Teaching Strategies: Think-Alouds

Think-aloud teaching strategies are methods used to help students monitor and hone their own thinking. When utilized correctly, think-alouds can seriously improve students’ abilities to think critically – a cornerstone of any kind of academic mindset.

Today on TeachHUB.com, contributor Janelle Cox explains why think-alouds are important teaching strategies, how to use them, and how they can serve as an important assessment.

Using a reading assignment as an example, Janelle gives a point-by-point description of how to use think-alouds before, during, and after students complete a reading assignment.

Do you use the think-aloud strategy in your classroom? Do you have any tips on how to effectively use the strategy?

Learn how to use think-alouds as teaching strategies>>

Christmas Movie Curriculum Connections

This time of year, holiday-themed articles on teaching ideas always trend well, and this week, our readers have been flocking to a Christmas-themed article that’s been combined with another perpetually trending subject: Movies.

Recently we looked at a few ways to get the most educational value out of some seasonal classics, including Rudolph, “Home Alone,” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

How do you work holiday classic movies into your curriculum?

Get some ideas about incorporating Christmas-themed films into your teaching arsenal>>

Classroom Holiday Party Ideas

We also are shining the proverbial spotlight on classroom parties, another extremely popular article topic during this season. Although you cannot be too careful with regards to PC-related issues these days, there are ways that you can throw a wonderful holiday bash that your lucky students will remember for years to come.

Elements of this memorable shindig can include:

Educational Holiday Lessons & Activities
Games & Crafts
Spreading Good Will in the Classroom
And More!

What are you doing to celebrate the holidays with your students?

The Fine Line of Giving Homework Help

Teachers are inherently helpful. Whenever an educator senses that someone needs help with something – inside or outside the classroom – you can bet that the teacher will be pitching in to assist.

But when it comes to homework, the tendency can be for teachers (or tutors for that matter) to instruct TOO MUCH – to assist to the point that the teachers are actually harming the student.

Today, Jordan Catapano, a frequent TeachHUB writer who is also an English teacher, describes the fine line that educators tow when assisting with homework help: “Helping students get to a point of independence takes time and experimentation as educators, and we just might find that each student needs their own unique degree of attention before their completely comfortable spreading their wings and soaring.”

What do you think? Is there a point where too much help stops being helpful? How do you encourage independence in your students?

Learn about the balancing act that resides between helping and harming>>

The Anti-Bullying Classroom: Advice for Educators

Recently, we visited with anti-bullying activist Jodee Blanco, author of “Please Stop Laughing at Us.” Jodee offered up 10 tips for teachers dealing with bullies, including:

Get backup

Be a friend

Use compassionate punishment

And more!

How do you prevent bullying in your classroom?

Get anti-bullying strategies and tips>>

Teacher Interview Questions and Answers

We have become a tremendous resource for job seekers looking for a teaching job. One of our consistently popular articles, 6 Common Interview Questions for Teachers and How to Answer Them, offers up the most popular teacher interview questions according to our educational experts, and gives suggestions on well-thought-out 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!

Technology in the Classroom: Make Keyboarding Fun

The goals of teaching typing aren’t speed and accuracy: The reason we teach typing is to get kids to communicate in a manner that doesn’t disrupt their thinking process.

The importance of typing, meanwhile, can’t be underestimated. Think of all the classroom needs that require the skill:

Journaling
Researching
Collaborating
And more

Indeed, the ubiquitous academic nature of typing underlines its importance, and today, frequent TeachHUB.com contributing writer Jacqui Murray, also a technology teacher, outlines several ways that teachers can make their typing lessons more fun, including:

Drills
Team Challenge
Quizzes
And More!

How do you keep keyboarding practice fresh in your classroom?

Discover our six ways to make keyboarding fun>>

Top 12 Super Bowl Activities for the Classroom

The energy that the Super Bowl radiates each year is palpable. Kids everywhere don their favorite jerseys in anxious anticipation, and television and the Internet is chok full of big game-themed advertisements and news stories (not all of them good this year).

Recently, we took a look at some fun classroom activities involving the Super Bowl, and every year at this time the article trends highly. In it, we suggest the following football-based learning lessons:

Football Measurements
Sport Weather Effects Experiment
Anatomy and Sports Injuries
And More!

All in all, executing some Super Bowl-themed curriculum plans is a great way to motivate students and enliven your class.

How do you use Super Bowl excitement to inspire learning?

Get our top 12 Super Bowl-related classroom activities>>

Graduate Programs for Teachers

Did you know that the TeachHUB.com team is an excellent resource for helping teachers advance their careers through helping enroll in graduate programs?

