneous.

Items clearly indicate the desired response.

Each column has at least 7 elements, and neither has more than 10 elements.

Answers are placed on specified location (no lines).

Item strongly aligns with learning target(s).

Column headings are specific and descriptive.

No writing/grammar/spelling errors.

Point value is specified for each blank.

Missing information is limited to 1-2 words.

Item clearly indicates the desired response.

Item strongly aligns with learning target(s).

There is only one accurate response to the question.

No writing/grammar/spelling errors.

Multiple-Choice Questions

Point value is specified for each response.

Options do not include "all of the above" and "none of the above."

Stem is written in the form of a question.

All answer options are of similar length.

Question clearly indicates the desired response.

Item strongly aligns with learning target(s).

There is only one accurate response to the question.

No writing/grammar/spelling errors.

Four plausible options are provided.

Short-Answer Questions

Point value is specified for each response.

There are multiple correct responses.

Application and higher-order questions are included.

Item strongly aligns with learning target(s).

Question clearly indicates the desired response.

No writing/grammar/spelling errors.

Item asks for 3-5 distinct elements only.

Essay question is clear and includes multiple components.

No lists of factual pieces of information.

Rubric is used and point value is specified for each component.

Item strongly aligns with learning target(s).

Focuses on higher-order critical thinking.

No writing/grammar/spelling errors.

No "right" answer; multiple possible responses.

Step 4: Take items to the next level with rigor and relevance.

Teachers are asked to increase the rigor of their assessments but are not always given useful ways of doing so. A good place to start is with items you already have. Here are some fundamental components of rigor and relevance and ways to increase both in classroom assessments.

With rigorous assessments, the goal should be for the student to move up Bloom's Taxonomy ladder. That entails adding reflective components and encouraging critical and creative thought. With increased rigor, students:

Think accurately and with clarity.

Identify and consider multiple meanings.

Engage in disciplined inquiry and thought.

Work outside the norm.

Transfer knowledge to various situations.

Adjust approach when thrown a curve ball.

Tolerate uncertainty and persevere.

Ensuring relevance means students can make a connection to their lives. The assessments are interdisciplinary, contextual, and authentic. Examples include authentic problem-solving tasks, simulations, and service-learning projects.

You can see the difference between low rigor/relevance and more rigor/relevance in these examples:

Low rigor/relevance: What are the factors of production? What is consumption?

More rigor/relevance: Create a flow chart or diagram that shows the factors of production and your role as a consumer.

Step 5: Make assessment part of planning ... not an afterthought.

To assess effectively, it is important to think about assessments prior to creating lesson plans. For the summative, end-of-unit assessments, consider what you want your students to know and be able to do, then plan lessons with this knowledge and these skills in mind. By doing so, you can ensure you are engaging students in learning activities that lead them to success on the summative assessments. Deconstructing standards and drafting assessment items facilitates this outcome.

Fast, Fun, Functional

In addition to summative assessments, it's important to formatively assess students within instructional units so they don't get lost along the way. The formative assessments serve as a guide to ensure you are meeting students' needs and students are attaining the knowledge and skills being taught.

Quizzes are, of course, a great way to achieve this, but there are other effective ways to formatively assess student learning. Here are our top fast, fun, and functional formative (F4) assessments:

1. Bell ringer: Ask a question at the beginning of class; ask the same question at end of class to determine student learning.

2. Partner interviews: Students interview each other and record responses. The teacher provides one question and each student creates the others.

3. Exit slips: Mix it up. Students can post sticky notes on the door as they leave the room. Ensure higher-level items are included as appropriate.

4. Journal of learning: Once a week, students write their key understandings of the content. There's potential for critical and creative thinking.

5. Electronic response systems: Track individual student responses using programs like Google forms, clickers, and KahootIt.

6. Seven-word summary: Students summarize the lesson in seven words. This allows the teacher to gauge students' understanding of key concepts.

7. Students as teachers: Provide students with the work of a previous (anonymous) student and have them grade or evaluate the work for understanding of the concept.

Gaining Clarity

For assessments to be effective for both teachers and students, it is imperative to use a backwards-design approach by determining the assessment tools and items prior to developing lesson plans. Once you start to plan your lessons for a unit of study, it's appropriate to refer to the assessment plan and make changes as necessary in order to ensure proper alignment between the instruction and the assessment.

Using the item-writing checklists will help ensure the assessments you create are reliable and valid, which means you will have a more accurate picture of what your students know and are able to do with respect to the content taught.

While it is easy to think about assessments at the end of a unit of study, teachers really need to think about how to embed formative assessments along the way. Quality formative assessments allow teachers to better remediate and enrich when needed; this means the students will also do better on the end-of-unit summative assessments.

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Ensuring Valid, Effective, Rigorous Assessments - AMLE

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What's the best way to assess students' learning? These teachers developed a process that help ensure they are using valid, effective, and rigorous assessments with students - a process that every middle level teacher can use.

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Strategies and techniques that are crucial and explanatory when designing lesson plans.

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So let's begin with the basic premise that there is no one perfect lesson plan or format. That's simply because there are a variety of different needs across subjects, ages, and ability levels. The best lessons are personalized for the needs of your students, so some cookie cutter lesson is bound to be shortsighted. In fact, many of the best moments/lessons I've had in classrooms began with me allowing students enough space and freedom to create independently and discuss information freely. That doesn't begin with chaos though and a strong structure built on strong lesson ideas need to be in place for that to succeed. And while I'm glad administrators in New York City cannot oblige teachers to use a specific template, there are certain elements that should be part of every teacher's lessons. So here are ones I've found most crucial.

Many of the elements of a great lesson plan are innately tied to each other and key to its sequence. Other parts are modifications you can make to improve a lesson's effectiveness. Some people include a script in their lessons, but I don't like that as it can come off as unnatural and lock a teacher into a structure that may not suit their unique students. There are a number of ways lessons can be structured which is good as there are a number of different ways students can learn something. I have tried to correlate names/concepts for whether you follow the 5 E Model, Direct Instruction, Mastery Learning Facilitative Teaching, Cooperative Learning or something else entirely, you should be able to adapt this to your needs.

1. Objectives/Goals: Just like the ones on student IEPS, the goals on lesson plans should be S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-limited/tailored). Your objectives must be clearly defined so that students can understand what is expected of them as well. What is it you want students to take away from the lesson? What does success look like? Focus on a tangible behavior, how the student will exhibit it, and the level of quality required. Use active words like explain, summarize, measure, or recall instead of vague words like study or learn. Also try to eventually bring students up Bloom's Taxonomy with higher order creative skills by having them design, compose, or construct something. It could be something like students will be able to identify six characteristics of a mineral, but a higher order skill might be composing a personal narrative.

2. Standards-Aligned: Whether it's Common Core, Next Gen, ISTE, or all of the above and more, standards are a crucial way to maintain that students are learning as consistently as possible across classrooms. It is important to note any standards being met by the lesson. Most schools are requiring a standard tie-in for every lesson. Even if your school doesn't require that you note which standards you are meeting, it is good practice to be familiar with your state and national standards. You will be surprised how many standards you are meeting in any given lesson. You may also choose to note how a lesson falls into the scope and sequence for yearlong learning.

3. Assessments: Ultimately assessments are ways for you to get to know your students' strengths and weaknesses academically and personally. That's why there should be assessments before any lesson to see what it is you should be teaching and afterward to see how effectively they learned it. This can be done with surveys, worksheets, quizzes, writing, discussions, presentations, games, or hands-on activities and challenges. I find formative assessments throughout learning are more effective than one summative one as they can give you an ongoing picture of how your students are faring. The resulting data from your assessments should inform your ongoing instruction. The assessments should be tied to the lesson's goals. For more info check out the 10 Keys to Effective Assessments.

4. Anticipatory Set (Engage): This is your hook where you set the stage to draw students in. Some call it setting anticipation as it will set the tone for the lesson. It can even be connected with your pre-assessment as you determine what students know. This can be done in a number of ways with videos, strange images, interesting objects, or an exciting question. Maybe you will ask "Have you ever wanted to travel to another planet?" or maybe you'll brink in part of a meteorite for students to hold. Whatever method you use, you'll want to tap into student prior knowledge and encourage questions. What do you know about our planet? How might the one we travel to be different? Draw life connections and show meaning and purpose of the lesson. You're framing the lesson into the context of previous lessons as well as into the nature of their lives.

5. Model (Explore): You're continuing to engage students in the concept/lesson, but now you're giving them some time to build their own ideas through exploring. This is where you begin to really facilitate learning by discovering and demonstrating new skills, explore key concepts, and begin probing. You can ask inquiry-oriented questions while students share their ideas and make predictions. You and/or the students can record any of their ideas.

6. Direct Instruction(Whole Group/Explain): You're now beginning to communicate new understandings. You can provide clarifications, justifications, new vocabulary, and definitions. You can use props, have discussions or watch videos. The problem with direct instruction is not that it is inherently bad/limiting, it's that too many teachers spend the whole lesson/period engaged only in that. As a general rule, limit it to lunder 15 minutes (5-10 is better). You should show rather than tell. Remember that just because you're saying things to students doesn't mean they're learning it. Visual tools can aid in understanding so try to make it multimodal and bring in any materials to engage students and improve retention of information. Here are 8 visual tools to help.

7. Guided Practice (Extend/Elaborate): Students should be guiding one another now. and applying their learning to a new situation. If they learned about one animal, now they're learning to classify several or even create their own. A lot of teachers use this as the fill-out-the worksheet or write-on-the-poster time. Some consider homework guided practice, though unless you have the means and technology to offer flipped instruction, there would be little guidance. There are a number of other options where students can use this time to begin creating drawings, diagrams, small models, or a collaborative researching and essay-writing in a Google Doc. If necessary pull the students who are struggling into a separate group for more guidance.

8. Independent Practice (Evaluate): Having students accomplish tasks and learning objectives independently should always be your ultimate goal. It doesn't mean you can't provide assistance but in doing so you are confirming that they weren't fully prepared for this step. You may have to adapt instruction and build in scaffolding to help students achieve independence. Again some teachers see this as the homework step. It doesn't have to be especially if you're unsure of their level of independence. It also doesn't mean it's solitary. Independent practice can be a collaborative experience (independent of teacher aid not from classmates) where students are completing an inquiry project.

9. Wrap-Up and Follow-Up: Very few lessons will end neatly wrapped up with you saying I have accomplished all I set out to do. If it does it probably means you set out to do too little. The least you should be doing is reviewing what they should have learned, drawing connections to future lessons, and determining how well you achieved the learning objectives. Flowing from independent practice may be formal peer and teacher evaluations that can occur as you assess student knowledge. I explained how you can accomplish this is in the assessments section. Ultimately you want to make it clear how far you've come and where you still plan to go.

10. Materials & Equipment: This is where you remind yourself and let other teachers know what will be required for this lesson. That may mean books, cardboard, tinfoil, and markers or it could mean digital resources like laptops, websites, and apps. It may also mean you have to find an alternative if you learn the digital model is in a Flash-based death spiral. It's the space where you'll need to make sure you have anything that may not be commonly available in your classroom. It's like a cheat sheet and a checklist to prepare for the lesson

While there are stages and steps a lesson goes through there are additional elements that great teachers always make sure to include in their lessons.

1. Student Choice: One of the best ways to make lessons engaging and meaningful is to give students options that relate to them. give them a voice in planning and how they want to demonstrate mastery of a topic especially during the independent practice portion. This may mean some students are making movies, creating presentations, or putting on a play while others are writing essays, building projects, or creating a website. You can decide what level is sufficient, but give them a means to feel empowered through personalized instruction.

2. Cross-Curricular: The world and the careersof the future are not neatly divided into subjects, so why do we do that in a classroom. While focusing on a skill and our objectives is important there is no reason that a novel can't have scientific or historical implications or that math can't be artistic. We should always strive to have our lessons develop cross-curricular competencies (see 21st-century skills below).

3. 21st-Century Skills: Without digging too deeply into this one element, 21st-century learning skills are now just essential life skills for modern students. We need to be teaching our students the 7 Cs directly so they can communicate, collaborate, create, and think critically within whatever field of study they pursue. This includes involving technology. Whatever you think the implications, computers have become a critical part of our society and it doesn't look to be decreasing. So we need to teach our students to use it appropriately and for the common good. That may mean digital citizenship instruction or it may simply involve using atool to aid with collaboration or accessibility.

4. Hands-On Instruction: Whether it's part of student choices or as part of a whole class exercise, hands-on learning is a more effective way to have students retain information. It doesn't have to be a massive undertaking either. In math, it can simply be using manipulatives or Skittles to chart favorite colors. In literacy, you may have students use picture symbols and character images to map out a story on an interactive display.

5. Multimodal: If you are presenting information only one time and in only one format, it is almost a certainty that many students won't get it. That's why in addition to direct lectures you should utilize visual tools in addition to the hands-on learning tasks.

6. Multiple Tasks: Never stay on any one part of a lesson too long especially with younger learners. It's an unrealistic expectation to think a 7-year-old (or even a 37-year-old) can stay sitting working for 6 hours. That's why a good lesson should flow through each step without lingering on any particular one (especially direct instruction) too long. This also can allow you to build in opportunities in your lesson for you to explore what students are doing and where they may need assistance

7. Differentiation: Differentiation shouldn't only take place in a special education classroom. Students all learn in different ways and at different rates. You need to have those adjustments built into the structure of your lesson plan. While there have been arguments made about the value of differentiation, most of that is due to a misunderstanding of what it actually entails. Student learning styles will determine the structure of lessons. It is trusting in students to pursue their path of learning and, while there is initially more work required on the teacher's behalf, it ultimately allows greater freedom for the teacher due to increased student autonomy. Sometimes the best way to determine how to differentiate in the future is to see where your current plan fell short and make adjustments to cover those learning gaps. Make your lesson accessible to all of your students.

