1. 20 Ways to Teach for Excellence How To Make Your Classroom An Environment That Promotes Learning

2. Create rules with your class on the first day. Be consistent and follow through. Make sure that the contract created serves all members of the class, students and teachers alike.

3. Make practical connections from the subject content to your students’ lives. They will learn and retain information this way.

4. Give kinesthetic learners small tasks or stretch breaks that get them up and moving if you can’t incorporate physical activity in your lesson.

5. Use music during group work to help students recognize transitions.

6. Have students complete a “getting to know you” note card to help make meaningful connections.

7. Keep plenty of sharpened pencils handy.

8. Know the environment and neighborhood your students are coming from.

9. Ask students what they would like to learn about a subject. Then, do your best to incorporate these things.

10. Give students the first few minutes to settle in, vent, and finish previously begun conversations. This will limit distractions during the lesson.

11. Hide the clock. Take the focus away from time and put it onto learning.

12. Get on the students’ level. Don’t stand over them. Get down and work with them.

13. Provide lots of literature for students to read and explore. They may not have those opportunities at home.

14. Teach and model organization in your classroom. This is a skill your students will need and use for life.

15. Once a week, give students a “soap box moment” by allowing them to present something of their choice to the class. Ask each student to write something nice to the presenter in response. This builds self-esteem and brings the class together as a whole. cover

16. Don’t try to intimidate or frighten students to earn respect or demand their obedience. It won’t work in your favor. Besides, school is scary enough.

17. Have students change seats each class. This way they get to know each other and avoid cliques, which can be distracting.

18. Let students have food and drink in the classroom. Remember that students can only learn when their basic needs are met.

19. Do your best to leave your job at the door when you arrive home. This way, you won’t burn out as quickly as you might if you had no boundaries between work and your personal life.

20. Listen and be patient. Have compassion and respect for students and be honest. They will do the same for you.

21. Above all, do not abandon hope. After all the struggle it took to become a teacher, would you really want it to be easy?

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