Tips and Tricks of Teaching

During the school year I had a "white bible" of sorts. It was a little white notebook that I wrote every good thought or idea any mentor or teacher ever gave to me. I pretty much took it everywhere I went...and may have had a panic attack or two when I couldn't figure out where I had put it. I thought I would compile a list of them here for me to have them for reference, and to help any current or future teachers that might read this!

I'm a believer that management looks different in every teacher's classroom. By in large I feel like it's a lot of trail and error throughout the year, discovering what makes your class tick and how to motivate them. :) That being said, here is a list of things that worked in my class, and maybe they will work in yours!

Whole Class Ideas 

1. Class Points- Many teacher do this many different ways, but I will share what worked best for my class. First of all: I let my kids pick the reward for reaching a certain amount of points! You will be amazed how hard students will work for a common goal that they are invested in and love. We would brainstorm ideas such as, "__ extra recess, computer time/games, class group game, movie with popcorn, etc." Once we had chosen our reward I would write it up big on the board where everyone could see it! I would then set the appropriate amount of points I thought was needed to earn that reward. Remember: don't set the points too low, or your students will get used to rewards that they might not deserve. However, don't set too high, or they will be discouraged right from the get go and it will not be motivating. I like to do about 25-30 points, and give them out in 1 point increments. Sometimes I would give more points for exceptional behavior, but not usually. All teachers do it differently though! When my students needed some encouragement for good behavior I might say, "I will be watching to see if we can earn a point for ____ behavior. Show me." I was always quick to praise whole class good behavior and to give points. I did not often take away points, but sometimes I would. If my class was misbehaving I didn't even say a word, I would just walk over to the board and erase a point. Immediately everyone would shush each other and remind each other of the reward. I love encouraging good behavior without saying a word!

2. Marble Jar- When my students would get tired or weren't responding well to the points, I would switch to marbles. :) There is something very visual about the students seeing the jar fill up, they love it! It worked very similar to the points in that I let my students choose what they were working toward. Then we would take a piece of tape on the jar to show how much of the jar we had to fill up. When we earned marbles I would call on a student who was being a good example to drop the marbles in. What I love about the marbles is the visual aspect and the noise they make. Again, when the students are following instructions and on task, they can hear the sound of marbles dropping in and they work harder. When they are off task, I simply take a few marbles and they hear them drop back into the bag. Again, motivating behavior without having to remind or nag. :)

3. On/Off Task- This was told to me by one of my wonderful team members. While I did not use it often, when I did it was extremely effective. When students are not following a routine or a self-start or are otherwise off task, this is a great one to use. Again, one that you don't have to say a single word. :) I would walk to the board and make a simple T-chart. On one side it says on, and the other side says off. I would start writing the names of students I noticed that were on-task on the chart on the board. Students would quickly realize what I was doing, nudge and shush their neighbors, and in a manner of seconds everyone in class was on task. Sometimes I would give a small reward for those students who were on task, but most of the time the recognition was what they wanted. Sometimes I would even have a student be the one writing down names which is great for positive peer pressure. You could even tell students that this is a part of their participation/behavior grade, although it worked without this.

4. Side vs. Side- This is one of my favorite whole class strategies I used because it is so easy to adapt to whatever you are studying. For instance, when we were studying the civil war, I had half of my class be the South, and half the North. They earned points for good behavior and different team challenges we did that pertained to the Civil War. The kids LOVED it, and it is also a great team motivator. If the team is invested, then they will encourage even the most hard students to get on board and have good behavior.

5. Table Points- Another awesome way to integrate curriculum! When we were studying Westward Expansion I divided the kids up into groups: Mountain Men, 49ers, Oregon Trail, Louis and Clark, etc. We drew their routes across the map and the kids could move their marker when they had good behavior, answered questions, were on task, etc. Again, just a fun way to motivate kids. They love the competition of it and will do anything for a few points. Either let them come up with their rewards, or just have something planned. You can let it go for a week or more, however long you feel is effective.

Some others ideas that I want to remember but have not tried yet are, Teacher vs. student points and using a timer. Teacher vs. student is a way of inspiring a little competition with kids love! Especially when they have the opportunity to "beat the teacher." :) Just make a simple T-chart with Teacher against the students. I've heard it's the best when you make a big deal of the points. For example, someone is talking during your lesson. You turn to the board and say, "Talking while the teacher is talking, point for me! Yes!" The more you ham it up the more the students will love it. If the students beat the teacher they could earn extra recess, free time, etc.

The timer is something I first observed in a 6th grade class to awesome effect! Another one of those miracle strategies where you get the kids back on track without saying a word. When the kids were talking when they weren't supposed to, off task, or goofing off, the teacher would simply pick up the timer (she wore it around her neck) and press the timer button. Then she waits patiently not saying a word. All it takes is one student to hear the time, and they immediately shush each other and everyone is back on task. The teacher would then silently write the time wasted on the board, which the students knew was the time they had lost off their next recess. I loved how powerful the timer was, she didn't have to say a word! I didn't try it because I hate taking away recess (kids get hardly any anyway) but in extreme situations or with a really tricky class, it could be very effective.