8. Evolving: For a lesson to remain worthwhile it cannot remain stagnant. Even if you're teaching history, we are regularly learning new information and new techniques to integrate. Also, the needs of your students are changing and your lessons must change with them. For that reason, the lesson that was perfect today would need some adjustment next year. For example, I realized I can now add the updated Google Arts and Culture app as a tool in the example personal narrative lesson below.

Here are some examples of lessons/units I have put together for my STEM classroom. I am showing you the initial page, but you access the full multi-page classification lesson and personal narrative lesson to see how I structure them. That doesn't mean you should do it the same way. The needs of your classroom may be very different, but it should give you an idea of how I practically include the elements listed above.

There are a number of places where you can find additional examples of lesson plans. Many educational technology companies like BrainPOP, Flocabulary, and Discovery Education have example lessons that utilize their tools. In addition you can check out the lessons below, but I suggest you adapt to suit your needs and using the elements above.

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Creating The Perfect Lesson Plan: 10 Steps & 8 Essential Elements - Brave In The Attempt

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So let's begin with the basic premise that there is no one perfect lesson plan or format. That's simply because there are a variety of different needs across subjects, ages, and ability levels. The best lessons are personalized for the needs of your students, so some cookie cutter lesson is bound to be shortsighted.

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A helpful guide to utilize when creating a unit curriculum plan to map out how you want to approach new material, assessment, etc.

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Creating a unit plan can feel like a daunting task, however, this process can provide you with an opportunity to consider your students and how they can develop mastery of content standards. While district-level curriculum often provides you with a scope and sequence of what to teach, by developing a unit plan you will have an opportunity to consider not just what you will teach, but who you will teach, and what you can do to reach all learners.
Step 1: Consider Your Learners
At the heart of good instruction is what you know about your learners and what you will do to build their strengths. Having an understanding of your learners' assets (strengths), interests, and needs can help you anchor instruction. As you begin your unit plan it is important to consider their prior knowledge and abilities, as well as soft skills such as self-regulation, organization, and language needs.

For example, with a unit plan on ratios, you can create tasks that include students' interest such as the game Roblox, and how your plan can reinforce prerequisite skills by including a game on equivalent fractions. You can also consider students' assets such as their ability to persevere with complex problems as well as developmental needs such as working in small groups. This initial step will help you in considering what scaffolds you might include such as graphic organizers, student groupings, and technology as well as additional resources that build upon students' interests and assets.

As a rule of thumb ask yourself "Who Am I Designing Instruction For? and "What will my students need to be successful?"

Step 2: Select Standards
Content is king, and by beginning with the end in mind you can identify the skills you will explicitly teach and the sequence to arrange instruction. This process allows you to zoom in and out of teaching to pinpoint student misconceptions, areas of struggle, and opportunities for differentiation. Through the unpacking of standards, you can consider what initial skills can support students in working in their "zone of proximal development" and how you might extend students' thinking to promote transfer and real-world application. Check out Achieve the Core to backward map content standards.

When unpacking your content standards, consider misconceptions students might have, in addition to what prerequisite skills they will need to engage in activities. Language can also be a barrier to learning so it is critical to identify the academic language that can prevent students from acquiring the content knowledge and skills. In the next step as you plan activities identifying the language demand will support you in removing barriers and providing language support that is context embedded and connected to skills.

You should also consider " Big Questions" to anchor student learning so you don't hear "Why are we learning about the industrial revolution" and "when will I ever use combining like terms". These questions will come up, so either be prepared to make your case, or craft really engaging activities that focus on why students are learning these big ideas!
As a rule of thumb ask yourself "What knowledge and skills am I teaching"? and "How can I ensure my students develop deep understanding to make real-world connections?" Step 3: Planning Activities
There is nothing more encouraging than a hook to get your students on task. Whether it is the novelty of seeing a popular meme as they consider idioms in the real world or watching the opening clip of a novella before engaging in a class conversation about verb conjugation in Spanish. The hook is where it's at, and the first five minutes can make or break the rest of your lesson.

Activities are where the learning happens and whether that takes place through investigating a phenomenon (science) delving into a Number talk in Math, or discovering the events that led to the American Revolution, it's important to let the students do the talking as this is how sense-making occurs. As part of planning activities, teachers should consider what open-ended questions they might ask, to create a platform for student talk. Questions that generate a "yes" or "no" response or ask students to give a thumbs up or thumbs down reveal very little about what the students know and understand, nor do they provide students with an opportunity to elaborate on what they are learning. Elaboration is critical if we want students to move what they are learning from their working memory to long-term storage.

You should also consider the instructional groupings you will consider for activities this might include whole group, small group, partner work, or triads. Homogenous groupings can be effective if students are working at the same level for a reading passage, whereas heterogeneous groupings can be advantageous for a project or task which includes multiple intelligences. Whether or not students participate can be contingent on the kinds of engagement strategies you employ to keep students on task and wanting to participate. Not every lesson needs to include a quiz or an exit ticket but as you plan your unit you should consider how you will measure student learning. Assessment strategies inform our instruction and provide us with a way to make just-in-time adjustments.

As a rule of thumb ask yourself "What kinds of activities would my students want to engage in and how can I measure their learning?" As a rule of thumb ask your learners "what are your preferred ways to learn?"
After you crafted activities you should consider what accommodations and modifications should be provided to support all learners. This can include language scaffolds such as sentence stems for English language learners as well as assistive technology for students with learning exceptionalities. This UDL checklist is a wonderful tool to identify supports for your learners.

If you want to be an effective teacher then you need to take time to plan. Planning not only sets the goal for the day, but it gives you the confidence and the skills to be effective. Students' learning can be measured and time on task is increased with an effective plan. "A good lesson plan is a living document. It is not set in stone, but rather it is a guide that keeps you--the classroom practitioner--engaged and thinking about what you are teaching." Otis Kriegel

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Creating a Unit Plan from Process to Product

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Creating a unit plan can feel like a daunting task, however, this process can provide you with an opportunity to consider your students and how they can develop mastery of content standards.

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A video that walks you through performance based assessment and how to create the assessment along with helpful tips.

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A piece that explains authentic assessment along with benefits of using this form of assessment and pointers to guide instruction and planning.

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Authentic assessments attempt to demonstrate what a student actually learns in class rather than the student's ability to do well on traditional tests and quizzes. Many have claimed this type of assessment an excellent means of evaluating a student's knowledge of subject matter.

Authentic assessment in action

Educators define authentic assessment as an approach to measure student performance in a direct, relevant way to see if the learning objectives were met. Educators might use projects such as reports, journals, speeches, videos and interviews with the students to measure their understanding of the subject material.

For example, an authentic assessment on the expedition of Lewis and Clark would grade students on journals they wrote imagining themselves as the explorers, or have them draw a map showing the route which Lewis and Clark traveled.

The goal of authentic assessment is to enhance the learning process and help students gain knowledge while completing tasks that are beneficial to their "real-world" experiences. Unlike taking an exam, students work on the authentic assessment over a period of time and they are not limited to filling in bubbles on scannable test papers to demonstrate what they know. Authentic assessments let students show what they are really capable of without the pressure of having to perform well on a traditional test, so they are great options for students who suffer from test anxiety.

Why should educators use authentic assessments?

Authentic assessments help students analyze what they've learned and apply it their own experience. They don't have to memorize facts for a test, so they can use their creativity to show what they've learned. For older students who can use a combination of writing and speaking, authentic assessment helps them refine their writing and oral presentation skills. Authentic assessment works great for groups, so students can get experience collaborating on projects with their peers.

Tips for using authentic assessments

Do it often: While it takes time and effort to plan and carry out authentic assessments, they are very rewarding for both the student and the teacher. When teachers first begin using them with a new class, they should expect some challenges and work through them as best they can. With repeated use of authentic assessment, teachers and students will become more comfortable with the process and come to enjoy the satisfaction that comes from completing holistic projects.

Break it down: Many students get overwhelmed easily, so teachers should help them out by breaking down the project into many small steps. For younger students, steps should be assigned to a time line, while students in middle school and above can schedule the tasks on their own and learn about self-discipline at the same time.

Don't dwell on rules: When creating authentic tasks, educators must remember that there is no one right way to do them. They should approach it with the same creativity with which they expect their students to complete the work.

Go backwards: As teachers set out to design the lessons, they should first start with the assessment and what they want the students to demonstrate at the end. By knowing which objectives they want to see students meet, they can design their lessons accordingly.

Cater to students' interests: Teachers should try to match the assessments to the interests of the students. This won't work in every situation, but think of how students will really jump into their work when tech-savvy kids get to create a video or a website showing what they've learned or music-minded youngsters can share their knowledge via lyrics.

Never underestimate the power of reflection: Have students reflect on the project and assessment once it's completed. This will help them to further synthesize what they have learned and it will give teachers an inside look into what the children thought of the project. Additionally, students will feel glad to know that the teacher cares about their opinions.

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Authentic Assessments: Tips and Examples for Educators | Resilient Educator

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Authentic assessments attempt to demonstrate what a student actually learns in class rather than the student's ability to do well on traditional tests and

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Details and examples of providing positive and effective feedback for students in the classroom.

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contributed by Laura Reynolds

While assessment gets all the press, we often misunderstand effective feedback for learning.

When feedback is predominately negative, studies have shown that it can discourage student effort and achievement (Hattie & Timperley, 2007, Dinham). In my experience, the only thing I knew is that I hated public speaking and I would do anything possible to get out of it. As a teacher, most of the time it is easy to give encouraging, positive feedback.

However, it is in the other times that we have to dig deep to find an appropriate feedback response that will not discourage a student's learning. This is where the good teachers, the ones students remember forever in a positive light, separate themselves from the others.

A teacher has the distinct responsibility to nurture a student's learning and to provide feedback in such a manner that the student does not leave the classroom feeling defeated. Here you will find 20 ideas and techniques on how to give effective learning feedback that will leave your students with the feeling they can conquer the world.

20 Ways to Provide Effective Feedback

1. Feedback should be educative in nature.

Providing feedback means giving students an explanation of what they are doing correctly and incorrectly. However, the focus of the feedback should be based essentially on what the students is doing right. It is most productive to a student's learning when they are provided with an explanation and example as to what is accurate and inaccurate about their work.

Consider using the concept of a 'feedback sandwich' to guide your feedback: Compliment, Correct, Compliment.

2. Feedback should be given in a timely manner.

When feedback is given immediately after showing proof of learning, the student responds positively and remembers the experience about what is being learned in a confident manner. If we wait too long to give feedback, the moment is lost and the student might not connect the feedback with the action.

3. Be sensitive to the individual needs of the student.

It is vital that we take into consideration each student individually when giving feedback. Our classrooms are full of diverse learners. Some students need to be nudged to achieve at a higher level and others need to be handled very gently so as not to discourage learning and damage self-esteem. A balance between not wanting to hurt a student's feelings and providing proper encouragement is essential.

4. Ask the 4 questions.

Studies of effective teaching and learning (Dinham, 2002, 2007a; 2007b) have shown that learners want to know where they stand in regards to their work. Providing answers to the following four questions on a regular basis will help provide quality feedback. These four questions are also helpful when providing feedback to parents:

What can the student do?

What can't the student do?

How does the student's work compare with that of others?

How can the student do better?

5. Feedback should reference a skill or specific knowledge.

This is when rubrics become a useful tool (single-point rubrics, for example). A rubric is an instrument to communicate expectations for an assignment and a useful way to provide effective feedback for learning. Effective rubrics provide students with very specific information about their performance, compared to an established range of standards. For younger students, try highlighting rubric items that the student is meeting or try using a sticker chart.

6. Give feedback to keep students 'on target' for achievement.

Regular 'check-ins' with students let them know where they stand in the classroom and with you. Utilize the '4 questions' to guide your feedback.

7. Host a one-on-one conference.

Providing a one-on-one meeting with a student is one of the most effective means of providing feedback. The student will look forward to having the attention and allows the opportunity to ask necessary questions. A one-on-one conference should be generally optimistic, as this will encourage the student to look forward to the next meeting.

As with all aspects of teaching, this strategy requires good time management. Try meeting with a student while the other students are working independently. Time the meetings so that they last no longer than 10 minutes.

8. Feedback can be given verbally, non-verbally, or in written form.

Be sure to keep your frowns in check. It is imperative that we examine our non-verbal cues. Facial expressions and gestures are also means of delivering feedback. This means that when you hand back that English paper, it is best not to scowl.

9. Concentrate on one ability or skill.

It makes a far greater impact on the student when only one skill is critiqued versus the entire paper being the focus of everything that is wrong.

For example, when I taught Writer's Workshop at the elementary level, I would let students know that for that day I was going to be checking on the indentation of paragraphs within their writing. When I conferenced with a student, that was my focus instead of all the other aspects of their writing. The next day would feature a new focus.

Utilize this strategy when grading papers or tests to provide effective feedback for learning. This strategy allows you the necessary time to provide quality, written feedback. This can also include using a rotation chart for students to conference with at a deeper more meaningful level. Students will also know when it is their turn to meet with you and are more likely to bring questions of their own to the conference.

11. Educate students on how to give feedback to each other.

Model for students what appropriate feedback looks like and sounds like. As an elementary teacher, we call this 'peer conferencing.' Train students to give each other constructive feedback in a way that is positive and helpful. Encourage students to use post-it notes to record the given feedback.

12. Ask another adult to give feedback.

The principal at the school I taught at would often volunteer to grade history tests or read student's writing pieces. You can imagine how the student's quality of work increased tenfold! If the principal is too busy (and most are), invite a 'guest' teacher or student teacher to critique work.

13. Have the student take notes.

During a conference over a test, paper, or a general 'check-in,' have the student do the writing while you do the talking. The student can use a notebook to jot down notes as you provide verbal feedback.

14. Use a notebook to keep track of student progress.

Keep a section of a notebook for each student. Write daily or weekly, dated comments about each student as necessary. Keep track of good questions the student asks, behavior issues, areas for improvement, test scores, etc. Of course, this requires a lot of essential time management but when it is time to conference with a student or parent, you are ready to go.

Returning papers and tests at the beginning of class, rather than at the end, allows students to ask necessary questions and to hold a relevant discussion.

