10 Years of Teaching: How Do I Keep My Students Engaged? General by Joel Wagner - June 8, 2012July 1, 20161 Five years ago, I wrote a series of seven articles called “Questions That Will Save Your Career†that still remain among the most visited articles on this site. When I wrote those, I had successfully completed my 5th year in education. This summer, after 10 years, I am revisiting some of these older concepts. Today, I revisit How Do I Keep My Students Engaged? How Do I Keep My Students Quiet? How Do I Keep My Students Engaged? How Do I Keep My Students Interested? How Do I Keep My Students Learning? How Do I Keep My Students Away From Me? How Do I Keep My School Administration Happy? How Do I Keep My Sanity? 10 Years of Teaching: How
10 Lessons I Have learned In 10 Years of Teaching Inspiration by Joel Wagner - June 6, 2012July 25, 20165 At the conclusion of 10 years of teaching, I started to reminisce about what I have learned. This article summarizes 10 lessons I have learned in 10 years of teaching. After having successfully completed my tenth year as a professional educator, I have come to realize that a lot of what I used to think worked didn't really work...at least not long-term. While some things may be effective in the immediate future, they are not sustainable down the road, and sometimes even backfire if used to often and too early. 1. Love your job and your students No matter how hard you try to pretend you love your job, if you don't, the kids will see right through you. Students feed off of the energy that
10 Years of Teaching: A Reflection Inspiration by Joel Wagner - June 4, 2012July 1, 20163 I started this blog more than five years ago. I have now come to the conclusion of my 10th year of teaching. In this article and the upcoming series, I reflect on some of what I have learned in my 10 years of teaching. A reflection It strikes me that much of what I have written on this blog, especially in the older articles is simply wrong. Some of the information can be misleading or easily misunderstood. In the upcoming weeks and months, I aim to readdress some of those same issues from my new, far more patient and friendly mindset. At the same time, there are some core beliefs I held to in those early days that are ever strong in me and I
Benefits of Teaching English Abroad General by Sanjay Bojan - April 12, 2011July 3, 20161 Teaching is an art, a skill and a challenge that can sometimes be more difficult than aiming in archery. In this article we discuss on the various benefits of teaching English in a foreign country. A lot of teachers prefer working abroad for different reasons. Some common reasons behind teaching abroad are learning the new culture and the language, gaining professional success, earning and a lot of other opportunities as well. Many teachers who prefer to go abroad are English teachers as the language (English) commands a very high respect demand all over the world. In countries where English education is compulsory, one expects teachers to have advanced degrees and to be a native English speaker. The Political Effect on the language A lot of non-English-speaking countries that want to maintain
5 Classroom Management Skills Every Teacher Must Have Classroom Management by Carrie Oakley - November 24, 2010August 9, 201625 It’s one of the most underrated professions in the world – most people assume that you don’t need any special skills to be a teacher, yet few realize that it takes a great deal of effort and ability to handle a classroom full of students. You not only have to be thoroughly knowledgeable in the subject you’re handling, you also need to know how to control a class and maintain discipline and order in it. In short, to be a good teacher, you also need the following classroom management skills. 5 classroom management skills every teacher must have 1. Authority Some teachers command authority through the way they look – their very appearance makes students give them the respect they deserve. Others invite sniggers and giggles because they look
8 Teachers Who Changed History General by Melissa Tamura - May 11, 2010August 5, 20161 Throughout history, teachers were making discoveries, taking actions, or participating in events that forever changed the world. Today we'll look briefly at 8 teachers who changed history. Pythagoras was a mathematician, philosopher, and teacher who’s theories are still taught in schools. He’s best known for the Pythagorean Theorem that relates to right triangles, however, he also determined the relationship of math to music and the movement of stars and planets. Later in his life, Pythagoras was a teacher in India and founded a Croatian institute where he taught philosophy. He also founded the Pythagorean Brotherhood, a secret society devoted to the study of mathematics. Known as the person who established the theory of gravity, Sir Isaac Newton was also a
10 Free Ed-Tech Resources to Implement in the Classroom Blogging & Technology by Karen Schweitzer - October 21, 2009July 3, 20160 This article is by Karen Schweitzer, the About.com Guide to Business School. Since it was published in 2009, 5 of the original 15 sites have gone away. It's now 10 Free Ed-Tech Resources to Implement in the Classroom. Enjoy. Teachers who are looking for technology to implement in their classroom can find many different resources online. From presentation apps to educational microblogs, the Internet has everything teachers need to improve learning experiences and productivity in the classroom. Here are 10 free ed-tech resources worth exploring: Mindomo – Mindomo is a versatile mind mapping tool that makes it easy to create, organize, and share your ideas. It is a great brainstorming tool for the classroom. SlideShare – SlideShare is the world’s largest presentation sharing community. It can be
