Wisconsin Protests: Giving Teachers a Bad Reputation?

Watching events unfold in Wisconsin over the past few weeks has left me feeling both uncomfortable and confused. As I watched my fellow educators fighting on the steps of the capitol in Madison, I was confronted with the fact that, right or wrong, we were not presenting ourselves and our concerns in the best light.

Listening to the comments of strangers in the grocery store check-out line or reading comments online, my fears were confirmed. There is a lot of anger being directed at public school teachers nowadays - and most concerning to me is the fact that we don’t appear to be addressing the causes of that anger.

Teacher Misconceptions: Great Hours, Summers Off
Most people will tell you they respect public school teachers and know that we work very hard at what we do, but as the reports of teachers skipping school to protest and teachers with salaries and benefits packages of $100,000 began to leak out, suddenly many privately employed citizens let us know what they really think of those individuals who choose to work in public education.

Read Wisconsin Protests: Giving Teachers a Bad Reputation?

Easy, Effective Accommodations for Inclusion Teaching

As a Special Education teacher, I struggle every day with how to best accommodate students with learning disabilities in the regular education setting. How can teachers provide excellent learning opportunities for students of all abilities in the same class?

Here are two quick and easy accommodations I use with my students, both regular education and special education, that seem to have the greatest returns as far as their performance, understanding, and just plain enjoyment of being in class.

Read Easy, Effective Accommodations for Inclusion Teaching

Top 12 Ways to Tackle Teacher Paperwork

One of the biggest challenges of today’s teachers is managing larger and larger classes. The number of students increases every year, and just when it feels as if the classes cannot expand any more, they do.

With more students comes more paperwork of all types. Taming the paperwork tiger can be a huge step to insuring efficiency and sanity to even the most over-worked classroom teacher.

Here are some organization tips for managing paperwork that have helped keep me relatively sane in my classroom:

Read Top 12 Ways to Tackle Teacher Paperwork

Living Through the Japan Earthquake: Teaching Around the World Blog

TeachHUB blogger and international teacher Kim Cofino lived through the Japan earthquake.

She shares her story and what she learned from her experiences in this and the Thailand international crises, including how twitter is crucial in crisis...

It’s hard to believe that this is the second time we (my husband, Alex & I) have made the decision to leave our home due to external situations in under a year. The first time was during the protests in Bangkok, Thailand, where we happened to live right in the middle of the protest area. And this week, we have left our home in Yokohama, Japan (for Singapore) due to the recent earthquake.

Although the two situations are very different, what I’ve learned remains much the same.

Read Living Through the Japan Earthquake

Wax Bieber Video Writing Prompts

3-5: Your Wax Self
Wax figures are made to look identical to the real person, from their hair and clothes to the way they are standing. Imagine a wax figure is being made for you. What outfit would you wear? Describe your wax look and what your look would reveal about you.

6-8: Travel Like a Star
Being a celebrity can provide you with amazing opportunities. Pretend you are a celebrity and have your own private jet that can take you anywhere in the world. Where would you go? List 5 dream destinations. Then, explain why you would want to go to each place.

Check out Wax Bieber Video Writing Prompts

Teacher Stereotypes: Overcoming Apple Sweater Ideals

Ahh, being a teacher. It comes with such a huge stigma. No matter who you are or where you live, you feel like you are an expert on what it means to be a teacher. Can you fault anyone for this? Not really.

Everyone, even if they only have an eighth grade education, feels they are an expert because the majority of everyone's childhood is spent confined within the four walls of a classroom. Those memories lead to very specific ideas about what teachers should look like and how they should behave, even if it is far from the truth.

Read Teacher Stereotypes: Overcoming Apple Sweater Ideals

Teacher Spring Cleaning Guide

While “education” and “reform” may have become dirty words, you can reform your classroom into a sparkling, spic-and-span wonderland with a little spring cleaning.

Spring cleaning can encompass many things, including:

• literally cleaning out the dirt and clutter that has accumulated over the school year
• welcoming in the new season indoors, outdoors and in your lessons
• remembering and rethinking goals for the year that get lost in the day to day

Read Teacher Spring Cleaning Guide

5 Simple Steps To Get Students To Work (Even When They Don’t Want To)

One of the most frustrating times for a teacher is trying to cajole a student to complete assigned work, especially if this student is habitual about not completing assignments. We have all had students who would not work, would not attempt to work, or would not even give you the satisfaction of looking at the work you have given them.

Some kids, whether it is stubbornness, or a mental or physical disability, cannot process assignments and therefore will refuse to work in class. Here are a five simple strategies to get reluctant student to do work and complete their assignments.

Here are a five strategies to get kids to work on their assignments:

Read 5 Simple Steps To Get Students To Work (Even When They Don’t Want To)

Top 12 Free Ways Teachers Can Rock Spring Break

Let’s admit it, we’d all like to spend our spring breaks relaxing on a beach or on some once-in-a-lifetime trip, but that’s not always in the budget. That doesn’t mean you can’t avoid the everyday routines of home and truly enjoy your vacation!

Here are 12 ways to make the most of your spring break without spending any cash.

Read Top 12 Free Ways Teachers Can Rock Spring Break

Inside Education Blogging with John Spencer

John Spencer is a man of many blogging identities. He is "Musings of a Not-So-Master Teacher" on his personal blog, "Learning with Impact" for his education-specific forum, and the orchestrator of a student blog/online social studies magazine "Social Voice." With each of his blogs, John explores the possibilities in education and different ways to tap into his students' potential.

We are excited to share the insights of this not-so-master teacher who dove into teaching 2.0 and lived to tell the tale.