16. Use Post-It notes.

Sometimes seeing a comment written out is more effective than just hearing it aloud. During independent work time, try writing feedback comments on a post-it note. Place the note on the student's desk the feedback is meant for. One of my former students had a difficult time staying on task but he would get frustrated and embarrassed when I called him out on his inattentive behaviors in front of the class.

He would then shut down and refused to do any work because he was mad that I humiliated him. I resorted to using post-it notes to point out when he was on task or not. Although it was not the most effective use of my time, it really worked for him as a way to provide effective feedback for learning.

17. Give genuine praise.

Students are quick to figure out which teachers use meaningless praise to win approval. If you are constantly telling your students 'Good Job' or 'Nice Work' then, over time, these words become meaningless. Make a big deal out of a student's A+ on that vocabulary test. If you are thrilled with a student's recent on-task behaviors, go above and beyond with the encouragement and praise.

Make a phone call home to let mom or dad know how thrilled you are with the student's behavior. Comments and suggestions within genuine feedback should also be 'focused, practical, and based on an assessment of what the student can do and is capable of achieving' (Dinham).

18. "I noticed...."

Make an effort to notice a student's behavior or effort at a task. For example; "I noticed when you regrouped correctly in the hundreds column, you got the problem right." "I noticed you arrived on time to class this entire week." Acknowledging a student and the efforts they are making goes a long way to positively influence academic performance.

19. Provide a model or example.

Communicate with your students the purpose of an assessment and/or feedback. Demonstrate to students what you are looking for by giving them an example of what an A+ paper looks like. Provide a contrast of what a C- paper looks like. This is especially important at the upper learning levels.

20. Invite students to give you feedback.

Remember when you finished a class in college and you were given the chance to 'grade' the professor? How nice was it to finally tell the professor that the reading material was so incredibly boring without worrying about it affecting your grade? Why not let students give you feedback on how you are doing as a teacher?

Make it so that they can do it anonymously. What did they like about your class? What didn't they like? If they were teaching the class, what would they do differently? What did they learn the most from you as a teacher? If we are open to it, we will quickly learn a few things about ourselves as educators.

Remember that feedback goes both ways and as teachers, it is wise to never stop improving and honing our skills as teachers.
20 Ways To Provide Effective Feedback For Learning; A version of this post first appeared on opencolleges.edu.au;

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20 Ways To Provide Effective Feedback For Learning

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One way to provide effective feedback for learning is a 'feedback sandwich' to structure your feedback: Compliment, Correct, Compliment.

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A resource that breaks down the different levels of Webb's Depth of Knowledge.

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A good breakdown of Holistic and Analytic rubrics.

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Whether you're new to rubrics, or you just don't know their formal names, it may be time for a primer on rubric terminology.
So let's talk about rubrics for a few minutes. What we're going to do here is describe two frequently used kinds of rubrics, holistic and analytic, plus a less common one called the single-point rubric (my favorite, for the record). For each one, we'll look at an example and explore its pros and cons.

Off we go!

A holistic rubric is the most general kind. It lists three to five levels of performance, along with a broad description of the characteristics that define each level. The levels can be labeled with numbers (such as 1 through 4), letters (such as A through F) or words (such as Beginning through Exemplary). What each level is called isn't what makes the rubric holistic - it's the way the characteristics are all lumped together.

Suppose you're an unusually demanding person. You want your loved ones to know what you expect if they should ever make you breakfast in bed. So you give them this holistic rubric:

When your breakfast is done, you simply gather your loved ones and say, "I'm sorry my darlings, but that breakfast was just a 2. Try harder next time."

The main advantage of a holistic rubric is that it's easy on the teacher - in the short run, anyway. Creating a holistic rubric takes less time than the others, and grading with one is faster, too. You just look over an assignment and give one holistic score to the whole thing.

The main disadvantage of a holistic rubric is that it doesn't provide targeted feedback to students, which means they're unlikely to learn much from the assignment. Although many holistic rubrics list specific characteristics for each level, the teacher gives only one score, without breaking it down into separate qualities. This often leads the student to approach the teacher and ask, "Why did you give me a 2?" If the teacher is the explaining kind, he will spend a few minutes breaking down the score. If not, he'll say something like, "Read the rubric." Then the student has to guess which factors had the biggest influence on her score. For a student who really tries hard, it can be heartbreaking to have no idea what she's doing wrong.

Holistic rubrics are most useful in cases when there's no time (or need, though that's hard to imagine) for specific feedback. You see them in standardized testing - the essay portion of the SAT is scored with a 0-6 holistic rubric. When hundreds of thousands of essays have to be graded quickly, and by total strangers who have no time to provide feedback, a holistic rubric comes in handy.

An analytic rubric breaks down the characteristics of an assignment into parts, allowing the scorer to itemize and define exactly what aspects are strong, and which ones need improvement.

So for the breakfast in bed example, an analytic rubric would look like this:

In this case, you'd give your loved ones a separate score for each category. They might get a 3 on Presentation, but a 2 on Food and just a 1 on Comfort. To make feedback even more targeted, you could also highlight specific phrases in the rubric, like, "the recipient is crowded during the meal" to indicate exactly what went wrong.

This is where we see the main advantage of the analytic rubric: It gives students a clearer picture of why they got the score they got. It is also good for the teacher, because it gives her the ability to justify a score on paper, without having to explain everything in a later conversation.

Analytic rubrics have two significant disadvantages, however: (1) Creating them takes a lot of time. Writing up descriptors of satisfactory work - completing the "3" column in this rubric, for example - is enough of a challenge on its own. But to have to define all the ways the work could go wrong, and all the ways it could exceed expectations, is a big, big task. And once all that work is done, (2) students won't necessarily read the whole thing. Facing a 36-cell table crammed with 8-point font is enough to send most students straight into a nap. And that means they won't clearly understand what's expected of them.

Still, analytic rubrics are useful when you want to cover all your bases, and you're willing to put in the time to really get clear on exactly what every level of performance looks like.

A single-point rubric is a lot like an analytic rubric, because it breaks down the components of an assignment into different criteria. What makes it different is that it only describes the criteria for proficiency; it does not attempt to list all the ways a student could fall short, nor does it specify how a student could exceed expectations.

A single-point rubric for breakfast in bed would look like this:

Notice that the language in the "Criteria" column is exactly the same as the "3" column in the analytic rubric. When your loved ones receive this rubric, it will include your written comments on one or both sides of each category, telling them exactly how they fell short ("runny eggs," for example) and how they excelled ("vase of flowers"). Just like with the analytic rubric, if a target was simply met, you can just highlight the appropriate phrase in the center column.

If you've never used a single-point rubric, it's worth a try. In 2010, Jarene Fluckiger studied a collection of teacher action research studies on the use of single-point rubrics. She found that student achievement increased with the use of these rubrics, especially when students helped create them and used them to self-assess their work.

The single-point rubric has several advantages: (1) It contains far less language than the analytic rubric, which means students are more likely to read it and it will take less time to create, while still providing rich detail about what's expected. (2) Areas of concern and excellence are open-ended. When using full analytic rubrics, I often find that students do things that are not described on the rubric, but still depart from expectations. Because I can't find the right language to highlight, I find myself hand-writing justifications for a score in whatever space I can find. This is frustrating, time-consuming and messy. With a single-point rubric, there's no attempt to predict all the ways a student might go wrong. Similarly, the undefined "Advanced" column places no limits on how students might stretch themselves. "If the highest level is already prescribed then creativity may be limited to that pre-determined level," says Fluckiger. "Students may surprise us if we leave quality open-ended."

The main disadvantage of single-point rubrics is that using them requires more writing on the teacher's part. If a student has fallen short in many areas, completing that left-hand column will take more time than simply highlighting a pre-written analytic rubric.

Need Ready-Made Rubrics?

My Rubric Pack gives you four different designs in Microsoft Word and Google Docs formats. It also comes with video tutorials to show you how to customize them for any need, plus a Teacher's Manual to help you understand the pros and cons of each style. Check it out here:

Sources:

Fluckiger, J. (2010). Single point rubric: A tool for responsible student self-assessment. Teacher Education Faculty Publications. Paper 5. Retrieved April 25, 2014 from http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/tedfacpub/5.

Mertler, C. A. (2001). Designing scoring rubrics for your classroom. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 7(25). Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=25.
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Know Your Terms: Holistic, Analytic, and Single-Point Rubrics

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Whether you're new to rubrics, or you've used them for years without knowing their formal names, it may be time for a primer on rubric terminology.

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Practices that an educator should follow to design an effective rubric.

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By Philip Arcuria & Maryrose Chaaban
Rubrics: A Definition
Rubrics have become a highly touted and ubiquitous tool in the proverbial assessment toolbox of higher education instructors. Rubrics can provide a wide range of benefits, from providing consistent feedback to students to decreasing overall grading time.

So, what is a rubric? Formally defined, a rubric is a "...coherent set of criteria for students' work that includes descriptions of levels of performance quality on the criteria" (Brookhart, 2013, p. 4). In short, rubrics distinguish between levels of student performance on a given activity.

More broadly, a rubric is an evaluation tool that has three distinguishing features: evaluative criteria, quality definitions, and a scoring strategy (Popham, 2000).

Evaluative criteria represent the dimensions on which a student activity or artifact (e.g., an assignment) is evaluated.

Quality definitions comprise qualitative descriptions that distinguish student performance across a continuum for a given criterion.

The scoring strategy articulates the process of converting the qualitative evaluations of student performance related to each criterion into an overall judgement of the quality of the artifact.

Benefits of a Rubric

Rubrics can be used to provide objective, meaningful, and substantive feedback on a variety of assignments including papers, presentations, discussions, and projects. A carefully designed rubric can provide benefits to instructors and students alike.

Rubrics can help instructors:

reduce the amount of time spent grading

ensure consistency and objectivity in grading

reduce uncertainty and complaints about grades

adjust instruction or provide additional resources based on the overall performance of an entire class

Rubrics can also help students:

understand an instructor's expectations on an assignment

understand how the assignment aligns to the course objectives

improve their performance by integrating instructor feedback

evaluate their own work

Getting Started with Designing a Rubric

There are two main types of rubrics instructors can design: holistic rubrics and analytic rubrics. Holistic rubrics provide one overall score and do not provide students with feedback on how they performed on each individual assignment criterion. Conversely, analytic rubrics provide students with a score on each criterion. This article focuses on analytic rubrics, which tend to be preferable for formative assessments given they provide students with specific guidance and feedback related to each relevant criterion (Brookhart, 2013).

Analytic rubrics can be broken down into three parts:

1. Performance criteria are the factors being measured (e.g., Organization of Essay, Thesis Statement, etc.) and are commonly represented as the rows of a rubric.

2. Performance levels represent gradations of performance and typically take the form of the column headings of a rubric. The performance labels can be numeric (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4) or textual (e.g., Poor, Acceptable, Good, Excellent).

3. Performance level descriptors articulate observable characteristics of performance for the intersection of a given criteria and performance level and comprise the cells of a rubric.

Best Practices when Designing Rubric

One of the first steps in designing a quality rubric is to identify the skills and knowledge students should demonstrate in the assignment based on the overall course or module learning objectives.

Building off of the recommendations of van Leusen (2013), you can use the following questions to get started:

What knowledge and skills is the assignment designed to assess? (Learning Objective)

What observable criteria represent those knowledge and skills? (Performance Criteria)

How can you best divide those criteria to represent distinct and meaningful levels of student performance? (Performance Levels)

What observable characteristics of students' work differentiate among the performance levels for each criterion? (Performance Level Descriptors)

Addressing these questions can go a long way in helping you pinpoint the criteria you should include in a high-quality rubric. Once you have identified your criteria, you can start designing your rubric. Generally speaking, a high-quality analytic rubric should:

1. Consist of 3-5 performance levels (Popham, 2000; Suskie, 2009).

2. Include two or more performance criteria, and the labels for the criteria should be distinct, clear, and meaningful (Brookhart, 2013; Nitko & Brookhart, 2007; Popham, 2000; Suskie, 2009).

3. Include performance level descriptors that: distinguish between qualitative differences in performance that are observable and measurable; are consistent within each criterion; and clearly articulate the expectations for each performance level (Banta & Palomba, 2015; Brookhart, 2013; Nitko & Brookhart, 2007; Popham, 2000; Suskie, 2009).

Evaluating Your Rubric

Once you have created a rubric, you can use the following checklist to evaluate its level of quality. This checklist is based on research by the ASU EdPlus Action Lab, where it is used for automated scoring of rubrics to assess basic structure.

Performance Levels (columns)

The labels/descriptions of the performance levels are distinct, clear and meaningful

The labels/ descriptions of the performance criteria are distinct, clear and meaningful

Click the following link to download the checklist: Analytic Rubric Checklist

Examples of Exemplary Rubrics

The Association of American Colleges and Universities created a series of high-quality rubrics entitled VALUE rubrics that span intellectual and practical skills (i.e. critical thinking, written communication, teamwork), personal and social responsibility (i.e. civic engagement, global learning, and ethical reasoning), and integrative learning.

These rubrics are open source and available to download directly from their website. To view these rubrics, please visit the Association of American Colleges and Universities - VALUE Rubrics.

Additional Resources

Here is a list of additional resources regarding rubrics:

References

Arcuria, P., Morgan, W., & Fikes, T. G. (2019). Validating the use of LMS-derived rubric structural features to facilitate automated measurement of rubric quality. International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge.

Banta, T. W., & Palomba, C. A. (2015). Assessment essentials: planning, implementing, and improving assessment in higher education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Brookhart, Susan M. (2013). How to create and use rubrics for formative assessment and grading. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Nitko, A. J., & Brookhart, S. M. (2007). Educational Assessment of Students (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Popham, W. J. (2000). Modern educational measurement: Practical guidelines for educational leaders (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Suskie, L. (2009). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

van Leusen, P. (2013). Assessments with rubrics. ASU TeachOnline. Retreived from https://teachonline.asu.edu/2013/08/assessments-with-rubrics/

About the Action Lab

The Action Lab, a dedicated digital teaching and learning laboratory within EdPlus, engages in deep learning analytics, leveraging expertise in learning, cognitive, social, and data sciences to provide continuous program improvement that drives student success. Our mission is to make technology- enabled education research useful for systemic, scalable and radical advancement in digital teaching and learning.