Classroom Management During Reading Groups

A big hurdle for all elementary teachers to overcome is how to manage class during reading groups. It can be difficult for an educator to maintain control of her students while some are being pulled to attend those reading groups.

Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, who has a deep educational background, offers up 10 classroom management tips for teachers looking for ways to keep students busy while teaching reading groups. These tips include:

Literacy Games
Manipulatives
Buddy Reading
Technology Time
And More!

The goal of keeping students busy is to ensure that you won’t be interrupted during the important time of reading groups.

How do you manage students during reading groups? Do you have any tricks or tips that work for your classroom?

Get our classroom management tips to use during reading groups>>

17 Topics to Teach K-8 About Digital Citizenship

Digital citizenship is a hot topic in educational circles these days. And with the plethora of technological devices making knowledge attainable just about anywhere, it’s important to teach kids responsibility, including digical citizenship.

We recently posted an article by frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Jacqui Murray (herself a technology teacher) on how educators should promote responsible digital life. In it, Jacqui notes that teachers should frequently address:

Cyberbullying
Digital Commerce
Passwords
And More!

Jacqui notes that teachers shouldn’t fret about addressing these topics – we’ve instructed kids about general safety since the dawn of time. These rules are merely variations on the overall theme of safety and how they apply to this day and age.

Jacqui encapsulates her article in one apropos paragraph: “One of my favorites of all the above, is “digital rights and responsibilities.” With great virtual wealth comes obligations. You can\’t have one without the other. It\’s never too early to start that conversation.”

Yoga Pants & the School Dress Code

Dress code debates and figuring out acceptable attire have been around since the invention of school. Today, fashionable female students are donning Yoga pants, those tight, form-fitting-yet-comfy piece of apparel that pushes the boundaries of the school dress code in many districts.

In many circles, Yoga pants, spaghetti straps, bare midriffs, and the like are viewed as being distracting to male students, a point that is well-taken by many in the education field.

Still others argue that “dictating that young women change their appearance because they are ‘distracting’ men inherently objectifies them, and it teaches girls to be ashamed of their bodies.”

So the debate rages on. Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributor Jordan Catapano (also a high school English teacher) points out the arguments on both sides of the pantleg (his joke) in a great think piece that will get you to respect both debate teams. Check it out – it’s an excellent school dress code op-ed article.

What do you think about banning yoga pants, leggings, and the like in schools?

Read more about the debate on Yoga pants and the school dress code>>

Google for Teachers: 100+ Tricks

An article on Google for teachers is presently trending on TeachHUB.com, and in it we outline we point out various ways that teachers can save valuable time when researching their next technology in the classroom-related project.

Here’s a sampling:

Find a term in a URL
Search for a specific file type
Google scholar
Collaborate on group projects
Send invitations
Consolidate e-mail accounts
Add events from Gmail
Use the Chrome shortcuts
Go incognito
And more!

How do you use Google in the classroom? How do you use other technology in the classroom? How are you integrating technology in the classroom?

Technology in the Classroom: Using Digital Tablets

Digital tablets, including iPads, have become all the rage in classrooms today. Teachers like them because it’s like having an all-in-one tool at their fingertips: Indeed, one device affords word processing, research, document sharing, and even school-to-home communication. Students like these devices because they make learning fun: Let’s face it an animated, turnkey lesson plan created by a third party can be a lot more engaging than a stand-and-deliver, traditional lecture.

But in this age of teachers strapped for time, it’s all too easy for educators to not take the time to learn how to use these powerful devices. So today, frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Janelle Cox explains some quick and easy ways for educators to get assimilated with these new technologies that are rapidly changing the educational landscape. Janelle’s tips include using tablets and iPads for:

Presentations
Record-Keeping
Virtual Field Trips
And More!

Seasoned, well-connected educators know that there’s an app for everything these days, and kids are always jazzed up over any kind of new ed-tech trend, so why not embrace the nascent technology in the classroom? You’ll be helping yourself, and your students will love the experience.

Do you have a digital tablet or iPad in your classroom? How do you use it in your class?

Get our tips on using the latest technology in the classroom>>

Technology in the classroom has long been a focus of ours at TeachHUB.com, and we’ve been ahead of the curve in terms of introducing teachers to new technology in the classroom trickery for quite some time now.

