Month: April 2020

Thanksgiving Classroom Activities To Keep You in Charge

All teachers know that carrying out even the simplest lesson plan during the impending holidays can be quite the challenge. Kids are distracted and cooped up; teachers are burned out and short-fused.
But there are ways around the challenges. Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jacqui Murray, who is a seasoned tech teacher based in Northern California, offers up some classroom activities that she uses during the pre-Thanksgiving season to maintain control.
Jacqui’s ideas include:
ASCII Art
Comic
Team Challenge
And More!
She also notes: “Don\’t forget the ever-popular Thanksgiving-themed education-oriented websites and apps. They are good choices for sponge times, class warm-ups and exit tickets, and when nothing else cerebral seems to work. Here are favorites:”
  1. Canadian Thanksgiving
  2. Online/Offline Thanksgiving activities
  3. Plimoth Plantation
  4. Starfall–Silly Turkey
  5. Thanksgiving games and puzzles
  6. Thanksgiving games–Quia


Jacqui sums up her article thusly: “When kids are too excited to concentrate, teaching is more about adapting to that particular learning style than capitulating. Using these seven suggestions, you can make sure the learning continues even as Thanksgiving pulls their attention away.”
Use these classroom activities to make sure the learning continues even as Thanksgiving pulls kids’ attention away>>

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Is Creativity a 4-letter Word in Your Classroom?

Everybody talks about creativity in the classroom, but very few teachers actually embrace it. In fact, some teachers are downright hostile to it, especially in high school.

Creativity’s Downfall
Because in this test-taking, data-driven environment, creativity is like everybody’s favorite eccentric aunt: we all say we love her just the way she is, but nobody wants to actually be responsible for taking care of her. And she’s really inconvenient, immeasurable, erratic,

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Replace Boring Book Reports with Project Kids Love

Do your traditional book report assignments seem old and tired? Here are some alternative assignments that share the same benefits and instructional results but are infused with fun.

These alternatives can be more appealing and that will give the students a chance to express themselves in alternative ways. Students can complete a book report assignment in artistic formats or in formats that foster good communications skills while still deriving the same benefit from the task.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Social Justice Starts in the Classroom

Teachers for Social Justice is a grassroots organization of teachers from Chicago schools – from public to private to independent and alternative. These educators come together to create classrooms that support anti-racist, multicultural, multilingual educational experience that teaches students to question the world around them.

With their annual curriculum fair coming up this fall, member Jonah Bondurant was kind enough to give us some insight into the work of Teachers for Social Justice.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Top 12 Ways to Be Your Summer Self All School Year

With summer ending and a new school year beginning, the change of pace and lifestyle can be pretty jarring. However, with some mindfulness and personal commitment, you don’t have to say goodbye to summer entirely just because school has started.

Here are my top 12 tips to keep that positive summer feeling alive all school year long!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

5 Powerfully Positive Teaching Practices

Are the pressures from administrators, parents and life outside of school hurting your teaching?

I’ve spent my career working with highly demanding urban turnaround and selective enrollment high schools. There is no shortage of challenge and negative energy in these environments, yet I’ve seen that all my successful teachers share this idea of positive thoughts and a positive demeanor when working with students.

Staying positive is no easy task, but these five positivity strategies will give you the tools to maintain an outlook that leads you and your students to perform your best.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Tips for Teaching Time Management

Adding a little tick tock to your teaching may be just the thing your students need to learn time management.

One of the challenges many teachers and parents face is keeping children on task while doing their class work or homework. Time management on small tasks, such as spelling homework or a math assignment, can be very difficult for young children. The task is repetitive and they tend to let their mind wander.

Here are my tips to making time management lessons effective and fun for students

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Second Life Lessons & Classroom Activities

There is a shift afoot in education. The wind is changing. This new digital wind is haling from a virtual world.

Students today need to be immersed in what they are learning – not dealing only with static things like pictures, books, and to some degree even movies. An immersive world allows the student to move, talk, build, and connect with the very information that they are learning – they can be surrounded by it and then they can contribute to it.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Technology in the Classroom: Pros, Cons of Revisiting Software

Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jacqui Murray takes a look at the reasons why teachers favor free online tools, as opposed to often-expensive pieces of software that some teachers prefer.
Some of Jacqui’s reasons include:
  • No Ads
  • You Get the Entire Program
  • It’s More Reliable
  • It’s More Secure
  • And More!

