The Teaching Profession: 5 Productive Ideas for Lunch Break

Lunch breaks in the teaching profession are often spent supervising students or catching up on paperwork in your room.
But Janelle Cox, who is a seasoned elementary school educator based on the East Coast, today looks at five productive ideas for lunch break for those in the teaching profession.
Janelle’s piece is the centerpiece article on TeachHUB.com today, and in it she outlines a few suggestions on how you can spend your time on lunch break, including:
  • Get up and Move
  • Catch Up On Your Work
  • Meditate
  • And More!

Janelle sums up her article like this: “You have the ability to make your lunch break a time of the day that is productive for you. Whether it be eating outdoors, completing a Yoga sequence, helping students, or connecting with colleagues, it’s your time of the day to unwind and refresh.”
What do your lunch periods look like in the teaching profession? Do you get a choice or are you mandated to supervise students? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section, we would love to hear what you have to say.
A few suggestions on different, productive ways you can spend your lunch break>>
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In a recent issue of TeachHUB magazine, we wrote about some GREAT gift ideas for your teaching colleagues for under $5 – but our ideas are NOT the typical coffee mug fare.
Did you know TeachHUB magazine is FREE? It is, and it’s a wonderful resource designed to help you become a better educator.

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

TeachHUB Lesson Plans Now Free!

For the 2010/2011 school year, ALL TeachHUB MEMBERS will have access to the archive of 500+ Printable Pop Culture Lesson Plans.

Pop Culture Lesson Plans are:

  • ~ Aligned to national teaching standards
  • ~ Available for K-12 grade levels and core subjects
  • ~ Inspired by pop culture and news headlines
  • ~ Ready to print, copy & go!

Other Member Benefits:

  • Members-only discounts and gifts
  • Personal Blog/Journal to share with other members
  • Free weekly newsletters with latest ed news & lesson ideas
  • Classroom management tips, tools and recommendations
  • Early entrance to all TeachHUB sweepstakes and contests
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

WHY HR ANALYTICS NEEDS THE ART OF STORYTELLING

Human resources is no longer the “fluffy” side of business. Companies are getting back in touch with the art as well as the science of HR, using analytics for data-driven insights that create real business change. Analytics can provide evidence to support decisions that were once based on instinct and experience, but when it comes to utilizing data for HR purposes, there’s a lot more to it than just numbers. It also requires a great story.
Here’s how HR leaders can apply storytelling to analytics for real business change.

Dig for Data

McDonald’s is a great example of a company that used analytics to improve the bottom line. In 2009 in the United Kingdom, the fast-food chain found that customer satisfaction was much higher in restaurants with at least one worker over 60 years old. If used effectively, this kind of insight from people analytics could transform HR from a transaction-based and reactive department into a strategic and proactive business force.
As Professor Paul Sparrow of Lancaster University said, “The research clearly demonstrates the very real business value of recruiting an age diverse workforce. For McDonald’s, we can show that the presence of older employees improves customer satisfaction, and in a service led business such as theirs, this drives the bottom line.”
That’s a powerful weapon—but only when it is wielded by a pro. After all, it doesn’t matter how incredible the results of a study are if managers don’t fully understand or believe the outcomes and act on them.

Understand the Story of the Data

The truth is that analyzing data is only half the story. Communicating those findings is just as important as the data digging itself. Change and action happen when the art of storytelling is applied to the science of analytics. In a business situation, stories provide the context around analytics and interpret what they mean for a wider audience. They can even be backed by visual illustrations that help us simplify complex information.
To craft your story, answer three questions: 1) What do you want your audience to know? 2) How do you want them to feel? 3) What do you want them to do? For the McDonald’s example, the answers to these would be something along the lines of: 1) Customer service is vastly improved by older workers, 2) Executives should be excited by the opportunity to increase revenue through better service and 3) We want to focus on more diverse hiring practices to hire older workers.

Find a Storyteller to Communicate the Data

Of course, hardcore data analysts aren’t always the best storytellers, which is why youranalytics team should have a balance of science and storytelling. The storyteller should be a master weaver of words, but also someone who can take hard facts and make information personal or relevant to their business audience. They won’t be talking straight statistics—they’ll be explaining the data using general business language.
The goal is to make your executive team see the value of your findings and connect with them on an emotional level, as well as a cerebral one. It’s not just a question of capturing their hearts and their minds, but also motivating them to do something with the knowledge.
This ability to get to the heart of the matter is increasingly important in a world where we are wallowing in data. Managers don’t want more reports and information to sift through. They want someone who can explain the relevance and personalize it. Luckily for HR, these storytelling skills should be more readily available in existing HR staff than analytical expertise—you just need to identify the right people.