Special Thanks

We would like to thank Tom Fikes, Director of Research, EdPlus Action Lab, and Julie Allen, Sr. Instructional Designer, EdPlus Instructional Design & New Media for their editing prowess.

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Best Practices for Designing Effective Rubrics - Teach Online

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By Philip Arcuria & Maryrose Chaaban Rubrics: A Definition Rubrics have become a highly touted and ubiquitous tool in the proverbial assessment toolbox of higher education instructors. Rubrics can provide a wide range of benefits, from providing consistent feedback to students to decreasing overall grading time. So, what is a rubric?

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A reference to assist in creating grading policies.

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A simple three-step process to design objectives, measurements, and consequences of a grading practice.

Juice Images / Alamy Stock Photo

Other fields that face similar challenges can offer guidance for best practices about grading. In particular, test validity studies offer a useful framework to formatively assess our grading methods.

Consider Grade Validity

Creating a meaningful grade is difficult. A grade should communicate something important about a student. It should measure subject mastery, growth, or another element that a teacher deems useful. At same time, measuring analytic reasoning or reading comprehension is inherently subjective and complex. Without direct measures, teachers rely on indirect evidence such as tests, assignments, and observations.

This challenge is not unique to education. Psychometrics, the science of measuring mental capacities, has struggled with it for decades. In response to these challenges, psychometrics developed a concept of validity. As it applies to course grades, it asks "to what degree-if at all-on the basis of evidence and rationales, should the [grade] be interpreted and used in the manner proposed?" In simple terms, does a grade mean what we say it means?

Educators already employ a variety of strategies to alleviate grade validity concerns, but psychometrics offers some insights that may further strengthen these efforts. Here are three steps, derived from those insights, that can improve the validity of grades.

Define the meaning: The first step to improving validity is defining a grade's intended meaning. In my own experience as a student and teacher, I've encountered quite a variety of answers to the deceptively complex question "What does this grade mean?" Some answers included a student's positional rank among his or her peers, content mastery, participation or effort, growth, or some combination. Educators will have their own answer to this question, and their institutions may define or limit their answer, but a clear construction of the intended meaning creates a useful reference point for assessment.

To help decide the meaning of your grade, ask yourself who are your primary stakeholders, and how will they use it? For example, an elementary school teacher may expect parents to use grades to check their student's understanding of the material. In that case, a content mastery meaning would fit best. Alternatively, a high school teacher may expect colleges to use grades to differentiate student applications. In this case, a relative performance meaning would better align with the expected use. There may be competing uses, but avoid the pitfall of selecting multiple meanings. A grade should communicate one clear message.

Include all relevant criteria: With a clear meaning in mind, the next step asks if the grading method incorporates all and only relevant criteria. A grade becomes more valid the more relevant evidence it includes and irrelevant evidence it excludes. For example, a math teacher who grades for content mastery should ensure that every math unit contributes to the final grade. The more units she excludes, the further the distance between what the grade intends to mean (mastery of all units) from what it actually means (mastery of some units).

Consider revising grading practices that drop test scores. Dropping tests often excludes relevant information from the final grade. Avoid nonacademic factors such as behavior and attendance because they are often irrelevant to the grade's meaning. Administrative penalties may also not be indicative of a grade's overall meaning. Students who submit late work or forget to write their name need help with developing professionalism, but these missteps are rarely evidence of mastery.

Consider the consequences: The final step is to consider how the grade will impact students. Validity is not blind to real-world consequences, and even the most carefully constructed grade can suffer from validity issues if it harms students. A teacher who grades on relative performance and awards only one A may accurately differentiate students, but the process may create unintended problems such as students becoming excessively competitive and disincentivized from studying together.

How will the grading method impact student relationships? Some practices may create too competitive an environment and discourage communal learning.

How will the grade affect students' desire for lifelong learning? In practice, this may mean allowing test retakes so that students can reclaim their self-confidence and desire to learn, or it could mean adopting a no-zero policy to help avoid students' failing and giving up on a subject.

It's difficult to predict unintended social consequences, but asking questions can help:

Whatever meaning we want grades to have, our method of constructing them should reference that meaning and respect their impact on students' lives.

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A simple three-step process to design objectives, measurements, and consequences of a grading practice. Juice Images / Alamy Stock Photo Other fields that face similar challenges can offer guidance for best practices about grading. In particular, test validity studies offer a useful framework to formatively assess our grading methods.

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A quick rundown on accommodations.

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A look into a classroom and teacher insight on accommodations and modifications.

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Accommodations and Modifications for Students with Disabilities

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Important comprehension strategies and a quick overview of each.

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1. Dole, J. A., Duffy, G. G., Roehler, L. R., & Pearson, P. D. (1991). Moving from the old to the new: Research on reading comprehension instruction. Review of Educational Research, 61, 239-264.

2. Anderson, R. C., & Pearson, P. D. (1984). A schema-theoretic view of basic processes in reading. In P. D. Pearson, R. Barr, M. L. Kamil, & P. Mosenthal (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (pp. 255-292). New York: Longman.

3. Anderson & Pearson, 1984; Anderson, R. C., Reynolds, R. E., Schallert, D. L., & Goetz, E. T. (1977). Frameworks for comprehending discourse. American Educational Research Journal, 14, 367-382.

4. Pichert, J. W., & Anderson, R. C. (1977). Taking different perspectives on a story. Journal of Educational Psychology, 69, 309-315.

5. Armbruster, B. B., Anderson, T. H., & Ostertag, J. (1987). Does text structure/summarization instruction facilitate learning from expository text? Reading Research Quarterly, 22, 331-346.

6. Wood, E., Woloshyn, V. E., & Willoughby, T. (1995). Cognitive strategy instruction for middle and high schools. Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.

7. Pressley, M., Symons, S., McGoldrick, J. A., & Snyder, B. L. (1995). Reading comprehension strategies. In M. Pressley & V. E. Woloshyn (eds.), Cognitive strategy instruction that really improves children's academic performance. Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.

8. Anderson & Pearson, 1984; Hansen, J., & Pearson, P.D. (1983). An instructional study: Improving the inferential comprehension of fourth grade good and poor readers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 75, 821-829.

9. Gillet, J. W., & Temple, C. (1994). Understanding reading problems: Assessment and instruction (4th ed.). New York: Harper Collins.

10. Honig, W., Diamond, L, & Gutlohn, L. (Eds.). (2000). Teaching reading sourcebook for kindergarten through eighth grade. Novato, CA: Arena Press; National Reading Panel, 2000.

11. Pressley, G. M. (1976). Mental imagery helps eight-year-olds remember what they read. Journal of Educational Psychology, 68, 355-359.

12. Gambrell, L. B., & Bales, R. J. (1986). Mental imagery and the comprehension-monitoring performance of fourth and fifth-grade poor readers. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 454-464.

13. National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

14. Dole et al., 1991; Palincsar, A. S., & Brown, A. L. (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and comprehension monitoring activities. Cognition & Instruction, 2, 117-175.15. Paris, S. C., Wasik, B. A., & Turner, J. C. (1991). The development of strategic readers. In R. Barr, M. L. Kamil, P. B. Mosenthal, & P. D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (Vol. 2, pp. 609-640). New York: Longman.

16. National Reading Panel, 2000.

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How can classroom reading instruction help poor readers - indeed, all students - become more like good readers? Research suggests that the answer may lie in providing students with instruction that both teaches them the comprehension strategies that work so well for good readers and helps them to develop the necessary metacognitive awareness of how and when to use these strategies.

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A website packed with resources for math educators.

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Keeping students engaged and excited about math class can be a tall order. However, with the many advances in technology, it is much easier to make math lessons fun. In addition, technology can also make the math teacher's job a lot easier by providing pre-made activities, options for differentiating and even helping with pre- and post- assessments (including grading!).

The following is a list of different resources to help both new and veteran teachers make math class a whole lot more fun for students. Best of all, most of these resources are free! You should find materials that can be printed, ideas for activities to use in your classroom and even blogs with tips from teachers around the country to help you build your perfect learning environment.

Materials

Here is a look at the many different items that you can use in your classroom to make math class more engaging for students and easier for you. These items range in cost, but there's something here for everyone (no matter your budget).

"Make personal student white boards just by laminating cardstock."

White Boards. For those of you on a budget, you can make personal student white boards just by laminating cardstock. A dry-erase marker and a piece of tissue is a great way to get students more involved in the classroom while also allowing teachers to assess student learning throughout the class period. There is no easier way of determining if your students are getting the main concepts from the lesson than being able to see their work on their own white boards. If you have a little more money in the budget, you can get a sturdier white board at your local home improvement store. Ask for "white panel board." Most home improvement centers will even cut larger sheets into smaller pieces for you. You will leave with a class set of white boards for less than $50.

Interactive White Boards. Some of you might know these interactive white boards as "promethean boards" or "smart boards." These are the next step up from the old-school overhead projectors. Best of all, you will no longer need transparencies! You can connect the white board to a computer and share documents, websites and even play games. With a large touch screen, students will be excited to come up to the white board to help complete notes, do examples or take part in one of the many interactive games and demonstrations that can be used.

Tablets. A tablet can act as a personalized interactive white board. Instead of one large white board on the wall for the whole class to use, each student can have a touch screen right in the palm of his or her hands. The best feature of tablets is that they allow for customized learning. Ever wondered how you could possibly differentiate your lessons for all the different types of learners in your class? Tablets are the way to go. Students can work at a pace that suits them, and still be learning.

Clickers. Clickers allow every student to feel like he or she is on a game show. Clickers, when used wisely, can keep students engaged during a lesson, help promote discussion and also give the teacher instant feedback on student comprehension.

Graphing Calculators. The graphing calculator has come a long way. Some calculators can now be connected to the teacher's calculator, the interactive white board, the computer or other technology. The graphing calculator can give students an amazing tool for seeing math come to life. Many models can also work as clickers.

Printable Stuff. A teacher's time is a precious commodity, and saving time on the little things is critical when teaching. The Cornerstone offers many free items that can be printed directly from the website, including customizable flash cards, awards and even specialized forms for just about any school occasion. You will not have to recreate the wheel; instead, just print what you need.

Practice Drills. Sometimes students need practice to become fluent in their math skills. Practice drills, or "mad minutes," can be a quick and easy way to provide students with the practice they need. You can design your own practice drills, or if you'd like to save time, simply print some of these pre-made items.

You can find tons of drills already made at Math-Drills.com.

Donna Young also has pre-made practice sheets on her website as well.

Manipulatives

Manipulatives make learning mathematical concepts fun and engaging for students. However, buying supplies for the classroom can get expensive, and you can't always expect to be reimbursed. Therefore, you may want to create some of the manipulatives yourself. Instead of spending time trying to get everything formatted correctly, you can visit one of the many free websites offering pre-made math goodies and have them ready to print for your use!

Black Line Masters offers a wide-range of printable tools and resources geared towards students in pre-K through ninth grade. Check it out, and see what you can use in your classroom. Bookmark it for later so you can go back and print more as your needs change.

SEN Teacher has a page of printable items mostly geared towards the elementary level, including clocks, polygons and even coins. These items look even better when printed in color. Be sure to print on card stock and laminate the items so that they last longer.

IAmHomeschooling.com also offers plenty of ready-made manipulatives and other tools. From pre-K to high school, there are items for students at every level. You can print algebra tiles, Cuisenaire style rods or fraction circles. These are also colorful and can be used over and over if printed on thick card stock and laminated

Craig Loewen of Lethbridge University has a small batch of excellent resources for students in higher level classes, including tangrams and geoboards. These tools have tons of possible uses to enhance your math lessons!

Lessons and Videos

Maybe you already have amazing technology in your classroom. All you need now is some great content to use with that technology to enhance classroom learning. There are many great resources to be found on the web, and many of them are free. Here is a breakdown of some of the sites offering the best lesson plans, videos or even entire courses.

Khan Academy is completely free and offers an excellent library of videos presenting complex math topics in a way that is easy to comprehend. There are also practice questions that can be used in conjunction with the videos.

Saylor University is branching out with brand new, fully-loaded courses for grades K-12. Many courses included assessments, lessons, videos and discussion questions. New courses aligned to the Common Core standards will also be added. For those students looking for a challenge, there is a whole line of open college courses, too.

Want to make your own online textbook for free? Need a lesson plan? Then CK-12 Foundation has what you need! From single lessons to entire courses, CK-12 has it all. Many of the lessons are connected to the Common Core standards as well.

Discovery Education offers a wide-range of new and interesting pre-made lesson plans for you to use. Be sure to check back as new materials are updated. To quick access to materials for the level you are teaching, simply click on K-5, 6-8, or 9-12.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics believes math lessons should be more than just "drill and kill!" They've put together an excellent compilation of lesson plans and activities. These are free and geared towards many different levels. Be sure to click on your grade level to maximize your search results.

PBS Learning Media offers an eclectic library of activities and is a great place to find videos or ideas to spice up your lessons. There is a section specifically for K-8, and a section for each of the high school topics. This resource is free, but you may be asked to set up an account.

Cynthia Lanius from Rice University has created this site featuring a broad collection of math lessons that are sure to be "fun, fun, fun!" The lessons are scattered about the page, but you can click on any of the links to get to the actual details. Many involve real-life scenarios and ideas to really get students thinking. These lessons are suitable for upper elementary and middle school students.

K-5 Teaching Resources is an especially great website, and could really be placed under every category in this article. Not only are there lessons, practice tasks, math vocabulary practice ideas and math projects, but you'll also find games and printable items and just about anything else you could need for teaching grades K through 5. By clicking on the links to the different grade levels within the site, you will even be given lists of books that you can use to incorporate literature and language arts into your math lessons.