9 Free Tools For Better Blogging Blogging & Technology by Karen Schweitzer - September 14, 2009July 5, 20163 In this article, Karen Schweitzer digs into some tools that blogging educators can use. She initially listed 15 in 2009, but 6 of those tools are no longer around. So now, enjoy 9 Free Tools For Better Blogging. Teachers and other education professionals who are interested in starting their own blog or integrating blogging into a classroom can find many online resources to improve their blogging experience. Many of these resources are free and easy to implement on a variety of platforms. Here are 15 no-cost tools to explore today: Edmodo - This free microblogging platform was created for students and teachers who want to be able to blog and share files through a private connection. Edmodo works a lot like Twitter--it allows threaded
45 Tasks for Parent Volunteers in the Classroom General by Michelle Fabio - May 27, 2009August 9, 20164 Parent volunteers in the classroom can be great resources for both students and teachers, but it's important to make sure your volunteers have plenty of do so they feel like they're helping and want to come back. If you'll be accepting parents as classroom volunteers, be sure to ask them what they'd like to do and what they'd rather not do -- not every parent is crafty or feels comfortable reading with children. Also be sure to ask what times are convenient for them, making it more likely they'll become regular helpers in your classroom. And don't forget to show your appreciation at the end of the year! Many teachers hold volunteer teas or breakfasts or give small gifts like gift cards or framed
30 Twitter Tips for Teachers Blogging & Technology by Karen Schweitzer - May 26, 2009August 4, 20163 There's no question that Twitter is a wonderful resource for building your personal learning network. If you've never used Twitter before, have no fear. Karen Schweitzer is here to get you up and running in no time with 30 Twitter Tips for Teachers 30 Twitter Tips for Teachers Twitter can be a great resource–if you know how to use it. Here are 30 tips for teachers who want to learn how to use Twitter to network, teach, and share information: Determine your purpose Before spending any amount of time on Twitter, you should decide what you want to get out of it. Do you want to meet people who share your interests? Do you want to promote something? Do you want to update
50 Online Reference Sites for Teachers New Teachers by Karen Schweitzer - March 10, 2009July 28, 20167 Finding time to go to the library or conduct research for the classroom can be downright impossible for a busy teacher. Fortunately, there are plenty of reference materials on the web that can guide educators to lesson plans and other resources that can be used in the classroom. This article presents 50 online reference sites that would be useful to almost any teacher. Karen Schweitzer is a writer for TeachingDegree.org, a site that specializes in information on teaching degrees. Here are 50 online reference sites that would be useful to almost any teacher: General Reference Sites The Educator's Reference Desk - The Educator's Reference Desk is an extremely valuable online reference site for teachers. Specific features include lesson plans, teaching tips, and information about
10 Teaching Myths [Infographic] General by Joel Wagner - July 10, 2008July 29, 20160 Last week, I wrote an article called 10 Teaching Myths Busted. Those myths were: Teaching preparation programs produce prepared teachers When I get my own classroom the students will respect me Students come to school primarily to learn I teach an elective class, surely all of my students want to be there If I have problems with a student, [SOME ACTION] will solve everything If I have problems with a student, I can request a schedule change The best teachers treat all students equally Teachers get three months off in the summer Teachers don't get paid well Standardized tests are horrible for education I decided to take a risk and design my first infographic based on this article. Please share your thoughts on this in the
50 Reasons To Love Your Job As A Teacher Reader Appreciation by Joel Wagner - November 30, 2007August 5, 201612 In November of 2007, I had Reader Appreciation Month. During the course of that month, I interviewed a number of my readers and gained some powerful insight into what makes teachers tick. This article summarizes 50 reasons to love your job as a teacher. As we come to the conclusion of Reader Appreciation Month, I want to summarize some of the things that we have learned. Today, I'll focus on some of the reasons my readers have shared with me about why they love their jobs. Edutopia put together a slide show of 20 Inspiring Reasons Why You Love To Teach. But here are my 50 reasons to love your teaching job. 50 reasons to love teaching Sharing my experiences Helping inexperienced teachers solve problems The
Top 5 (Plus 14) Character Traits Of Superior Teachers Reader Appreciation by Joel Wagner - November 29, 2007July 28, 201610 In November of 2007, I had Reader Apprection Month where I interviewed some of my readers, most of whom were fellow bloggers. Through the course of that month, I picked up a number of responses to the question "What Makes A Superior Teacher?" This article aggregates them and looks at the top answers. I'd guess if you're doing the top 5, you are well on your way to being great. As we come to the conclusion of Reader Appreciation Month, I want to summarize some of the things that we have learned. Today, I'll focus on some of the character traits of people who were indicated by my readers as their favorite teachers. Some of the character traits were mentioned by multiple
9 Reasons To Quit Teaching (And 10 Reasons To Stick) Why Teachers Quit by Joel Wagner - June 18, 2007August 9, 201679 Life as a teacher can be awfully challenging. While the challenges change as we gain experience, there are always new ones. It can be an awfully lonely time for many teachers. This article looks at 9 reasons to quit teaching and also raises 10 reasons to stick with teaching. Think of the many reasons you have to quit teaching Bad students Bad administrators Bad curriculum Too much paperwork Too much negativity Too much responsibility Not enough time Not enough credit Not enough PAY Face it, you are not as good of a teacher as you could be. You're not living up to your potential. Nobody is. Where am I? Seth Godin says that you are in The Dip (What's The Dip?). This is that place