10 Things to Do Now to Prepare for Back to School

Although your school’s doors may have closed for the summer, and you’re likely focused on June, July, and August, it’s never to early to start thinking about your triumphant return to the classroom at the end of the summer (not a popular notion today, probably).
Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, herself a seasoned educator based in upstate New York, explains that tackling some of those topics ahead of time can save you lots of time (and relieve a little stress) when the fall arrives.
Janelle’s ideas include:
  • Order school supplies
  • Make copies
  • Create a bulletin board
  • And more!

In summation, Janelle notes: “It’s great to get a jumpstart on the following school year so you don’t have to spend the summer thinking about work. Take your summer vacation and spend it on yourself, relaxing and unwinding from the school year.”
How do you prepare for the next school year? Do you wait until the fall or get a jumpstart before summer break?
Get our list of back to school ideas to do now>>
Multimedia Podcast: Social Media 101
In today’s multimedia podcast from TeachHUB magazine, we instruct teachers on how to use social media to connect with educators, acquire resources and ideas, develop yourself professionally, and provide support to your students.
TeachHUB Magazine is always FREE to download.
Get today’s podcast>>
Teaching Strategies: About Reader’s Theater
For the uninitiated, reader’s theater is a wonderful, creative way for teachers to bolster a sense of enthusiasm in students’ reading curriculum. Basically, reader’s theater involves students adapting a piece of literature to be “performed” in front of your class.
Frequent TeachHUB.com contributing writer Janelle Cox defines this teaching strategy as, “Reader’s theater is much more than just putting on a play. Remember that students are using the repeated reading strategy which enhances their reading fluency. It is also using cooperative learning, problem-solving skills, and not to mention the common core learning standards of speaking and listening.
At first, these types of teaching strategies might seem like they would involve a ton of classroom time. But in actuality, with just 20 minutes, a teacher can plan a beautifully engaging piece of reader’s theater.
The key is to fit your prep time into the normal part of your teaching day. Today, Janelle explains how educators can pull off some of these exciting classroom teaching strategies, including:
•    Use reader’s theater as part of your literacy center rotations.
•    Match your scripts to the learning standards of other subjects like social studies.
•    Have students put on their production first thing in the morning.
•    And more!
In closing, Janelle notes that reader’s theater is an excellent tactic to increase your kids’ listening, reading, and thinking skills in an engaging new way.
Do you do a reader’s theater in your classroom? What tips do you have that work well for your class?

Mindfulness Classroom Activities

Mindfulness, or the state of being aware of your present feelings and emotions to focus on thoughts, has become a powerful educational buzzword of late. Bringing about mindfulness has a unique on a student’s health and well-being, so it’s no wonder that educators are eager to employ it within their classrooms.

With the mindfulness-in-education movement simmering at the moment, today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, herself a veteran elementary school teacher based on the East Coast, looks at some classroom activities centering around mindfulness. Janelle’s ways to inject mindfulness into your curriculum include:

  • Mind yeti
  • Mindful instruction
  • Headspace
  • And more!


Janelle sums up her article like this: “Science has shown that taking a few minutes a day to mediate can have a profound effect on your mental health and overall well-being. It is a great tool to teach students now when they are young, because it is something that they can take with them and use forever.”

Do you use mindfulness in your classroom? What are your thoughts about it? Please share your comments, we would love to heat what you have to say.

Get our tips on using classroom activities involving mindfulness>>

50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom
In this day and age, it’s imperative that teachers use every tool at their disposal to educate their classes. And Twitter is the perfect technology in the classroom tool for educators to keep their students engaged.
Some examples:
•    Track a #hasthtag
•    Live Tweet field trips
•    Role play
•    And more

Do you know how to use twitter in the classroom?
Learn 50 ways to use Twitter in the classroom>>

Technology in the Classroom: Campuseek App Review
Campuseek will help you organize your thoughts immensely when you’re looking for the right college.
For more great educational reviews targeted for both teachers and students, download your free issues of TeachHUB Magazine. 

5 Don’ts for Teacher Professional Development

A professional development session can leave a teacher feeling knowledgeable and excited, or feel like the session was a waste of their time.

I’ve had the benefit of working in three different districts; some were very laid back, and others were very uptight. I’ve seen both extremes as far as the PD spectrum goes; I’ve had great, and I’ve been subjected to bad, so I feel qualified to write on professional development.