Learn Zillion is a great place to visit if you're looking to boost classroom discussions with videos and lessons that explain math topics in an easy-to-understand and engaging way. The site offers fun and educational content appropriate for all levels of students. You can use the videos to start a lesson and introduce new ideas, or you can use them to help students draw conclusions and bring it all together.

Who says math can't be fun? With Mathalicious, spicing up middle school and high school math lessons just got a whole lot easier. These amazing collections of lessons will not only get your students thinking and problem solving, but they will have fun while doing it! The lessons are typically geared towards using math in real-life applications, which really helps students see the importance of learning and understating math.

Have you ever heard of the Three Act Math Task? Dan Meyer's has put together some ingenious ideas for changing the way we teach middle and high school math. What's even better, these great ideas are available in a Google spreadsheet, which means anyone can apply them in the classroom. Some of the lessons include videos and data that can be a great starting point for enhancing your lesson, even if you don't follow the three acts.

Shodor is a great resource for students to see math in action. This interactive website has already designed a plethora of fantastic math activities to help students see math at work. The geometry and probability sections are especially helpful!

Online Games

Kids love games! Learning becomes easy with a game that is not only fun, but also meaningful. The next section outlines several resources for the best online math games available.

Mr. Nussbaum is geared towards students in grades pre-K-5. The games are free, entertaining and engaging. Many of the games can be played on iPads and iPhones as well.

Math is Fun is a free website offering mini explanations of math topics from all levels, including elementary to high school. It also features tons of games and puzzles to explore.

Sheppard Software is a great resource for teachers looking for new ways to differentiate. The games offered on this site have many levels, so no matter what stage your student is at, he or she can still practice and have fun! The games are geared towards elementary and middle school students.

Soft Schools has it all, from counting to AP statistics. There are tons of games, worksheets and even online quizzes to help students stay engaged in math.

Cool Math offers a broad collection of free games for a range of age levels. There's also a special section for 3- to 5-year-old students, and you will even find a special section for pre-calculus. Be sure to check out the lessons and activities, too.

Math Playground features games for students that are used to playing video games on consoles, such as Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo DS. The graphics are great for math games, and most are made for elementary and early middle school students. You will also find a link to great iPad apps that give your brain a workout, and many math manipulatives that would be great for use with an interactive white board.

Math Blaster contains a selection of free games with an option to purchase a membership for access to lessons, additional games and other features. There is also a special section for teachers. Games specifically focus on skills for grades pre-K-6.

Math Activities

Some students just need to be able to learn while doing. Gone are the days of the math "drill and kill" lessons, where students silently solved hundreds of problems. Many students benefit from moving around and discussing with other students. The following list includes interesting activities already made or created to help get teachers thinking beyond the worksheet or textbook.

"Gone are the days of the math "drill and kill" lessons..."

Hands on Math Activities was put together by Wendy Sawatzky. Activities are divided up into categories, and each category includes a basic summary of the activities included and an explanation of any extra materials you might need to carry them out.

Education.com has an interesting selection of activities that will keep students motivated about learning. There's a ton of fun and educational activities that will help keep students engaged in the learning process, including projects like using math skills to make toothpaste or making collages of cityscapes using geometric shapes.

Activity Village has an assortment of games using dice! Students will enjoy this site because they will feel like they are playing a game, but they're also learning math, too! Dice are usually available at dollar or discount stores and can be an inexpensive way to spice up the classroom.

Crewton Ramone's House of Math shares some interesting ways of changing up card games in order to help promote math skills. There are so many ways to change up the games so that differentiation becomes a little easier while still allowing everyone a chance to play.

Teach Mama has three absolutely wonderful ideas for games that are easy to make, easy to play and a fun way to learn or practice math skills. These activities are most appropriate for elementary level students.

Homeschooling Hearts and Minds shares a simple way to help students practice place value and other math concepts through the use of an abacus. When students ask why they can't use a calculator in your class, you can tell them to use their abacus!

Education.com has yet another gem. They have put together a nice group of activities specifically for middle school students. The activities are fun and are a perfect way to spice up lessons.

Hands on Math is a blog with a lot of great ideas to make math more engaging and fun. You may have to sift through some of the other posts, but in between are excellent ideas for teaching math and getting students thinking. There is even talk of using playdough to help students learn. Who doesn't love playdough?

Cut the Knot features almost 1500 different activities to make learning math more exciting. Activities are organized into categories to help you quickly find what you are looking to teach. Many of the activities would be suitable to the high school crowd.

Science Buddies has a list of projects suitable for science fairs, but they also include ideas for math. The projects are organized into three difficulty levels. You can use these ideas to create class projects.

Many games can be switched around to fit the topic you are teaching. The difficult part is coming up with enough inventive ways to keep children excited to play. Multiplication.com has a comprehensive list of math games that are easy to play. There's also a guide for each game that explains how to use the games and how easy or difficult they may be for students.

David Gardner has put together 17 pages worth of games designed for primary school students. Again, some of these games can be adapted for use in lessons other than the ones mentioned on the site. In addition, many of the games require little-to-no cost or preparation.

Common Core

Making sense of the rigorous Common Core standards can be tough. However, there are tons of resources out there to help you create the best lessons in accordance with the new standards. The following compilation of resources includes activities, lessons, unit plans and even practice assessment questions to help you best prepare your students for success.

Learning Math at Home

Getting support from families really helps build a relationship between home and school; it also helps students learn and retain information. It is important to keep families informed about the happenings in your classroom. Moreover, parents are often interested in knowing what their children are learning in school. The followings websites include tips and tools that you can share with parents to help them get involved in their child's math education.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has a special section geared towards families. They offer tips for helping with math homework and problems for families to solve together.

The US Department of Education has put together many activities to help build mathematics into everyday life. Helping students and families see the importance of math and how it can be used everywhere is an important step in getting everyone on board for learning! These activities also make math seem fun and interesting when done together as a family.

Here are some ideas on how families can help with math homework from Great Schools. This is another link that you might want to post to your teacher website or email to parents at the beginning of the year. There are also tips to help parents know where to start when trying to work through a difficult homework assignment.

For the elementary levels, Everyday Mathematics has some helpful guidance for parents to help their child(ren) build number sense and become better prepared for higher level math.

EngageNY has put together resources to help families as the Common Core standards are implemented. This is an excellent resource to share with parents of the school where you teach is using the modules created for Common Core.

Ideas for Over the Summer

Creating something meaningful for students to do to keep their math skills in tip-top shape can be time consuming. Instead, here are some premade activities that you can share with your students so that they return in the fall ready to learn.

For grades 1 through 5, there are summer themed math worksheets at Kid Zone . You can share the links with families or print them out and make a packet for students to work on over the summer break.

Family Education has some excellent ideas for activities that students can do over the summer that involve math.

Here are a few others:

Math Contests and Competitions

Sometimes students need an extra challenge. A math contest or competition could be a perfect push to get students motivated. In addition, you could help your students win money towards college, or you could win money for supplies and other classroom necessities.

Moody's Mega Math Challenge offers $20,000 to the winning team each year. Three to five students in 11th or 12th grade work with one teacher to solve a "mega problem." The problems may not seem like math problems at first, but the math is an important part of the solution.

Mathcounts has a Math Video Challenge. Students make a video showing a math problem and its real life applications. Students get a chance to mix their math skills with the technology. In the end, teachers have an archive of videos that answer the age old question, "When are we going to use this?"

The Mathematical Association of America offers the AMC 10/12 test for high school students. It is a multiple choice test with questions ranging from really easy to truly challenging! There is also an AMC 8 for students at the middle school level. If a student happens to do well on the AMC 10/12 he or she could be invited to take part in the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad. Yes, it is basically the Olympics for Mathematics!

If organizing a group of students to travel for a competition seems impractical or too difficult, you can also take part in the National Internet Math Olympiad. The contests are monthly and seasonal, so be sure to check the website often. There is also a Junior Online Math Olympiad) for lower level students to check out.

The Mathematical Association holds the Primary Math Challenge, a competition specifically designed for elementary students. The competition takes place in November, and students that do really well will be asked to take part in a bonus round in February.

The University of Alabama offers a Math by Mail contest. There is no traveling required, and there are cash prizes to be won! The entire contest is done through the mail.

Here is yet another contest for elementary students. Over at Noetic Learning, students can take part in a contest where they will have 45 minutes to answer 20 questions. The top students will earn a medal, and the top 50% will have their names placed on the Noetic Learning website.

The Art of Problem Solving has a great list of competitions categorized by state so that you can find even more way to challenge your students. There are other national competitions listed above as well.

Blogs

Teachers need a place to discuss and grow. Some of the greatest minds out there are blogging away while thinking about teaching and trying to find ways of reaching students and building math understanding. The following list includes some great blogs that you may want check out to gain perspective and build an online support system when you need help.

For the Love of Teaching Math is not only cute, but it's also home to some really great ideas. Sometimes you just need to see how other teachers are doing it, and this blog provides a chance to see a bit of what goes on in another math teacher's brain.

Reflections of a High School Math Teacher offers a great discussion of mathematics in real-world application. Each post is a true mathematical look at real life, and the applications tend to differ from what you find elsewhere.

Dividing by Zero is great for middle school math teachers looking for a blog that is focused on math and the classroom. This savvy blogger shares the triumphs and struggles of teaching middle school math and describes the different activities she has tried while teaching.

Mr. Andrew Stadel writes at Divisible by 3. This blog features a mix of all different types of posts. Many teachers, old and new, will find the discussions worth reading. Mr. Stadel offers a look at different activities he is working on for the 3 Act lessons, and he even discusses assessments. professional development and trainings.

I Speak Math has put together a master list of the many great middle school math blogs currently out there.

Walking in Mathland is a great place to go to find out what other teachers think about an activity they have tried before you try it yourself.

Over at dy/dan, Dan Meyer writes about math education, what is wrong with it and how it can be made better. He writes about the three act lessons that he has put together, professional development opportunities he has taken part in and even other proposed learning models. He thinks deeply about each topic and has a fun way with words that make his articles enjoyable to read.

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Useful Classroom Resources for Math Teachers

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Keeping students engaged and excited about math class can be a tall order. However, with the many advances in technology, it is much easier to make math lessons fun. In addition, technology can also make the math teacher's job a lot easier by providing pre-made activities, options for differentiating and even helping with pre- and [...]

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A website with a plethora of science experiment ideas for elementary teachers and students.

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Science Buddies' elementary school science projects are the perfect way for elementary school students to have fun exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Our elementary school projects are written and tested by scientists and are specifically created for use by students in the elementary school grades. Students can choose to follow the science experiment as written or put their own spin on the project.

For a personalized list of science projects, elementary schoolers can use the Science Buddies Topic Selection Wizard. The wizard asks students to respond to a series of simple statements and then uses their answers to recommend age-appropriate projects that fit their interests.

Explore Our Science Videos

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Science Buddies' elementary school science projects are the perfect way for elementary school students to have fun exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Our elementary school projects are written and tested by scientists and are specifically created for use by students in the elementary school grades.

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A resource with 35 clever book report ideas for elementary aged students.

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Responding to what you read is an important literacy skill. Reading about other people's experiences and perspectives helps kids learn about the world. And although students don't need to dive deeply into every single book they read, occasionally digging into characters, settings, and themes can help them learn to look beyond the prose. Here are 35 creative book report ideas designed to make reading more meaningful.

1. Concrete Found Poem

This clever activity is basically a shape poem made up of words, phrases, and whole sentences found in the books students read. The words come together to create an image that represents something from the story.

2. Graphic Novel

Have students rewrite the book they are reading, or a chapter of their book, as a graphic novel. Set parameters for the assignment such as including six scenes from the story, three characters, details about the setting, etc. And, of course, include detailed illustrations to accompany the story.

3. Book Snaps

Book Snaps are a way for students to visually show how they are reacting to, processing, and/or connecting with a text. First, students snap a picture of a page in the book they are reading. Then, they add comments, images, highlights, and more.

4. Diary Entry

Have your students place themselves in the shoes of one of the characters from their book and write a first-person diary entry of a critical moment from the story. Ask them to choose a moment in the story where the character has plenty of interaction and emotion to share in a diary entry.

5. Character To-Do List

This fun activity is an off-the-beaten-path way to dive deep into character analysis. Get inside the head of the main character in a book and write a to-do list that they might write. Use actual information from the text, but also make inferences into what that character may wish to accomplish.

6. Mint Tin Book Report

There are so many super-creative, open-ended projects you can use mint tins for. This teacher blogger describes the process of creating book reports and using them. There's even a free template for cards that fit inside.

7. Fictional Yearbook Entries

Ask your students to create a yearbook based on the characters and setting in the book. What do they look like? Cut out magazine pictures to give a good visual image for their school picture. What kind of superlative might they get? Best looking? Class clown? What clubs would they be in or lead? Did they win any awards? It should be obvious from their small yearbooks whether your students dug deep into the characters in their books. They may also learn that who we are as individuals is reflected in what we choose to do with our lives.

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8. Book Report Cake

This project would be perfect for a book tasting in your classroom! Each student presents their book report in the shape of food. See the sandwich and pizza options above and check out this blog for more delicious ideas.

9. Current Events Comparison

Have students locate three to five current events articles a character in their book might be interested in. After they've found the articles, have them explain why the character would find them interesting and how they relate to the book. Learning about how current events affect time, place, and people is critical to helping develop opinions about what we read and experience in life.

10. Sandwich Book Report

Yum! You'll notice a lot of our creative book report ideas revolve around food. In this oldie but goodie, each layer of this book report sandwich covers a different element of the book-characters, setting, conflict, etc. A fun adaptation of this project is the book report cheeseburger.

11. Book Alphabet

Choose 15 to 20 alphabet books to help give your students examples of how they work around themes. Then ask your students to create their own Book Alphabet based on the book they read. What artifacts, vocabulary words, and names reflect the important parts of the book? After they find a word to represent each letter, have them write one sentence that explains where the word fits in.