One perennially popular article we rolled out a while ago was entitled “Technology in the Classroom: Amazing iPad Apps for Educators.” In that piece, we spelled out our favorite apps for many devices, all designed to forever alter a teacher’s educational landscape. Check it out – many of the apps we reviewed there include interactive video vignettes that explain in full detail an apps hits and misses.

How to Get a Teaching Job in Today’s Economy

Finding any job in this economy can be difficult, and for potential teachers, it’s even more difficult. Teachers looking for jobs are up against both seasoned veterans and rookies for a coveted position.

Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributor Janelle Cox, herself a seasoned educator, takes a look at the top ways that educators can put themselves ahead of the job-seeking pack.

Janelle’s tips include:

Be willing to move
Substitute teach
Get letters of recommendation
And more!

All in all, by using the techniques listed out today, your search for a good job will be that much easier.

Do you have any tips on how to find a teaching job in today’s economy?

Learn hot to get a teaching job in these tricky economic times>>

How to Apply Ed Tech Teaching for Common Core Standards

The Common Core State Standards require teachers and students alike to utilize a full gamut of technologies. Recently, we ran a popular article on how teachers can integrates more technologies into everyday learning activities.

We listed out several methods that teachers can use to integrate technology and learning, including:

Blogs
Wikis
Podcasts
And more!

How do you intend to use ed tech tools to help your students reach the learning goals set by Common Core State Standards?

Learn more about applying ed-tech tools to the Common Core>>

Download TeachHUB Magazine for FREE Today!

In the December issue of TeachHUB magazine, learn some GREAT gift ideas for your teaching colleagues for under $5 – but our ideas are NOT the typical coffee mug fare.

Likewise, we take a look at three smart boards you may want to incorporate into your classroom, and offer up some tasty holiday treats guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of your guests.

Did you know TeachHUB magazine is FREE? It is, and it’s a wonderful resource designed to help you become a better educator.

Our Top 10 Songs About School

Songs about school have been a pop culture touchstone since the early 20^th century. Indeed, although the specific topics vary from song to song (love, cars, emotions about various items on the curriculum), you can bet that at any moment, there’s probably a song about school live on the airwaves right now (or on a closer friend’s playlist).

In a fun piece today, frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Jordan Catapano (who’s also a high school teacher in Illinois) calls out the most memorable tunes about school, including:

Van Halen, “Hot for Teacher”
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Beatles, “Getting Better”
And More!

Overall, songs about school culture have been a staple in popular music forever. The themes these songs address are universal – perhaps that’s why songs about school are always close to the top 10.

What other songs should be on our list? What will songs of the future sing about school?

Get our list of the top 10 songs about school>>

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?

Original Valentine\’s Day Lessons for All Grades

Although it’s tempting to treat Valentine’s Day like Halloween and simply throw a party and call it a day, there are some ways that you can gear your lesson plans toward Feb. 14.

Recently we ran a piece on how to do just that – so you don’t have to give up valuable learning time to just throw a class party. Our ideas included:

Create Valentines with a Curriculum Twist
Reading & Writing Love Stories, Poems, Sonnets or Songs
Cupid & Love in Mythology
And More!

What are your go-to classroom activities for Valentine\’s Day?

Check out our Valentine’s Day lesson plans>>

Classroom Management: Solve the Hand-Raising Problem

Today, we examined the problem of the chronic hand-raiser – that student who, despite what else is going on in the classroom, keeps his or her hand in the air with an expectant question or comment.

The problem is that the chronic hand-raiser is wasting valuable amounts of time with his or her hand in the air while you are tending to other things. For instance, he or she could move ahead and study other things while waiting until you are free.

Frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Janelle Cox uses some classroom management techniques today to address the problem of the chronic hand-raiser, including:

Using signs or signals rather than hand-raising
Use craft sticks rather than hand-raising
Try the Quantum learning method
And more!

What do you do when your students raise their hands too much in class? Do you have any tricks or tips that you would like to share?

Learn how to redirect the energy of a chronic hand-raiser>>

Video: Learning Retention for the Special Education Teacher

Check out this video that we recently published on TeachHUB magazine, always available for free, in which we outline ways that ways that the special education teacher can increase their students’ rates of learning retention.

Not surprisingly, learning retention doesn’t differ that much from student to student regardless of his or her academic acumen, but there are some unique ways that a special education teacher can insure that the lessons they administer won’t be forgotten after the test is over.

Original Valentine\’s Day Lessons for All Grades

Although it’s tempting to treat Valentine’s Day like Halloween and simply throw a party and call it a day, there are some ways that you can gear your lesson plans toward Feb. 14.