When I came across the article 5 Ways to Fail at Design in the Harvard Business Review, I became inspired to relate it to teaching. I knew the points of design failure could aptly be used in the teaching profession, especially in regard to professional development failure.

Take these teachers’ perspective tips on what to avoid when planning your next professional development.

5 Reasons to Plan for a Summer Vacation

The importance of educators recharging cannot be underestimated; indeed, given the myriad of stresses of teaching, taking time to rest and get away is just about imperative.

However, during those too-short summer months, teachers often take a second job, take professional development classes, or even begin planning for next year.
These options can be detrimental. With that in mind, today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, herself a seasoned educator based in Upstate New York, looks at five reasons why teachers need to start planning for a summer vacation now.

  • Janelle’s reasons include:
  • Teaching is Exhausting
  • Happy Teachers Make Nicer Teachers
  • And More!


Janelle sums up her article like this, in a paragraph entitled, “Do it for Your Yourself and Your Family”: “Life is about making memories. A summer filled with work and online courses is a not a summer that you will want to remember. Spend time with your family now and make memories that will last a lifetime. You do not want to look back at your summer vacation and say, “Wow, I had so much fun tutoring children and taking professional development courses.” You want to look back at your summer and say “Wow, I had so much fun spending time with my family that I feel relaxed and ready to go back to work.””

Have you made time for a summer vacation? If so, what are your plans? Please share your thoughts and plans!

Get our reasons to plan for a summer vacation>>

Minecraft in the Classroom Teaches Reading and More
It’s the video game that’s taken the world by storm! Chances are, you know at lest one kid who’s obsessed with Minecraft, that building video game that owes more to Legos than it does to Pac-Man.
Minecraft seems low-tech and blocky, but beneath its simplicity is a powerful program run but scads of algorithms.
Kids and adults are completely taken with Minecraft – but did you know the game also has reams of educational uses?
It’s true, and recently, frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Jacqui Murray took a long glance at the game’s classroom capabilities, and her findings will astound you. She learned that Minecraft addresses:
•    Reading
•    Problem-solving
•    Writing
•    And More!
Do you have any fresh uses for Minecraft in the classroom?

Cool New Online Course Tool

Move over Moodle, there’s a new player buzzing on the online education scene.

After hearing about BrainHoney, a new online course software site, I was impressed with how easy it is to use, the drag-and-drop curriculum connections, and the fact that it’s FREE!

To learn more about BrainHoney and how it stacks up to the competition, we talked to the man behind the software: BrainHoney developer and marketing VP Dr. Mark

How to Apply Ed Tech Teaching for Common Core Standards

When I was a student, I pounded out papers on an electric typewriter. When I started teaching, the web wasn’t an instant resource. I taught students about note cards and bibliography cards when they researched topics. Those days are long gone (and I am thrilled).

Today, our students gather and digest information via the Internet at amazing speed. I often say that the ways in which we read text, write text, use text and how text affects us has completely changed because we are in the Technology/Information Age.

Common Core State Standards recognize this change and require teachers to adapt. Here is an overview of the CCSS technology expectations and how teachers can begin integrate more technology into engaging teaching and learning activities.

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

Need Teacher Giveaway Ideas

As we wrap up the Holiday Lesson Plan Giveaway, I want to thank everyone who spread the word and got so many new teachers involved in the TeachHUB community.

Now it’s time for some new, fresh fun. We love giving back to teachers with things they need, want and enjoy.

So the question is: what should our next giveaway be?

We’ll roll out a new giveaway and contest in the next few weeks and we need ideas. Please share what you desperately need a little extra funding for in your clasroom (or maybe even just to keep your sanity) AND what contests you think are worth being a part of (or the TeachHUB readers benefiting from the submissions).

GiveawaysDo you want ed tech for the classroom, like a digital camera, iPod, learning software or even calculators?
Do you need want books for your classroom library?
Do you want a spa trip to help unwind after a crazy semester with the kids?

Contests
Do you want to show off your school spirit with photos and videos?
Do you want to compete for the most creative lesson in the country?
Do you want a TeachHUB “Race to the Top” competition to show how innovative you’re being in your classroom to earn a small grant?

Technology in the Classroom: Keyboarding & the Scientific Method

The proper ways to use technology in the classroom can sometimes be difficult, especially when it comes to keyboarding skills. By now, schoolchildren have been using tablets, laptops, and old-fashioned computers since birth, all driven by the ancient skillset required by the keyboard.