12. Peekaboo Book Report

Using cardboard lap books (or small science report boards), students include details about their book's main characters, plot, setting, conflict, resolution, etc. Then they draw a head and arms on card stock and attach them to the board from behind to make it look like the main character is peeking over the report.

13. T-Shirt Book Report

Another fun and creative idea: Create a wearable book report with a plain white tee. Come up with your own using Sharpie pens and acrylic paint. Get step-by-step directions.

14. Book Jacket

Have students create a new book jacket for their story. Include an attractive illustrated cover, a summary, a short biography of the author, and a few reviews from readers.

15. Watercolor Rainbow Book Report

This is great for biography research projects. Students cut out a photocopied image of their subject and glue it in the middle. Then, they draw lines from the image to the edges of the paper, like rays of sunshine, and fill in each section with information about the person. As a book report template, the center image could be a copy of the book cover, and each section expands on key information such as character names, theme(s), conflict, resolution, etc.

16. Act the Part

Have students dress up as their favorite character from the book and present an oral book report. If their favorite character is not the main character, retell the story from their point of view.

17. Pizza Box Book Report

If you're looking for creative book report ideas that use upcycled materials, try this one using a pizza box. It works well for both nonfiction and fiction book reports. The top lid provides a picture of the book cover. Each wedge of the pizza pie tells part of the story.

18. Bookmark

Have students create a custom illustrated bookmark including drawings and words from either their favorite chapter or the entire book.

19. Book Reports in a Bag

This project really encourages creative thinking. Students read a book and write a summary. Then, they decorate a paper grocery bag with a scene from the book, place five items that represent something from the book inside the bag, and present the bag to the class.

20. Reading Lists for Characters

Ask your students to think about a character in their book. What kinds of books might that character like to read? Take them to the library to choose five books the character might have on their to-be-read list. Have them list the books and explain what each book might mean to the character. Post the to-be-read lists for others to see and choose from-there's nothing like trying out a book character's style when developing your own identity.

21. File Folder Book Report

Also called a lap book, this easy-to-make book report hits on all the major elements of a book study and gives students a chance to show what they know in a colorful way.

22. Collage

Create a collage using pictures and words that represent different parts of the book. Use old magazines or print pictures from the internet.

23. Book Report Triorama

Who doesn't love a multidimensional book report? This image shows a 3D model, but the link provides a lesson to show students how to glue four triangles together to make a 4D model.

24. Timeline

Have students create a timeline of the main events from their book. Be sure to include character names and details for each event. Use 8 x 11 sheets of paper taped together or a long portion of bulletin board paper.

25. Clothes Hanger Book Report Mobile

This creative project doesn't require a fancy or expensive supply list. Students just need an ordinary clothes hanger, strings, and paper. The body of the hanger is used to identify the book, and the cards on the strings dangling below are filled with key elements of the book, like characters, setting, and a summary.

26. Public Service Announcement

If a student has read a book about a cause that affects people, animals, or the environment, teach them about public service announcements. Once they understand what a PSA is, have them research the issue or cause that stood out in the book. Then give them a template for a storyboard so they can create their own PSA. Some students might want to take it a step further and create a video based on their storyboard. Consider sharing their storyboard or video with an organization that supports the cause or issue.

27. Dodecahedron Book Report

Creative book report ideas think outside the box. In this case, it's a ball! SO much information can be covered on the 12 panels, and it allows students to take a deep dive in a creative way.

28. Character Cards

Make trading cards (like baseball cards) for a few characters from the book. On the front side, draw the character. On the back side, make a list of their character traits and include a quote or two.

29. Book Report Booklets

This clever book report is made from ordinary paper bags. Stack the paper bags on top of each other, fold them in half, and staple the closed-off ends of the bags together. Students can write, draw, and decorate on the paper bag pages. They can also record information on writing or drawing paper and glue the paper onto the pages. The open ends of the bags can be used as pockets to insert photos, cut-outs, postcards, or other flat items that help them tell their story.

30. Letter to the Author

Write a letter to the author of the book. Tell them three things you really liked about the story. Ask three questions about the plot, characters, or anything else you're curious about.

31. Book Report Charm Bracelet

What a "charming" way to write a book report! Each illustrated bracelet charm captures a character, an event in the plot, setting, or other detail.

32. Fact Sheet

Create a list of 10 facts that you learned from reading the book. Write your facts in complete sentences, and be sure that each fact is something that you didn't know before you read the book.

33. Cereal Box TV Book Report

This book report project is a low-tech version of a television made from a cereal box and two paper towel rolls. Students create the viewing screen cut-out at the top, then insert a scroll of paper with writing and illustrations inside the box. When the cardboard roll is rotated, the story unfolds.

34. Be a Character Therapist

Therapists work to uncover their clients' fears based on their words and actions. When we read books, we must learn to use a character's actions and dialogue to infer their fears. Many plots revolve around a character's fear and the work it takes to overcome that fear. Ask students to identify a character's fear and find 8 to 10 scenes that prove this fear exists. Then have them write about ways the character overcame the fear (or didn't) in the story. What might the character have done differently?

35. Mind Maps

Mind maps can be a great way to synthesize what students have learned from reading a book. Plus, there are so many ways to approach them. Begin by writing a central idea in the middle of the page. For example, general information, characters, plot, etc. Then branch out from the center with ideas, thoughts, and connections to material from the book.

36. Foldables

From Rainbows Within Reach, this clever idea would be a great introduction to writing book reports. Adapt the flap categories for students at different levels. Adjust the number of categories (or flaps) per the needs of your students.

37. Board games

This is a great project if you want your students to develop a little more insight into what they're reading. Have them think about the elements of their favorite board games and think about how they can be adapted to fit this assignment. For more, here are step by step directions.

38. Comic strips

Students who like to express themselves through visual arts can create a comic book based on the book they read. Include an illustrated cover with the title and author. The pages of the book should retell the story using dialogue and descriptions of the setting and characters. Of course, no comic book would be complete without copious illustrations and thought bubbles.

39. Timeline

Create a timeline using a long roll of butcher paper, a poster board, or index cards taped together. For each event on the timeline, write a brief description of what happens. Add pictures, clip art, word art and symbols to make your time line more lively and colorful.

40. Cereal Box

Recycle a cereal box and create a book report Wheaties-style. Decorate all sides of the box with information about the book's characters, setting, plot, summary,etc.

41. Wanted Poster

Make a "wanted" poster for one of the book's main characters. Indicate whether they are wanted dead or alive. Include a picture of the character. Also, a description of what the character is "wanted" for, three examples of the character showing this trait, and a detailed account of where the character was last seen.

42. Movie Version

If the book your students have read has been made into a movie, have them write a report about how the versions are alike and different. If the book has not been made into a movie, have them write a report telling how they would make it into a movie, using specific details from the book.

What creative book report ideas did we miss? Come share in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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Book reports don't have to be boring. Help your students make the books come alive with these 35 creative book report ideas.

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Unique ways to spice up your classroom environment with innovated bulletin board ideas.

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SplashLearn Blog – Educational Resources for Parents, Teachers & Kids

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35 Best Bulletin Board Ideas to Make Your Classroom Look Attractive

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These 35 bulletin board ideas are easy to execute & with them, you’re sure to provide an engaging learning environment. Check them out now!

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Advice on how to handle difficult parents.

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Tips and tricks to help with classroom management.

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23 Brilliant Classroom Management Strategies and Techniques

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Techniques for designing and maintaining your own ideal classroom learning environment.

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Reminder to be the champion that every kid needs!

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Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion | TED

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Behavior management suggestions.

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For all the different teachers out there, there are as many different behavior management ideas. There is no one magical answer to mastering student behaviors. Some teachers use multiple ways with multiple kids. Some teachers have one simple solution. I know that in my classroom, I had new strategies depending on what week of the year it was. It changed all the time.

I'm writing this blog post to bring many different ideas to you so that you can try out new strategies and techniques! I hope it inspires you to try something new or improve a strategy you're already using.

Keep them moving

Many times, when kids are moving or acting out, their mind just needs a break. Looking back on my years of teaching, there were many situations where I've had to get after a wild child or two, but could have avoided that had I given them more opportunities to move.

Brain Breaks became a staple in my classroom and are one of my favorite behavior management ideas from two years ago when I discovered Adventure to Fitness and GoNoodle.

Brain Breaks

GoNoodle is a fantastic and free way to give kids brain breaks. You can also pay for the yearly membership, which provides even more content!

Adventure to Fitness is a wonderful tool to use. It is a little bit longer than a five-minute brain break, but you can save your progress, and the kids can come in and out of their adventures. This is wonderful for indoor recess or a refocusing time after a transition, such as specials or lunch.

No time for tech? The Happy Teacher has you covered! Click her blog post for a fabulous idea.

Create relationships from the beginning

Making a student feel safe and secure can prevent many issues of acting out. If they know that they're individually loved and cared for, this may decrease the number of situations where a student acts out in order to get your attention. Treat your students like adults. Shakes their hands when they enter your classroom. Look them in the eye. Call them by their names. Make them feel like they belong there.

Focus on the positive

Sometimes, you'll have that kiddo that this may seem tough for! But trust me, that kiddo is the one that needs your love the most. Try the 4:1 ratio which is four positives to every negative. That way, whenever a student is corrected or called out, they don't feel overwhelmed with negativity. Keep the same thing in mind for parent communication. Send home 1-2 positive notes or emails home about their kiddos before you call home with anything negative. It's too overwhelming to only hear about the negative. But reminding them of the things they're doing right builds confidence and reiterates what you're looking for in your classroom.

Try the traditional systems

Clip charts and color changes are your traditional behavior management systems. I started my first two years using the color change system. Although I didn't love the inability for the child to redeem themselves after a color change, it was my district's behavior plan, and I stuck to it. Then, I talked to my principal and told him about clip charts that I had seen on Pinterest and TPT. He was intrigued by this behavior management idea. He agreed to let me use it, and I never went back. The great thing about clip charts is that the students have the opportunity to redeem themselves after a rough start to the day. It also gives a bit of padding if they've had a great day, but maybe melted down in the last half hour of school.

Color Changing Clip Chart - Behavior Management Ideas

I first used the Lakeshore behavior chart.

(Source Owl Decor and Chalk Owl Decor)

Then I started using the vertical system. On the left is what I used first, then I decided the year after to put it next to my rules so that the students could read through the classroom rules after a clip down.

Try the new technology systems

Class Dojo is a newer technology system that makes behavior management meaningful and fun for the kids! I have never had a class that didn't love their avatars and earning their points.

(Source: FlapJack Education and Mrs. Cain's Creations)

Whole-Class System - Behavior Management Ideas

Haley from My Silly Firsties has great ideas for how to use this as a whole-class system.

OR try new noise level systems as one behavior management idea. Using apps, you can measure the noise in your classroom and let the students be in control of their own noise level.

(Source: Free Tech for Teachers and Secrets of the Second Grade Sisters)

Give them a safe place

If you have some serious behavior issues in your class that can be set off no matter how many behavior management techniques you use, you need safety measures put in place to keep all of your darlings safe. One year, I had two E.B.D. students who had violent tantrums. Luckily, I had an assistant at the time who could help with my class while I helped out my buddies. Sometimes, a cool-down station was all they needed. They met with our counselor and our counselor suggested these students remove themselves from any situation before they feel their anger rise. If the students removed themselves from a situation, the cool-down station was where they went to feel better.

(Source: Unknown- broken link on Pinterest)

Experiment with the Whole Brain Teaching

Two years ago, I started using bits and pieces of W.B.T. It's a very big classroom system to take on and learn, but it was well worth it. The call/response kept my kids alert and responsible. My kids were always very attentive whenever they knew they were about to call/respond using hand motions. I knew since it was brand new to me that I needed to ease my way into it, but after a while, it becomes natural!

(Source: Mrs. Ricca's Kindergarten and An Apple for the Teacher)

Grab more ideas for Whole Brain Teaching on my WBT Pinterest Board.

And grab more ideas for behavior management on my Behavior Management Pinterest Board.

Behavior Management Ideas

Thanks again for reading and please subscribe to my newsletter for even more helpful content.

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For all the different teachers out there, there are as many different behavior management ideas. There is no one magical answer to mastering student behaviors. Some teachers use multiple ways with multiple kids. Some teachers have one simple solution. I know that in my classroom, I had new strategies depending on what week of the year it was.

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Qualities of being a good teacher and ways to actually live them.

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Should the qualities of a good teacher be defined solely by student achievement?

Or should they encompass traits more difficult to measure -- such as the capacity to connect emotionally with children?

Among the sea of advice, tips, and quotes on teaching, the best solution is to turn to the research.

We pored through hundreds of pages of scholarship, studies, and firsthand accounts about what defines great teaching.

We discovered 6 key behaviours that make a great teacher-- and defined 25 specific, actionable ways to apply those behaviours in the classroom. Start testing them with your students to stimulate a more exciting, dynamic, and engaging experience in your coming lessons!

1. A good teacher instills confidence

In the book 50 Ways to Improve Student Behavior, middle school teacher Todd Whitaker highlights low student confidence as one of the most persistent obstacles to the success of any teacher. He breaks down a worrying trend:

Many students do not believe that their teachers actually believe in them

Many students do not believe that their parents actually believe in them

Many students do not believe that any adult actually believes in them

Many students, therefore, do not believe in themselves

Students who do not believe in themselves tend to have more behavioral and academic problems

If the final point's conclusion is obvious, the inverse should be just as clear: If students who don't believe in themselves have issues in the classroom, those who do believe in themselves will be better-equipped to succeed academically.

This insight is backed by a 2011 study suggesting student confidence is positively correlated with academic performance and behavioral improvement.

Teacher skills to build student confidence

Make learning goal-oriented -- If you set defined goals with your students -- at the beginning of the school year or even of each lesson -- the whole class will have a better understanding of its individual and collective accomplishments. To make learning more goal-oriented, make decisive statements about the day's learning goals. For example, start a lesson with a statement such as "today you will learn the first step of multiplication" and finish the class by saying, "Congratulations! Now you're ready to show your parents you're learning how to multiply!" Cultivating this perspective helps students take confidence from their own progress, boosting learning outcomes and motivation.