Individual Ideas 

1. Thumbs Up- This is a great idea for individual management that I got from a teacher friend. First, you make a little grid that says thumbs up on each student's desk. My grid 21 squares. Every time you notice a student showing great behavior, you give them a "thumbs up" and they can mark a square on their grid. My friend had her students fill up their grids, and when they were full they could choose a small prize out of her prize box. I did it similar, but I did if my students got a certain number of thumbs up in a week, they got to go to Fun Friday. This was 20 minutes at the end of school Friday where the students could play outside, have free time, and do other fun activities. They would do anything for this free time! 

2. Class Dojo- I used this strategy during my student teaching. It is an app you can get on your ipad. Each student has their own "dojo" icon that keeps track of their points. I love this because it is another one of those positive (and negative) reinforcers that requires very little teacher intervention. For example, if a student is off task, you can push their icon on the screen. From there, it will give you a list of behaviors to choose from. If you push the "off task" behavior button, it will make a negative sounding noise. If you are looking at that student or are close to them, they will recognize that and correct their behavior. Same for the positive behaviors, if the students start hearing the musical "ping" that means someone is being rewarded, they will all get to work. Here are some of the awesome features of this app. One, you can send weekly reports home to the parents so they can see exactly how their student is behaving at school and can get on board with you. Two, the app is also on your computer so you can project the students point so they can see how they are doing. In student teaching, the students had a certain amount of positive points they had to get to go to a big reward activity we had once a month. The app is easy to use, all the points are right there instead of searching for paper records of behavior, and the students love the noises and the dojos. It's a win win!

3. Mystery Student- One of my very favorite things I tried this year for individual behavior is the Mystery student. It combines a little bit of mystery and a reward, which the students love. :) I used this in two different ways, but there could be many variations. For example, at the beginning of a particularly challenging or long lesson (or any time your students are restless and need a little extra motivation) I would pull a stick from my jar and pick a mystery student. I would not reveal that student or students to the class. I would tell my students I was looking for general good behavior, or if I wanted to practice something I would be specific. I would say, "During this lesson I will be watching for students that raise their hands. If the mystery student is successful at raising their hand and not blurting out during this lesson, they will earn the reward." The great thing about it is that every student will be on their best behavior because they all think it is them (obviously) and they all want to earn the reward. I would give small rewards like class coupons or no homework passes but the students loved them! You could also pick a couple of behaviors and instead of just watching during the lesson, you could watch a mystery student for the whole day. The other great thing about this strategy is you as the teacher can pick a student that needs a little encouragement or recognition, since you are the only one that sees the mystery student name. :) I did this randomly, and so the students always looked forward to when we would have another mystery student. Check out this website for more awesome ideas on the power of random rewards in the classroom. 

4. Cone of Awesome- This is one of my own creation. I got a simple red cone sometime at the beginning of the year that said "awesome." I decided to use it as a fun motivation tool in my classroom. During independent work time or other time when students were working on a task, I would walk around with the cone of awesome. Again, another one of those things where the students just see the cone and get right to work. I would look for students helping others, working hard, etc. and I would put the red cone on their desk. I would tell my students that if they had the red cone on their desk during the day, they could come see me (we had a designated time at the end of the day) for a small prize. Or you could just have them know where to go to get a prize. The kids loved having the cone on their desk and worked extra hard when they could see it was going around. You could find a fun object with your class that would get them excited to earn it. :)

5. Thank you/Bravo board- These two are kind of the same concept so I will put them together. The thank you board is a little more teacher driven. You write "Thank you" somewhere on your board. When your students are getting out of hand, look around the class and notice the students that are still with you. Without saying a word, turn around and write their names on the board. Above it on the board you could write what a student earns if their name is on the board by the end of the day. It could be going out to recess a few minutes earlier, a class coupon, etc. The Bravo board is a little more student driven. Have a chart somewhere around your classroom with boxes large enough for students to sign their name in. When a student has good behavior, you can tell them to go and sign the bravo board. At the end of the day, or week, or whatever you choose, you randomly draw out a name of one of the students whose names are on the bravo board to earn a prize. The students love this, and it is a great visual reminder in your classroom. 

6. Tickets/Class Money- This is a great individual reward system. I started my kids at the beginning of the year earning tickets. I told them that they would be earning tickets for good behavior, turning in homework, helping with class tasks, etc. You can be very structured about it and have a chart with certain things that they can earn tickets for, but I just played it by ear and gave tickets as I saw fit. You could even have student ticket managers looks for these behaviors and give out tickets for you. Every month, the whole 5th grade would have a class store where the students could spend their tickets. This was probably the favorite thing we did during the year, they loved it!! And the best part was, we didn't spend a single dollar to supply the store. :) The students made things, they brought things from home to sell (with a note from parents) or they bought things to sell. They were not required to bring anything to sell to go to the store, but we always had plenty of things the students brought in the store. The kids loved buying things from their peers, and spending their hard earned tickets. Halfway through the year we changed to what we called "hawkbucks" after our mascot. The kids loved having the money that looked like real money, and we made them work very hard for the big bucks. You can even integrate into whatever math units you are doing, and make a banker as one of your classroom jobs. 

The most important thing to me in classroom management strategies is to motivate and encourage good behavior. I think it works well to have at least one whole class/group strategy and one individual strategy. Like I said, don't be afraid to try something and mix things up! I was constantly trying new ideas and rather than confuse my kids, they loved the variety. My particular group of kids would get restless about every 2 weeks, and so I would try something new. This worked for my class, while one thing might work the whole year for yours.