So when it comes to convincing students to learn the proper way to man the keyboard, it can take quite an act of convincing. Such an act might even require something as time-tested as the scientific method!

With that in mind, today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jacqui Murray, herself a technology teacher in Northern California, examines the ways that teachers can use the well-tempered scientific method to stress the importance of the keyboard.
Jacqui’s pointers include convincing students to ask, is handwriting or keyboarding faster?

She then encourages students to:
  • Do background research
  • Construct a hypothesis
  • Analyze data
  • And more!


Jacqui sums up her article thusly: “Overall, encouraging students to test their own hypothesis and challenge their beliefs, went well beyond simply my goal of encouraging the development of typing skills. Students felt part of the process, active stakeholders in the results rather than the passive recipients of someone else’s beliefs. They were much more likely to work harder at their own skills and encourage classmates to do the same.”

Do you have any tips for getting students excited about keyboard skills? Please share!

WHY HR ANALYTICS NEEDS THE ART OF STORYTELLING

Human resources is no longer the \”fluffy\” side of business. Companies are getting back in touch with the art as well as the science of HR, using analytics for data-driven insights that create real business change. Analytics can provide evidence to support decisions that were once based on instinct and experience, but when it comes to utilizing data for HR purposes, there\’s a lot more to it than just numbers. It also requires a great story.
Here\’s how HR leaders can apply storytelling to analytics for real business change.

Dig for Data

McDonald\’s is a great example of a company that used analytics to improve the bottom line. In 2009 in the United Kingdom, the fast-food chain found that customer satisfaction was much higher in restaurants with at least one worker over 60 years old. If used effectively, this kind of insight from people analytics could transform HR from a transaction-based and reactive department into a strategic and proactive business force.
As Professor Paul Sparrow of Lancaster University said, \”The research clearly demonstrates the very real business value of recruiting an age diverse workforce. For McDonald\’s, we can show that the presence of older employees improves customer satisfaction, and in a service led business such as theirs, this drives the bottom line.\”
That\’s a powerful weapon—but only when it is wielded by a pro. After all, it doesn\’t matter how incredible the results of a study are if managers don\’t fully understand or believe the outcomes and act on them.

Understand the Story of the Data

The truth is that analyzing data is only half the story. Communicating those findings is just as important as the data digging itself. Change and action happen when the art of storytelling is applied to the science of analytics. In a business situation, stories provide the context around analytics and interpret what they mean for a wider audience. They can even be backed by visual illustrations that help us simplify complex information.
To craft your story, answer three questions: 1) What do you want your audience to know? 2) How do you want them to feel? 3) What do you want them to do? For the McDonald\’s example, the answers to these would be something along the lines of: 1) Customer service is vastly improved by older workers, 2) Executives should be excited by the opportunity to increase revenue through better service and 3) We want to focus on more diverse hiring practices to hire older workers.

Find a Storyteller to Communicate the Data

Of course, hardcore data analysts aren\’t always the best storytellers, which is why youranalytics team should have a balance of science and storytelling. The storyteller should be a master weaver of words, but also someone who can take hard facts and make information personal or relevant to their business audience. They won\’t be talking straight statistics—they\’ll be explaining the data using general business language.
The goal is to make your executive team see the value of your findings and connect with them on an emotional level, as well as a cerebral one. It\’s not just a question of capturing their hearts and their minds, but also motivating them to do something with the knowledge.
This ability to get to the heart of the matter is increasingly important in a world where we are wallowing in data. Managers don\’t want more reports and information to sift through. They want someone who can explain the relevance and personalize it. Luckily for HR, these storytelling skills should be more readily available in existing HR staff than analytical expertise—you just need to identify the right people.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1

Classroom Management: The Modern “C’s” of Learning

Collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity – these four “C’s” of learning have guided and directed the curriculum trajectories of several generations of educators.