Instill a growth mindset-- According to psychologist Carol Dweck, a fixed mindset conceives of student skills as rigid and inflexible. In contrast, a growth mindset views student learning as fluid and changing, and aims to develop children's skills and talents through effort and persistence. The growth mindset, Dweck notes, helps students become more receptive to lessons and feedback. While the details of the pedagogy can be subtle, a few common ways to instill a growth mindset include actions as simple as encouraging students to expand their answers more consistently or using success folders.

Reassure your students verbally --As elementary teacher Todd Whittaker argues, if you want a student to believe in himself, "then actually tell him that you believe in him, that you will not give up on him, that you understand his struggles, and that you are there for him. Far too many teachers forget to do this -- to tell and show their students they actually believe in them." Among the many research-driven discussions of pedagogy and teaching strategies, it can be easy to forget the power of simply reassuring and encouraging your students verbally to instill confidence in their abilities.

Harness the power of EdTech -- Most teachers agree educational technology is a useful teaching tool: In a study conducted by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, almost 80% of K-8 classroom teachers surveyed said that digital games have "improved student mastery of curricular content". Using educational technology in the classroom makes it easier to teach students of all learning backgrounds, helping teachers bring even the most timid of students out of their shells. Use curriculum-aligned learning games, such as Prodigy,, to keep students engaged with lessons and help boost their learning outcomes.

2. A good teacher manages the classroom effectively

A teacher can be knowledgeable, prepared -- and even a great communicator -- but still fail simply because of an inability to deal with misbehavior in the classroom. Classroom management encompasses all the strategies a teacher deploys to organize and arrange students, learning materials, space, and use of classroom time to maximize the efficiency of teaching and learning. This helps students enjoy an organized, structured environment with an emphasis on a positive educational atmosphere that is conducive to learning.

Teacher skills for effective classroom management

Define Classroom Rules -- In his book Classroom Management That Works, researcher Robert Marzano argues effective teachers "have a minimum number of classroom rules, which tend to focus on expectations of how to act toward one another, maintain a safe environment, and participate in learning." These teachers offer clear explanations of the rules, model the rules, rehearse the expectations with students, and offer the classroom "opportunities to be successful in meeting the expectations." While there is no magic number of rules that govern a classroom, it's clear the establishment of fair, reasonable, enforceable, and consistently applied rules will have a deep impact on behavior in the classroom.

Establish a routine -- In a study to assess the characteristics of effective teachers, researchers found that instructors who "use classroom routines as a means of enforcing high standards for classroom behavior" enjoy greater success. To cultivate a positive and orderly learning environment, establish a routine and system wherever necessary for your daily tasks and requirements -- from the general to the specific. For example, if a student becomes stuck on an assignment, outline clear, teacher-approved guidelines for seeking help in a timely way (e.g., asking peers for assistance and -- if still unsolved -- seeking the teacher's help).

Infographic: How to manage your classroom more effectively. Click to expand!

Consider a flexible seating arrangement -- Research has shown that physically adjusting the classroom environment can foster greater collaboration, communication, and interaction between students and teachers alike. Flexible seating can facilitate teacher-child interaction on a level beyond what's commonly seen in traditional, teacher-fronted settings. Moreover, the novelty and stimulation students enjoy through an interactive and changing classroom setting positively impacts behavior, according to Sheryl Feinstein's book From the Brain to the Classroom. Flexible seating classrooms can solve a problem often seen in fixed classrooms, in which students "tend to seek out their own stimulation through movement, off-task talking, or disruptive behaviors."

Flexible seating classrooms employ unconventional seating arrangements to alter and improve the classroom atmosphere.

3. A good teacher is prepared

Every day, the effective teacher comes to class prepared to teach. As James Stronge writes in his influential book Qualities of Effective Teachers, "organizing time and preparing materials in advance of instruction have been noted as [among] the most important aspects of effective teaching."But "preparation" can be a confusing term; two different teachers might have completely different definitions of what, exactly, constitutes a truly "prepared" instructor. Consider the action items below to bolster your preparation -- and ensure you feel confident addressing your class at the start of every lesson.

Teacher skills for effective preparation

Know your content -- In chapter three of Educating Teachers of Science, Mathematics, and Technology, the authors argue that content preparation is critical for high-quality teaching, writing that it is "positively related to student achievement within specific subjects, especially in mathematics and science." So, how can you be more prepared with your content knowledge? Consider the three pillars highlighted among the INTASC Core Principles on the Expectations of Teachers' Content:

Knowledge -- The teacher understands major concepts, assumptions, debates, processes of inquiry, and ways of knowing that are central to the discipline(s) s/he teaches.

Dispositions -- The teacher realizes that subject matter knowledge is not a fixed body of facts but is complex and ever evolving. S/he seeks to keep abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field

Performances -- The teacher effectively uses multiple representations and explanations of disciplinary concepts that capture key ideas and link them to students' prior understandings.

Courtesy of the Yale Center for Teaching and Learning, consider the following list, "The Types of Things that Teachers Often Do to Prepare for Class":

Do the reading and problem sets

Take notes on the material

Review lecture notes for the week

Prepare an outline of issues to cover in class

Make a list of questions to use in class or write on the board

Make a handout of topics to discuss in class

Make a study guide to hand out

Design a homework assignment or question for students to prepare for a future class

Compile bibliographies or other outside information related to the material

Assemble visual material

Prepare supplemental reading

Prepare handouts on writing tips, research methods, problem solving, lab techniques, etc.

Meet with the professor and/or other TFs to discuss the material and how to present it in section

Review students' questions to anticipate their concerns, problems, interests

Make up quizzes

Devise debates, small group discussion, or other interactive projects

Copy articles relevant to the discussion at hand from newspapers and other periodicals

4. A good teacher sets high expectations

Effective teachers don't set limits on their students. They have high standards, they consistently challenge students to do their best, and they are caring professionals who teach students to believe in themselves.As an educator, you know you should always expect the best of your students and encourage them to learn to their utmost potential. But you also know doing so on a daily basis can be incredibly challenging. Fortunately, there are a number of useful ways to set high expectations without burning yourself -- or your students -- out.

Teacher skills for setting high expectations

Don't praise low quality work -- In the book High Expectations Teaching, researcher and educational consultant Jon Saphier declares, "Praising low quality work communicates low expectations." Communicating that message can have grave consequences. If you communicate low expectations to already underachieving students, "you are not ... pushing them to meet standards they could actually reach." While you may encourage students with good intentions, doing so when they hand in or deliver substandard work can negatively impact the learning process on a fundamental level. This highlights the importance of using praise and rewards strategically -- and emphasizes the significance of using feedback correctly as a teacher.

Check for understanding -- Teachers with high expectations don't want any students going out the door without knowing where they stand on the day's content. Check students' understanding (for example, by doing a formative assessment) as a dedicated daily (or, to start, weekly) commitment in every lesson. For example, checking questions, performing over-the-shoulder observations of student work, and listening in to group talk are all strategies you can use to communicate your high expectations as a teacher.

React to changes in performance -- A dramatic downturn in a student's performance represents an opportunity to send strong messages surrounding your academic expectations. A student whose performance has dipped may be told, "This is not the standard of work I know you're capable of. We need to find out what is happening and make a plan to get you back on track." Such a remark from a respected teacher can, according to Jon Saphier, "be a powerful spur to a flagging student." Note that the language around reacting to negative behaviors -- as with writing report card comments -- requires tact and subtlety; ensure that you frame the comment in a way that provokes the student to consider their own ability to do well. Try to get your students to consider not only that they have the ability to do well, but there is something they have done to bring about the result.

Deliver feedback according to criteria for success -- Research on teaching skills shows positive feedback to be a critical skill for teachers to master, with middle school teacher Hattie Marzano writing, "The most powerful single modification that enhances student achievement is feedback." Skilful feedback does not simply declare work to be right or wrong, but enables self-correction and self-adjustment. For example, instead of simply saying "You have stated the author's point of view correctly," develop your feedback, adding something such as "...but you are missing the reasons behind that point of view. Try to ... " Marzano notes a teacher's feedback is a "tacit expression of confidence ... embedded in the language used about how capable we think students are." If your feedback is actionable, frequent, detailed, and specific, students will understand you want them to succeed and are supporting them in their effort to master materials.

5. A good teacher practices self-reflection

A 2010 study about the role of critical reflection in teacher education declared teachers "must continually examine and evaluate their attitudes, practices, effectiveness, and accomplishments." The same study observed that critical reflection enhances teachers' knowledge and skills, finding it can help instructors "deeply understand the ways in which their teaching styles enhance their ability to challenge the traditional mode of practice" and to "define how they will grow as teachers."Without reflection, you run the continual risk of making poor decisions, using bad judgment, or unquestioningly believing that students can always accurately interpret your actions as intended. Without the tendency to assess your own abilities, you may continue to plan and teach on the basis of unexamined assumptions -- and remain unaware of your biggest strengths and weaknesses.

Teacher skills for self-reflection

Use a daily reflection tool such as a journal -- In its most basic terms, the goal of journal writing is to provide a record of the significant learning experiences that have taken place during the school day. This helps you take stock of the day's events and, eventually, identify what strengths and weaknesses consistently come up -- helping you pause, review, and gain some perspective on the day's lesson(s), and, by extension, your skills as a teacher. Moreover, using a journal to record classroom anecdotes will help when it comes time to write report cards or assessments. No matter how involved you are in your students' progress, it can still be difficult to produce specific examples related to student performance if you haven't recorded them along the way.

An example of a daily reflection journal.

Try peer observation - Peer observation provides a chance for instructors to view, assess and learn from one another's teaching. This helps expose teachers to different instructional styles and strategies, stimulating critical reflection on their own classroom habits and methodologies. You might be surprised at how enjoyable the process is -- and how willing your colleagues are to collaborate!

Record lessons -- While there are a number of potential insights you can gain from diaries and written self-assessments, they can't always capture the dynamic, day-to-day processes and events of classroom teaching. Many notable classroom events may not have been observed by the teacher -- or even remembered -- thus exemplifying the value of diaries or self-reports with audio recordings of actual lessons.

Practice self-inquiry -- Posing "what and why" questions give teachers an important sense of perspective and power over their teaching. Researchers Ryan & Cooper developed a set of questions for reflective teachers to ask:

What am I doing and why?

How can I better meet my students' needs?

What options are available?

How can I encourage more involvement or learning on the part of the students?

Have I considered my own values as a professional and my comfort level acting on those values?

What conscious choice can I make to make a difference?

A self-assessment: What are the qualities of a good teacher?

Based on the research of Jeffrey Glanz in his book Classroom Strategies for the Beginning Teacher, there are eight categories to consider when quizzing your own teaching skills:

6. A good teacher uses teaching strategies

As most educators know, the traditional, teacher-focused, lecture-style teaching method can lead to disengagement and boredom (for both teachers and students) quite quickly.That's where the deployment of different teaching strategies comes into play.In her book Effective Teaching and Learning, Naga Subramani argues that the effective teacher "constantly renews himself [or herself] as a professional on his [or her] quest to provide students with the highest quality of education possible. This teacher has no fear of learning new teaching strategies or incorporating new technologies into lessons."

You can exhibit this spirit of "fearlessness" with a variety of fun, dynamic and engaging teaching strategies that benefit both the teacher and the student.

Some of the more prominent and useful teaching strategies are outlined below:

Active learning strategies put students at the center of the learning process, enriching the classroom experience and boosting engagement. Use them to help students talk more openly, think more creatively and - ultimately - feel more engaged in the process of learning.

Experiential learning activities build knowledge and skills through direct experience, deploying a student-centered approach that empowers participants to take learning into their own hands and apply it in an engaging context.

Project-based learning uses an open-ended approach in which students work alone or collectively to produce an engaging, intricate curriculum-related questions or challenges. Encourage students to apply skills and knowledge they've developed in your classes, and allow students to take their own approaches to develop an answer and deliver a product.

Inquiry-based learning is a learning and teaching method that prioritizes student questions, ideas and analyses. It is subdivided into four categories, all of which promote the importance of students' role in the development of thought-provoking questions and ideas.

Adaptive learning focuses on changing - or "adapting" - learning content for students on an individual basis, particularly with the help of technology.

Cooperative learning involves delivering instruction through small groups, empowering students to work together to build their understanding of a variety of topics and concepts.

Differentiated instruction is most aptly defined by its responsiveness to students' learning preferences, and involves the ongoing use of assessment to collect information about where students are in their learning. Teachers apply this information to vary the learning environment, instruction, and assessment and evaluation.

The Qualities of a Good Teacher: Final Thoughts

There is no single solution to the question of what makes a great teacher.To those who have never taught, it is difficult to grasp how diverse and dynamic a skillset one needs to succeed in a busy, demanding classroom setting.For some, these challenges are overwhelming.But they don't have to be.Consider these six qualities -- and the actionable methods for putting them into practice -- to sharpen and develop your own skills. The results, as you may find, can make all the difference.

Should the qualities of a good teacher be defined solely by student achievement?

Or should they encompass traits more difficult to measure -- such as the capacity to connect emotionally with children?

Among the sea of advice, tips, and quotes on teaching, the best solution is to turn to the research.

We pored through hundreds of pages of scholarship, studies, and firsthand accounts about what defines great teaching.

We discovered 6 key behaviours that make a great teacher-- and defined 25 specific, actionable ways to apply those behaviours in the classroom. Start testing them with your students to stimulate a more exciting, dynamic, and engaging experience in your coming lessons!

1. A good teacher instills confidence

In the book 50 Ways to Improve Student Behavior, middle school teacher Todd Whitaker highlights low student confidence as one of the most persistent obstacles to the success of any teacher. He breaks down a worrying trend:

Many students do not believe that their teachers actually believe in them

Many students do not believe that their parents actually believe in them

Many students do not believe that any adult actually believes in them

Many students, therefore, do not believe in themselves

Students who do not believe in themselves tend to have more behavioral and academic problems

If the final point's conclusion is obvious, the inverse should be just as clear: If students who don't believe in themselves have issues in the classroom, those who do believe in themselves will be better-equipped to succeed academically.