Recently we ran a piece on how to do just that – so you don’t have to give up valuable learning time to just throw a class party. Our ideas included:

Create Valentines with a Curriculum Twist
Reading & Writing Love Stories, Poems, Sonnets or Songs
Cupid & Love in Mythology
And More!

What are your go-to classroom activities for Valentine\’s Day?

Check out our Valentine’s Day lesson plans>>

Classroom Management: Solve the Hand-Raising Problem

Today, we examined the problem of the chronic hand-raiser – that student who, despite what else is going on in the classroom, keeps his or her hand in the air with an expectant question or comment.

Frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Janelle Cox uses some classroom management techniques today to address the problem of the chronic hand-raiser, including:

Using signs or signals rather than hand-raising
Use craft sticks rather than hand-raising
Try the Quantum learning method
And more!

What do you do when your students raise their hands too much in class? Do you have any tricks or tips that you would like to share?

Learn how to redirect the energy of a chronic hand-raiser>>

Video: Learning Retention for the Special Education Teacher

Original Valentine\’s Day Lessons for All Grades

Although it’s tempting to treat Valentine’s Day like Halloween and simply throw a party and call it a day, there are some ways that you can gear your lesson plans toward Feb. 14.

Recently we ran a piece on how to do just that – so you don’t have to give up valuable learning time to just throw a class party. Our ideas included:

Create Valentines with a Curriculum Twist
Reading & Writing Love Stories, Poems, Sonnets or Songs
Cupid & Love in Mythology
And More!

What are your go-to classroom activities for Valentine\’s Day?

Check out our Valentine’s Day lesson plans>>

Classroom Management: Solve the Hand-Raising Problem

Today, we examined the problem of the chronic hand-raiser – that student who, despite what else is going on in the classroom, keeps his or her hand in the air with an expectant question or comment.

Frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Janelle Cox uses some classroom management techniques today to address the problem of the chronic hand-raiser, including:

Using signs or signals rather than hand-raising
Use craft sticks rather than hand-raising
Try the Quantum learning method
And more!

What do you do when your students raise their hands too much in class? Do you have any tricks or tips that you would like to share?

Learn how to redirect the energy of a chronic hand-raiser>>

Video: Learning Retention for the Special Education Teacher

Technology in the Classroom for Struggling Teachers

Although many teachers these days have embraced technology in the classroom and are using it to the full extent of its capabilities, some educators are still loathe to get on board. Perhaps they don’t fell comfortable using technology in the classroom, maybe they simply don’t have access to all the high-speed bells and whistles, or maybe they just don’t see it as a priority.

Whatever the reason, many teachers still simply don’t use available technology in the classroom, frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Jacqui Murray notes in today’s post. So Jacqui offers up 10 tips for teachers struggling with technology in the classroom, including:

Try to figure it out yourself
Ask for help
Attend webinars
And more!

Jacqui ends her article with an inspirational charge for using technology in the classroom: “By transferring knowledge, leveraging what you do know, and allowing for flexible learning paths, you can develop the habits of mind that will make yourself comfortable with the new educational paradigm.”

How have you acclimated yourself to using technology in the classroom?

Get our 10 tips for struggling teachers>>

14 Educational Websites Students Will Want to Visit

Another technologically focused article that’s been trending on TeachHUB.com recently is one that calls out our top educational websites that students will enjoy.

Of course, number one is Minecraft, the Lego-like sim world where players build homes, cultivate farms, and fend off imaginary villians.

But beyond Minecraft, there are many FREE websites that will assist you in creating an engaging curriculum for your classroom, including:

iCivics
MissionUS
Coffee Shop
And More!

What educational websites do you recommend?

Get our list of the best websites for students>>

Subscribe to the TeachHUB.com newsletter

One of the best ways to enjoy all the great happenings at TeachHUB.com is to subscribe to the TeachHUB.com newsletter.

Once a week, the FREE newsletter is delivered straight to your inbox, packed with the latest news, free lesson plans, tech reviews, and more!

Teaching Strategies to Involve Parents

One of the best time-tested ways to build up the academic abilities of students is by creating teaching strategies that engage parents. When mom or dad (or both) gets actively involved in the classroom setting, it almost always leads to report card success. The publication School Community Journal even acknowledges, \”There is a sizable body of research literature supporting the involvement of parents in educational settings and activities.\”

Of course, getting parents involved in your class is no easy task. But today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jacqui Murray, who is also a technology teacher, outlines several ways that educators can engage parents in their classroom goings-on, including:

Create a family-friendly environment
Hold parent classes
Communicate with parents
And more!