It’s an intriguing article that will certainly make you think!
What are your reasons for favoring software or webtools?
Get our reasons for revisiting software>>
Easy Classroom Activities for Special Days in February
February is a big month for special days and themes worthy of celebrating in your class. From Groundhog Day to Valentine’s Day to Chinese New Year, it seems almost every week that there’s a unique occasion for a teacher to call out and acknowledge.
Classroom activities are a great way for educators to give a nod to all the special days this month, and today on TeachHUB.com, contributing writer Janelle Cox spells out several unique ways teachers can get kids to learn about them all. For instance, for Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on Feb. 12, Janelle encourages teachers to:
•  Read the story “Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln”
•  Read the story “Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln”
•  Have students try and come up with a Lincolnesque quote of their own
Janelle offers up a lot of original ideas today, and entrepreneurially minded educators will note that a lot of her ideas will transfer from special day to special day. For instance, Her idea about a presidential scavenger hunt can easily be altered to be a Chinese-themed scavenger hunt.
How do you celebrate these February holidays and events in your classroom? Do you have any activities or ideas that you would like to share?
Get our easy classroom activities to carry out during February>>
How to Motivate Students to Love Math
Getting students to love any school subject can be a tricky endeavor, especially math.
Recently we published an article about how to motivate students to love math. Writer Janelle Cox called out some important tactics to do just that, including:
•  Demonstrate the Usefulness for Math in the Real World
•  Present a Reasonable Challenge
•  Entice Students with a Magical Math Problem
•  And More!
Do you know how to motivate students to love math? Do you have any tricks or tips that you would like to share?

3 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR RECRUITING STRATEGY IN 2018

The “war for talent” has been grabbing headlines for over twenty years, after McKinsey’s Steve Hankin coined the term in 1997 and wrote a book with the same name. Back then, the phrase referred to growing competition to attract and retain employees as Baby Boomers left the workforce. The war for talent still rages on in 2018, but now applies to companies struggling to fill open positions with candidates qualified-enough to fill skill gaps created by emerging technologies.
In 2018 recruiting landscape, top candidates are few and far between, which means they get to call the shots, while companies continue to compete in recruitment. There’s particularly fierce competition among organizations in technology and engineering fields, where skilled employees are especially sparse. This shortage can be incredibly damaging—according to the Hays US 2018 Salary Guide, 92 percent of the survey’s respondents said that a skills shortage is negatively impacting their business.
During this tough time for hiring, it pays to put effort into developing an effective recruiting strategy. Organizations that are able to effectively recruit talent have 18 percent higher revenues and 30 percent greater profitability than organizations that aren’t as apt, according to Bersin by Deloitte’s January report, Six Key Insights to Put Talent Acquisition at the Center of Business Strategy and Execution. High-performing talent teams are proactive, strategic and innovative in their endeavors; they don’t take a scattered “post and pray” approach to hiring. What do these organizations have in common, and how can you apply their methods at your company? To improve your recruiting strategy in 2018, focus on these three areas:

1) Be “at One” With the Business

Talent acquisition should not be separate from the core of the business. For talent teams to be their most effective, they need to be strategically aware of and integrated with overall company goals, so that they are able to participate, and importantly, anticipate future business requirements.
To stay in-tune with company strategy, have regular check-ins with leaders to ensure that corporate initiatives align with hiring initiatives, and adjust them accordingly if they’re out of sync.

2) Make Recruitment About Candidates, Not the Company

Employees want to feel special and wanted, so rather than taking a blanket approach to recruitment in 2018, effective recruiters should take the time to market roles to specific candidates and create a more personalized candidate journey for them. Shift your perspective and consider how candidates experience the hiring process from their first click on the careers page, throughout the application and interview process, all the way until the post-interview stage. Are candidates looked after? Have you built a connection with them? Are you communicating with them consistently?
It’s also important to consider whether or not new recruits will fit into the company culture. Rather than solely focusing on skills and experience, 90 percent of top recruiters consider candidates’ work ethic, values and potential, according to the Bersin report, compared with only 35 percent of low-performing recruiters. A cultural fit is important, because candidates with the right values will continue to feed into and reinforce the company culture.

3) Use the Right Technology

Mature talent teams need to look to the future and find tools that enable organizations to teach employees new skills as skill gaps form. Deloitte’s report shows that forward-looking teams are four times more likely to coach and develop their people than poorly-performing recruiters.
It’s crucial to keep up not only with learning technology, but also other emerging tools. For example, effective recruiters are six times more likely than low performers to use artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive data analytics to stamp out any possible bias in their recruiting methods and constantly improve the calibre of candidates they source.
The war for talent shows little sign of abating in 2018. Companies that want to be the best need to bring the best recruiting strategies to the table, and that means putting thoughtful, proactive effort into talent acquisition rather than being reactive.