This insight is backed by a 2011 study suggesting student confidence is positively correlated with academic performance and behavioral improvement.

Teacher skills to build student confidence

Make learning goal-oriented -- If you set defined goals with your students -- at the beginning of the school year or even of each lesson -- the whole class will have a better understanding of its individual and collective accomplishments. To make learning more goal-oriented, make decisive statements about the day's learning goals. For example, start a lesson with a statement such as "today you will learn the first step of multiplication" and finish the class by saying, "Congratulations! Now you're ready to show your parents you're learning how to multiply!" Cultivating this perspective helps students take confidence from their own progress, boosting learning outcomes and motivation.

Instill a growth mindset-- According to psychologist Carol Dweck, a fixed mindset conceives of student skills as rigid and inflexible. In contrast, a growth mindset views student learning as fluid and changing, and aims to develop children's skills and talents through effort and persistence. The growth mindset, Dweck notes, helps students become more receptive to lessons and feedback. While the details of the pedagogy can be subtle, a few common ways to instill a growth mindset include actions as simple as encouraging students to expand their answers more consistently or using success folders.

Reassure your students verbally --As elementary teacher Todd Whittaker argues, if you want a student to believe in himself, "then actually tell him that you believe in him, that you will not give up on him, that you understand his struggles, and that you are there for him. Far too many teachers forget to do this -- to tell and show their students they actually believe in them." Among the many research-driven discussions of pedagogy and teaching strategies, it can be easy to forget the power of simply reassuring and encouraging your students verbally to instill confidence in their abilities.

Harness the power of EdTech -- Most teachers agree educational technology is a useful teaching tool: In a study conducted by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, almost 80% of K-8 classroom teachers surveyed said that digital games have "improved student mastery of curricular content". Using educational technology in the classroom makes it easier to teach students of all learning backgrounds, helping teachers bring even the most timid of students out of their shells. Use curriculum-aligned learning games, such as Prodigy,, to keep students engaged with lessons and help boost their learning outcomes.

2. A good teacher manages the classroom effectively

A teacher can be knowledgeable, prepared -- and even a great communicator -- but still fail simply because of an inability to deal with misbehavior in the classroom. Classroom management encompasses all the strategies a teacher deploys to organize and arrange students, learning materials, space, and use of classroom time to maximize the efficiency of teaching and learning. This helps students enjoy an organized, structured environment with an emphasis on a positive educational atmosphere that is conducive to learning.

Teacher skills for effective classroom management

Define Classroom Rules -- In his book Classroom Management That Works, researcher Robert Marzano argues effective teachers "have a minimum number of classroom rules, which tend to focus on expectations of how to act toward one another, maintain a safe environment, and participate in learning." These teachers offer clear explanations of the rules, model the rules, rehearse the expectations with students, and offer the classroom "opportunities to be successful in meeting the expectations." While there is no magic number of rules that govern a classroom, it's clear the establishment of fair, reasonable, enforceable, and consistently applied rules will have a deep impact on behavior in the classroom.

Establish a routine -- In a study to assess the characteristics of effective teachers, researchers found that instructors who "use classroom routines as a means of enforcing high standards for classroom behavior" enjoy greater success. To cultivate a positive and orderly learning environment, establish a routine and system wherever necessary for your daily tasks and requirements -- from the general to the specific. For example, if a student becomes stuck on an assignment, outline clear, teacher-approved guidelines for seeking help in a timely way (e.g., asking peers for assistance and -- if still unsolved -- seeking the teacher's help).

Infographic: How to manage your classroom more effectively. Click to expand!

Consider a flexible seating arrangement -- Research has shown that physically adjusting the classroom environment can foster greater collaboration, communication, and interaction between students and teachers alike. Flexible seating can facilitate teacher-child interaction on a level beyond what's commonly seen in traditional, teacher-fronted settings. Moreover, the novelty and stimulation students enjoy through an interactive and changing classroom setting positively impacts behavior, according to Sheryl Feinstein's book From the Brain to the Classroom. Flexible seating classrooms can solve a problem often seen in fixed classrooms, in which students "tend to seek out their own stimulation through movement, off-task talking, or disruptive behaviors."

Flexible seating classrooms employ unconventional seating arrangements to alter and improve the classroom atmosphere.

3. A good teacher is prepared

Every day, the effective teacher comes to class prepared to teach. As James Stronge writes in his influential book Qualities of Effective Teachers, "organizing time and preparing materials in advance of instruction have been noted as [among] the most important aspects of effective teaching."But "preparation" can be a confusing term; two different teachers might have completely different definitions of what, exactly, constitutes a truly "prepared" instructor. Consider the action items below to bolster your preparation -- and ensure you feel confident addressing your class at the start of every lesson.

Teacher skills for effective preparation

Know your content -- In chapter three of Educating Teachers of Science, Mathematics, and Technology, the authors argue that content preparation is critical for high-quality teaching, writing that it is "positively related to student achievement within specific subjects, especially in mathematics and science." So, how can you be more prepared with your content knowledge? Consider the three pillars highlighted among the INTASC Core Principles on the Expectations of Teachers' Content:

Knowledge -- The teacher understands major concepts, assumptions, debates, processes of inquiry, and ways of knowing that are central to the discipline(s) s/he teaches.

Dispositions -- The teacher realizes that subject matter knowledge is not a fixed body of facts but is complex and ever evolving. S/he seeks to keep abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field

Performances -- The teacher effectively uses multiple representations and explanations of disciplinary concepts that capture key ideas and link them to students' prior understandings.

Courtesy of the Yale Center for Teaching and Learning, consider the following list, "The Types of Things that Teachers Often Do to Prepare for Class":

Do the reading and problem sets

Take notes on the material

Review lecture notes for the week

Prepare an outline of issues to cover in class

Make a list of questions to use in class or write on the board

Make a handout of topics to discuss in class

Make a study guide to hand out

Design a homework assignment or question for students to prepare for a future class

Compile bibliographies or other outside information related to the material

Assemble visual material

Prepare supplemental reading

Prepare handouts on writing tips, research methods, problem solving, lab techniques, etc.

Meet with the professor and/or other TFs to discuss the material and how to present it in section

Review students' questions to anticipate their concerns, problems, interests

Make up quizzes

Devise debates, small group discussion, or other interactive projects

Copy articles relevant to the discussion at hand from newspapers and other periodicals

4. A good teacher sets high expectations

Effective teachers don't set limits on their students. They have high standards, they consistently challenge students to do their best, and they are caring professionals who teach students to believe in themselves.As an educator, you know you should always expect the best of your students and encourage them to learn to their utmost potential. But you also know doing so on a daily basis can be incredibly challenging. Fortunately, there are a number of useful ways to set high expectations without burning yourself -- or your students -- out.

Teacher skills for setting high expectations

Don't praise low quality work -- In the book High Expectations Teaching, researcher and educational consultant Jon Saphier declares, "Praising low quality work communicates low expectations." Communicating that message can have grave consequences. If you communicate low expectations to already underachieving students, "you are not ... pushing them to meet standards they could actually reach." While you may encourage students with good intentions, doing so when they hand in or deliver substandard work can negatively impact the learning process on a fundamental level. This highlights the importance of using praise and rewards strategically -- and emphasizes the significance of using feedback correctly as a teacher.

Check for understanding -- Teachers with high expectations don't want any students going out the door without knowing where they stand on the day's content. Check students' understanding (for example, by doing a formative assessment) as a dedicated daily (or, to start, weekly) commitment in every lesson. For example, checking questions, performing over-the-shoulder observations of student work, and listening in to group talk are all strategies you can use to communicate your high expectations as a teacher.

React to changes in performance -- A dramatic downturn in a student's performance represents an opportunity to send strong messages surrounding your academic expectations. A student whose performance has dipped may be told, "This is not the standard of work I know you're capable of. We need to find out what is happening and make a plan to get you back on track." Such a remark from a respected teacher can, according to Jon Saphier, "be a powerful spur to a flagging student." Note that the language around reacting to negative behaviors -- as with writing report card comments -- requires tact and subtlety; ensure that you frame the comment in a way that provokes the student to consider their own ability to do well. Try to get your students to consider not only that they have the ability to do well, but there is something they have done to bring about the result.

Deliver feedback according to criteria for success -- Research on teaching skills shows positive feedback to be a critical skill for teachers to master, with middle school teacher Hattie Marzano writing, "The most powerful single modification that enhances student achievement is feedback." Skilful feedback does not simply declare work to be right or wrong, but enables self-correction and self-adjustment. For example, instead of simply saying "You have stated the author's point of view correctly," develop your feedback, adding something such as "...but you are missing the reasons behind that point of view. Try to ... " Marzano notes a teacher's feedback is a "tacit expression of confidence ... embedded in the language used about how capable we think students are." If your feedback is actionable, frequent, detailed, and specific, students will understand you want them to succeed and are supporting them in their effort to master materials.

5. A good teacher practices self-reflection

A 2010 study about the role of critical reflection in teacher education declared teachers "must continually examine and evaluate their attitudes, practices, effectiveness, and accomplishments." The same study observed that critical reflection enhances teachers' knowledge and skills, finding it can help instructors "deeply understand the ways in which their teaching styles enhance their ability to challenge the traditional mode of practice" and to "define how they will grow as teachers."Without reflection, you run the continual risk of making poor decisions, using bad judgment, or unquestioningly believing that students can always accurately interpret your actions as intended. Without the tendency to assess your own abilities, you may continue to plan and teach on the basis of unexamined assumptions -- and remain unaware of your biggest strengths and weaknesses.

Teacher skills for self-reflection

Use a daily reflection tool such as a journal -- In its most basic terms, the goal of journal writing is to provide a record of the significant learning experiences that have taken place during the school day. This helps you take stock of the day's events and, eventually, identify what strengths and weaknesses consistently come up -- helping you pause, review, and gain some perspective on the day's lesson(s), and, by extension, your skills as a teacher. Moreover, using a journal to record classroom anecdotes will help when it comes time to write report cards or assessments. No matter how involved you are in your students' progress, it can still be difficult to produce specific examples related to student performance if you haven't recorded them along the way.

An example of a daily reflection journal.

Try peer observation - Peer observation provides a chance for instructors to view, assess and learn from one another's teaching. This helps expose teachers to different instructional styles and strategies, stimulating critical reflection on their own classroom habits and methodologies. You might be surprised at how enjoyable the process is -- and how willing your colleagues are to collaborate!

Record lessons -- While there are a number of potential insights you can gain from diaries and written self-assessments, they can't always capture the dynamic, day-to-day processes and events of classroom teaching. Many notable classroom events may not have been observed by the teacher -- or even remembered -- thus exemplifying the value of diaries or self-reports with audio recordings of actual lessons.

Practice self-inquiry -- Posing "what and why" questions give teachers an important sense of perspective and power over their teaching. Researchers Ryan & Cooper developed a set of questions for reflective teachers to ask:

What am I doing and why?

How can I better meet my students' needs?

What options are available?

How can I encourage more involvement or learning on the part of the students?

Have I considered my own values as a professional and my comfort level acting on those values?

What conscious choice can I make to make a difference?

A self-assessment: What are the qualities of a good teacher?

Based on the research of Jeffrey Glanz in his book Classroom Strategies for the Beginning Teacher, there are eight categories to consider when quizzing your own teaching skills:

6. A good teacher uses teaching strategies

As most educators know, the traditional, teacher-focused, lecture-style teaching method can lead to disengagement and boredom (for both teachers and students) quite quickly.That's where the deployment of different teaching strategies comes into play.In her book Effective Teaching and Learning, Naga Subramani argues that the effective teacher "constantly renews himself [or herself] as a professional on his [or her] quest to provide students with the highest quality of education possible. This teacher has no fear of learning new teaching strategies or incorporating new technologies into lessons."

You can exhibit this spirit of "fearlessness" with a variety of fun, dynamic and engaging teaching strategies that benefit both the teacher and the student.

Some of the more prominent and useful teaching strategies are outlined below:

Active learning strategies put students at the center of the learning process, enriching the classroom experience and boosting engagement. Use them to help students talk more openly, think more creatively and - ultimately - feel more engaged in the process of learning.

Experiential learning activities build knowledge and skills through direct experience, deploying a student-centered approach that empowers participants to take learning into their own hands and apply it in an engaging context.

Project-based learning uses an open-ended approach in which students work alone or collectively to produce an engaging, intricate curriculum-related questions or challenges. Encourage students to apply skills and knowledge they've developed in your classes, and allow students to take their own approaches to develop an answer and deliver a product.

Inquiry-based learning is a learning and teaching method that prioritizes student questions, ideas and analyses. It is subdivided into four categories, all of which promote the importance of students' role in the development of thought-provoking questions and ideas.

Adaptive learning focuses on changing - or "adapting" - learning content for students on an individual basis, particularly with the help of technology.

Cooperative learning involves delivering instruction through small groups, empowering students to work together to build their understanding of a variety of topics and concepts.

Differentiated instruction is most aptly defined by its responsiveness to students' learning preferences, and involves the ongoing use of assessment to collect information about where students are in their learning. Teachers apply this information to vary the learning environment, instruction, and assessment and evaluation.

The Qualities of a Good Teacher: Final Thoughts

There is no single solution to the question of what makes a great teacher.To those who have never taught, it is difficult to grasp how diverse and dynamic a skillset one needs to succeed in a busy, demanding classroom setting.For some, these challenges are overwhelming.But they don't have to be.Consider these six qualities -- and the actionable methods for putting them into practice -- to sharpen and develop your own skills. The results, as you may find, can make all the difference.

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6 Key Qualities of a Good Teacher and 25 Ways to Live Them Out

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Should the qualities of a good teacher be defined solely by student achievement? Or should they encompass traits more difficult to measure -- such as the capacity to connect emotionally with children? Among the sea of advice, tips, and quotes on teaching, the best solution is to turn to the research.