But as the teaching profession has evolved — especially with regards to technology and all the elements it brings to the classroom – it’s time to recognize a new set of “C’s” and how your classroom toolkit can morph with them.
Today, frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Jordan Catapano adds five more “C’s” to the table, including competition and character.
Learn About Some New Classroom Management Tips >>
The Anti-Bullying Classroom: Advice for Educators
Elsewhere on TeachHUB.com today, anti-bullying advocate Jodee Blanco offers up 10 top anti-bullying tips that teachers can enact today to put an end to this perpetual problem.
Blanco, the noted author of “Please Stop Laughing at Us,” says a few words that teachers should NEVER say to a bullied student: “Ignore the bully and walk away; they’re just jealous; twenty years from now those bullies will probably be in jail and you’ll be successful; I know how you feel; or be patient.”
With that, Blanco dives into her 10 tips, which include:
Contact the parents
Be a friend
Use compassionate punishment
Get All of Jodee Blanco’s Anti-Bullying Classroom Advice >>
Teacher Interview Questions, Answers
TeachHUB.com is your go-to site if you are seeking a teaching job.
One of our consistently popular articles, 6 Common Interview Questions for Teachers and How to Answer Them, offers up the most frequent teacher interview questions according to our educational experts, and gives suggestions on well-researched answers.
Other helpful employment-related articles we’ve published include How to Survive a Group Interview, 3 Proven Ways to Get a Teaching Job, and Interview Disasters and How to Avoid Them. Study these articles and ace your way through the hiring process!

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

Classroom Management: The Modern "C’s” of Learning

Collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity – these four “C’s” of learning have guided and directed the curriculum trajectories of several generations of educators.

But as the teaching profession has evolved — especially with regards to technology and all the elements it brings to the classroom – it’s time to recognize a new set of “C’s” and how your classroom toolkit can morph with them.
Today, frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Jordan Catapano adds five more “C’s” to the table, including competition and character.
Learn About Some New Classroom Management Tips >>
The Anti-Bullying Classroom: Advice for Educators
Elsewhere on TeachHUB.com today, anti-bullying advocate Jodee Blanco offers up 10 top anti-bullying tips that teachers can enact today to put an end to this perpetual problem.
Blanco, the noted author of “Please Stop Laughing at Us,” says a few words that teachers should NEVER say to a bullied student: “Ignore the bully and walk away; they’re just jealous; twenty years from now those bullies will probably be in jail and you’ll be successful; I know how you feel; or be patient.”
With that, Blanco dives into her 10 tips, which include:
Contact the parents
Be a friend
Use compassionate punishment
Get All of Jodee Blanco’s Anti-Bullying Classroom Advice >>
Teacher Interview Questions, Answers
TeachHUB.com is your go-to site if you are seeking a teaching job.
One of our consistently popular articles, 6 Common Interview Questions for Teachers and How to Answer Them, offers up the most frequent teacher interview questions according to our educational experts, and gives suggestions on well-researched answers.
Other helpful employment-related articles we’ve published include How to Survive a Group Interview, 3 Proven Ways to Get a Teaching Job, and Interview Disasters and How to Avoid Them. Study these articles and ace your way through the hiring process!

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

5 Teaching Strategies to Transform Your Lesson Plans

Today on TeacHHUB.com, we look at some teaching strategies that are designed to transform your lesson plans.
The article, penned by frequent contributing writer (and seasoned elementary school educator) Janelle Cox, lays out five ways that teachers can positively alter their lesson plans for the better.
Janelle’s ideas include:
  • Use the Goldilocks Approach for Planning Objectives
  • Use Visual Learning Strategies
  • Give Students a Choice
  • And More!

Janelle sums up her article like this: “If your goal is to create transformational lessons, then they should focus on enriching the lives of your students. You can do this by carefully crafting your objectives so they are not too broad or too specific, but just right. In addition to that, they should be engaging and go beyond the textbook, incorporate visuals, and give students the opportunity of choice. When you do this, along with planning your assessment first, then you have ultimately transformed your lessons so that your students will be engaged and motivated to learn.”
How do you transform your lessons? Do you have any specific teaching strategies that you like to do? Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section, we would love to hear what you have to say.
Get our teaching strategies designed to transform your lesson plans>>
Classroom Activities: In Praise of Old-School Board Games
Monopoly, Risk and Chinese Checkers were staples of rainy-day activity back in the day, but did you know these popular games can also be used to spur something called executive function, or the brain’s way of being creative and utilize working memory.
Here’s how to use classic board games as inspiring classroom activities >>
Engaging Classroom Games for All Grades
One of our most popular stories in the history of TeachHUB.com has been one in which we lay out some popular classroom games. These games are time-tested, and work at just about every grade level.
Classroom games add flair and student engagement to more tedious, yet necessary tasks like teaching math facts, grammar rules and vocabulary, reviewing for tests or even completing lab experiments. Adding an element of competition motivates and energizes students.
Our list of great classroom games includes:
  • Educational Bingo
  • Memory
  • Around the World
  • And More!

We also encourage educators to implement student-created games whenever possible – after all, what student doesn’t like to show off his or her creative talents?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1