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Positive Teaching

·         Positive engagement

I have noticed that when  I am seeming to have my best days in the classroom, so are my kids!  We feed off each other.  That got me thinking what can I do to keep that positive energy flowing.  I know, I know, behavior specific praise (BSP) is old news, but when was the last time you tracked your rate of BSP to corrections ratio. You might be surprised by just how many times you correct your students opposed to praising them.  Have a work friend tally for you for a duration of 10 minutes the number of times you give BSP and the number of times you correct student behavior.  Use this cool tracking sheet to track your data.   When I feel myself having a teacher slump, I ask a work buddy to track my praise to correction ratios.  Sure enough, I have slipped from that 4:1 BSP ratio.

Page 8-11 HERE will help you navigate BSP in your classroom:  

·         Creating a fun and engaging classroom

Through the years as an Earth & Space Science teacher I have taught science in 4 different rooms, 2 being actual science rooms, 1 a portable and most recently a room designed to be a reading intervention classroom. The most recent one, although not a science room, was such an upgrade from the portable because of running water!  The hard times make us realize how much we can appreciate the little things.  I want to share with you today how to make a fun and engaging classroom no matter where you land!  

My new room has just one giant bulletin.  I divided it up into three sections.  You can see my favorite part behind this young man, my Instagram board.  I change out hastags throughout the year and add some of my favorite pictures.  Students are also encouraged to bring in or send in pictures of their own that they feel correlate with the hashtag.  This way we make the room our own!  This board was from beginning of the year as I modeld the tradition #teachersummer and #lastyearsfun.

Give the kids room to move.  I may teach middle school but these kids still need room to spread out and move.  The space behind this young man was intended to be a reading intervention room.  It makes a great staging place for labs to able to get materials ready for each group.  All they have to do is walk in grab their materials and head back to their lab tables.  

Kids are social learners, elbow to elbow and face to face, putting lab tables in small groups allows them to collaborate and learn from one another.  

·         Teaching with a sense of purpose

My favorite day of the week is always Thursday.  This is the day Ecology Club meets!  A collection of 6th, 7th and 8th graders who all love the Earth gather together to make a difference.  I get to share my passion with these students, see students of years past and get to know students I never even taught.  These students have spoken against destruction of local wet lands, gone bird watching, planned Earth day lessons for the student body, and so much more in the name of the Earth.  These kids reinvigorate me, give me a sense of purpose, and make me want to be a better person for our Earth and as a teacher.  

·         The importance of self-efficacy

To finish up this blog about positive teaching, we have to think about ourselves positively.  Too many teachers I know, downplay their amazing attributes and are way too hard on themselves.  Two key ways you can build yourself up positively is to stop the negative self-talk and accept the compliments graciously.   Rather than internalizing the difficulties we have and what we may not be the best at in self-talk focus on what we do well.  So often we don’t even acknowledge the positive attributes that other identify in us.  When people compliment us, accept it and think about how you can use the positive praise to continue to grow professionally!