Overall, Jacqui notes that in addition to their classroom roles and teaching strategies, teachers need to be parent resources and that they need to be accessible to them.

How do you involve parents in your classes? How successful is this effort?

Learn more teaching strategies that will engage parents>>

Top 12 Things You Learned In School That Your Students Won’t

One of the most-commented upon articles we’ve ever published has been a rundown of the top 12 things that “older” folks learned in school that are now viewed as practically academically obsolete.

Some of these endangered classroom species include:

Cursive writing
Typing
Paper-based reference materials
And more

Are you fighting to keep these lessons alive in your classroom? What did we miss on the list?

One of the best time-tested ways to build up the academic abilities of students is by creating teaching strategies that engage parents. When mom or dad (or both) gets actively involved in the classroom setting, it almost always leads to report card success. The publication School Community Journal even acknowledges, “There is a sizable body of research literature supporting the involvement of parents in educational settings and activities.” Of course, getting parents involved in your class is no easy task. But today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jacqui Murray, who is also a technology teacher, outlines several ways that educators can engage parents in their classroom goings-on, including: Create a family-friendly environment Hold parent classes Communicate with parents And more! Overall, Jacqui notes that in addition to their classroom roles and teaching strategies, teachers need to be parent resources and that they need to be accessible to them. How do you involve parents in your classes? How successful is this effort? Learn more teaching strategies that will engage parents>> Top 12 Things You Learned In School That Your Students Won’t One of the most-commented upon articles we’ve ever published has been a rundown of the top 12 things that “older” folks learned in school that are now viewed as practically academically obsolete. Some of these endangered classroom species include: Cursive writing Typing Paper-based reference materials And more Are you fighting to keep these lessons alive in your classroom? What did we miss on the list?

Back in the day, multitasking was a badge of honor amongst educators. The more things a teacher could handle at once—grading papers, creating a curriculum, disciplining students – the better he or she was at the educational profession.

But that mindset has been eroded over time. These days, studies have shown that concentrating on one task at a time makes humans much more effective in any working environment, not just the classroom.

Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributor Jordan Catapano spells out the downfalls of multitasking. Jordan notes several common multitasking pitfalls, including:

You’re more likely to produce errors
Your creativity is diminished
Your IQ actually decreases
And more!

All in all, Jordan notes that teachers (and all other professions) should stop honoring multitasking, and quit pretending that it works: “Technically speaking, it’s impossible for our brains to do two major tasks at once. What we’re really doing when we think we’re multitasking is “task switching,” which means we alternate between tasks,” Jordan notes.

What are your tricks to increase focus and limit multitasking with yourself and your students?

Learn about the problems with multitasking>>

Yoga Pants & the School Dress Code

In many circles, Yoga pants, spaghetti straps, bare midriffs, and the like are viewed as being distracting to male students, a point that is well-taken by many in the education field.

One of the best time-tested ways to build up the academic abilities of students is by creating teaching strategies that engage parents. When mom or dad (or both) gets actively involved in the classroom setting, it almost always leads to report card success. The publication School Community Journal even acknowledges, "There is a sizable body of research literature supporting the involvement of parents in educational settings and activities." Of course, getting parents involved in your class is no easy task. But today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jacqui Murray, who is also a technology teacher, outlines several ways that educators can engage parents in their classroom goings-on, including: Create a family-friendly environment Hold parent classes Communicate with parents And more! Overall, Jacqui notes that in addition to their classroom roles and teaching strategies, teachers need to be parent resources and that they need to be accessible to them. How do you involve parents in your classes? How successful is this effort? Learn more teaching strategies that will engage parents>> Top 12 Things You Learned In School That Your Students Won’t One of the most-commented upon articles we’ve ever published has been a rundown of the top 12 things that “older” folks learned in school that are now viewed as practically academically obsolete. Some of these endangered classroom species include: Cursive writing Typing Paper-based reference materials And more Are you fighting to keep these lessons alive in your classroom? What did we miss on the list?

Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributor Jordan Catapano spells out the downfalls of multitasking. Jordan notes several common multitasking pitfalls, including:

You’re more likely to produce errors
Your creativity is diminished
Your IQ actually decreases
And more!

What are your tricks to increase focus and limit multitasking with yourself and your students?

Learn about the problems with multitasking>>

Yoga Pants & the School Dress Code

In many circles, Yoga pants, spaghetti straps, bare midriffs, and the like are viewed as being distracting to male students, a point that is well-taken by many in the education field.

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