Read Inside Education Blogging with John Spencer

Why Ed Tech Starts with Teachers

A computer for every student in school sounds like the ideal educational system. The possibilities for educational exploration would be endless.

However, implementing this type of learning environment cannot be rushed and should require strategic planning.

Two Types of Ed Tech Approaches

As the pedagogy of one-to-one laptop computers continues to grow at a geometric rate across the nation, two types of schools are emerging.

Read Why Ed Tech Starts with Teachers

5 Super Fun Skill Building Games for Students

Need fun, constructive ways to use computer time?
Need skill building exercises for students of all ages?
Need drill-style activities for math, vocabulary, or geography?

Here are some awesome online learning games your students will love!

State Capital Penguin Hop

Learning the states and capitals is fun with the help of these penguins! Up to four students at a time can challenge one another in states and capitals. Each student is given a penguin and they must guide their penguin home to their proper state. They can only advance their penguin to the iceberg that correctly corresponds with the given capital.

Read 5 Super Fun Skill Building Games for Students

March Madness Under Dogs Writing Prompts

6-8: A Lesson in Losing
Of the 64 teams in the tournament, all the teams will lose a game except the tournament champion. Do you learn more from winning or losing? Why?

9-12: Time Management Tips
All of these athletes are also students who will have to return to school after the NCAA tournament. What tips would you give these student athletes to balance the demands of sports and school? List at least 5.

Get video and read all March Madness Under Dogs Writing Prompts

12 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers

I think I must have been born with a book in my hand! My parents told me that from the moment I learned to read, I would read everything in sight, from cereal boxes to billboards. When I began reading books, there was no stopping me! I even begged them to name my baby brother after a book character. (Yes, that story is really true!)

When I became a teacher, I was amazed to discover that most kids don’t enjoy reading. To me, books are full of excitement and adventure, like a movie that you can take with you. I spent my first 25 years as a teacher in a quest for the perfect way to teach reading. You know what I discovered? There isn’t one. There’s no one way to teach reading that will meet the needs of every kid in your class. Children are too different, and their needs are too diverse to be met with one single reading program.

But the good news is that even if there’s not one “right” way to teach reading, there are at least a dozen ways to motivate reluctant readers. You just have to figure out what works for your students. External rewards may work in the short term, but if you really want students to love reading you have to look for other options.

Here are a twelve strategies to motivate reluctant readers, and none of them involve stickers, certificates, or pizza.

Read 12 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers

Tales of a 40-Something Student Teacher

After over 25 years in the high-tech field, Dave, aka Mr. Math Teacher, left his long term engineering profession to begin his new career as a teacher.

Dave opens up about his decision to embark on a new career in the teaching field and his experience on being back in the classroom.

As of February 2011, Dave is 3/4 through an Master of Arts in Education, so he's now student teaching as a high school math teacher in a predominantly low income district. He shares his experience as an atypical student teacher.

Read Tales of a 40-Something Student Teacher

Jigsaw Activities for Science Learning

Jigsaw lessons provide unique opportunities for students to learn from each other and practice the 21st century skills of collaboration and communication in an authentic setting. By using the jigsaw method in our classes, we are preparing our students for the careers that await them.

So, what do you need to know to make jigsaws a reality in your classroom? Here are some tips for getting started and other online resources.

Read Jigsaw Activities for Science Learning

49 Strategies to Teach Critical Thinking

Teaching critical thinking is something we're all tasked to do, but it's also something that doesn't come with a set curriculum or concrete directions.

Here are 49 tips, benefits, guidelines and activities to jump start your instruction of critical thinking skills!

Read 49 Strategies to Teach Critical Thinking

Dos & Don'ts for Building Positive Student Relationships

Teaching is a unique profession because its success is based heavily on knowledge, craft, and relationships. No matter how strong the craft, imparting knowledge will be nearly impossible if the relationship between you and your student is absent.

Here are my dos and don'ts for building positive, productive relationships with students.

Read Dos & Don'ts for Building Positive Student Relationships

Twitter Chats for Educators

Whether you're a twitter expert or a social media beginner, you can engage in conversations with amazing educators from around the world.

One of the easiest way to get on board is to join "chats" on twitter. Educators "meet" weekly to discuss the latest issues in their field. Here are my favorite education chats on twitter.

Read Twitter Chats for Educators

Science Lesson: Discovery Cloud Activity

With this NASA-inspired activity, your students will conduct atmospheric research as they draw and identify different types of clouds.

Download Discovery Cloud Activity

Is School Sucking the Life Out of You?

You’d have to be living in the Twilight Zone not to realize vampires are in vogue today. Vampirelore is everywhere - books, jewelry, Burger King, television, and, of course, the big screen.

But the vampires we know and love today aren’t the dark, life-snatching Dracula types of the past. These vampires are nice. They don’t want to be monsters, so they say... and they are roaming our school halls.

Read Is School Sucking the Life Out of You?

Announcing Classroom Comics Giveaway

Enter to win "Female Force" Graphic Novels for Women's History Month!

In honor of Women's History Month, TeachHUB wants to bring forceful females to your class!

We're giving away "Female Force" graphic novels to provide empowering, student-friendly reading materials to you & your students.

Enter the Classroom Comics Giveaway

Actively Engage Students Using Hands-on & Minds-on Instruction

Contrary to popular belief, “active engagement” involves more than “hands-on” instruction.

When students are fully engaged in a task, they are actively doing and actively thinking. While hands are engaged, minds should be questioning, sorting through sensory input, and making connections.

Luckily, there are dozens of active engagement “tools” you can use to spark excitement and add rigor to your lessons. Here are several effective strategies for implementing active engagement tools.

Read Actively Engage Students Using Hands-on & Minds-on Instruction