Teaching Strategies: What a 21st Century Educator Looks Like

Today on TeachHUB.com, we answer the rhetorical question, “What does it mean to be a 21st century teacher?”
Frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, herself a seasoned educator based on the East Coast of the United States, takes a look at some characteristics that a modern educator must possess, beyond the typical mastery of using technology in the classroom — including some sound, applicable teaching strategies.
Janelle notes that (and elaborates on the teaching strategies involved with) a 21st century educator must:
  • Collaborate
  • Be adaptive
  • Be a lifelong learner
  • And more!

In summation, Janelle notes: “21st century learning means teaching just as you have done in the past centuries, but with way better tools. Today’s teachers have a great advantage, in that they have powerful learning tools at their disposal that they didn’t have before. 21st century technology is an opportunity for students to acquire more knowledge. Teachers have the ability to move away from being the dispenser of information to someone who can guide them and prepare them for their future. Ultimately, the 21st century learner will be “learner-driven,” where they choose how and what they want to learn. The teacher will serve as a facilitator and guide to help embrace 21st century learning.”
What do you think a 21st century looks like? Do you think they must have a set of specific skills and characteristics?
Get our ideas on what a 21st century educator looks like>>
Minecraft in the Classroom Teaches Reading and More
Millions of people of all ages have been playing the sandbox-style video game Minecraft (on a variety of platforms, from the Xbox to the PlayStation to iPads and more) for ages now. But did you know that the game has man virtues that can enhance classroom experiences?
Minecraft, which is an open word game with no set goals for any player to accomplish, encourages teamwork, entices kids to read, and gets them thinking about integral classroom topics like physics and biology.
We recently took a look at the ways that Minecraft can help your students’ day-to-day academic trajectories.
Have you successfully utilized the video phenomenon Minecraft in class? If so, how have you used it?

Teaching Strategies: Nurturing Student Relationships

From time to time, especially at the end of the school year, it can be difficult to maintain a level of enthusiasm in your classroom. It’s tough to keep the kids engaged and excited about learning.
With that in mind, today on TeachHUB.com, the folks at Chalkup wrote a centerpiece article on how to nurture relationships with students. It’s a good read that will certainly turn on a few lightbulbs.
The article is summed up thusly: “As we approach the new year, we should focus on relationships, shaking things up, and providing students with a voice and choice in their learning. With attention waning, maybe now is exactly when you should be mixing things up in your classroom routine, trying on new collaborative tools for size, and inviting students to be part of that design.”
How do you nurture relationships with your students?
Get our reasons for nurturing teacher-student relationships>>
Classroom Management: How to Regain Control of a Class
If you’re a brand-new teacher just starting out or you’re a seasoned veteran with years under your belt, you’ve certainly run into situations where you’ve lost control of your classroom.
It’s certainly a frightening situation, and it can come about via a variety of ways: Kids get distracted, they’re ready for the next period, or they are bored.
But don’t let them defeat you! Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributor Janelle Cox lists several different methods by which an educator can regain control of a lost class, including:
•   Rearrange the seating chart
•   Share your frustration
•   Be confident
•   Lead by example
Above all, Janelle suggests that teachers be confident in their abilities to reign in an out-of-control class.
Learn some time-honored classroom management tactics to gain back control of a wild class >>
Subscribe to the TeachHUB.com newsletter
The TeachHUB.com weekly e-newsletter is the best way for you to learn about what’s new on TeachHUB.com any given week. It’s a top-to-bottom rundown of the best articles we’ve published every week, and it’s delivered straight to your inbox every Friday – for FREE!
By subscribing, you’ll receive the latest, cutting-edge educational news, free lesson plans, and more!
Just go to TeachHUB.com, view the righthand side of the page, and enter your email address!

Spark Class Spirit with Tie-Dye T-shirts Project

Having students create tie-dyed T-shirts is a great way to build class spirit. If you choose a class color or color-scheme, it’s also a wonderful way to keep your students together on a field trip or locate them during school activities.

No more searching in vain for your students among hundreds of kids at an event—just look for the tie-dyed shirts that belong to you! In addition, tie-dye shirts give your students a sense of pride during special events like Field Days or Class Kickball Tournaments, and kids can keep them as a memento of a great school year together!

There are several ways to do this project, but many of them are messy and time-consuming. Fortunately, I’ve learned one way that’s quite easy while still being fun for kids.

In this method, the students will tie their shirts themselves, but they won’t actually put the dye on the shirts. Instead, you will dye the entire batch of shirts in a washing machine. Don’t worry—you can get the stains out of your washer by filling it with water, adding detergent and a cup of bleach, and running it through a wash cycle. I’ve done it many times without a problem.v