This is a guest post by Drew, who currently teaches 7th Grade Texas History in the San Antonio area, where he has taught since 2004.

 

Here I discovered the proper use of multimedia and how proper procedures can help ensure mental well-being.

3. Movies – I have used movies in the past, but mostly to kill time.  This year, I wrote some great questions for the movies I used.  I suppose I set my expectations higher as far as how I used movies like ‘The Alamo’ or ‘National Treasure 2’.  My students compared the information from our textbook to how Hollywood presents historical facts.  Kudos to Nicolas Cage for the ‘hysterical’ side of the facts.

4. Procedures – I have reached a real comfort level with my classroom procedures.  I created jobs for my students and the ‘Student of the Week’ was still popular in this, its second year.  Both of these really helped maintain student ownership of responsibilities within my room.  It really helped my PDAS because my students were constantly engaged in classroom procedures, especially during transitions.  Who knew that the mundane task of handing out red pens could keep even the most reluctant learner involved?

5. Seating – In the past, I have not always changed seating assignments as frequently as I should have.  This year, I moved students every nine weeks instead of each semester, and I tweaked their spots as necessary.  I did stop the use of a special desk by my desk.  I understand I will need to re-implement that practice next year.  I’ll give the 6th graders a chance to use this summer to do some growing, and we’ll see what happens.

The Years Are Building Blocks: Part Five
5 New Edublogs To Keep On Your Radar
5 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers

Drew