Welcome Spring! Teacher Tips and Tricks By Foster Scholastics

 Spring is in the air, and you know what that means! Students and teachers are suddenly having trouble focusing and staying on tasks, while schools begin sending out information on dances, proms, graduations, honors programs, and so much more! So what can a teacher do to help students during this time of distractions? I'm glad you asked! Check out my 3 tips to spring concentration!

Tip #1 Embrace the Conversation. Even though it may feel like a waste of time to talk about social topics like proms during a learning period, it can be an excellent use of time to build relationships with your students. By talking to them about things that are important in their personal lives, it recognizes their interests and concerns, allows sharing of those feelings, and, once recognized and acknowledged, these priorities can be set aside for more educational topics with a gently topic change by the teacher. 

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Tip #2 Reminder Timers Students who are having difficulty with staying on task may benefit from a simple timer. Located on their watch, computer, phone, or other device, a timer set for 10-15 minute intervals either on vibrate or a silent notification popup can remind a student to get back on task, without embarrassing the student by a verbal reminder from the teacher during the class. Of course, the timer option will need to be shared with the student in some sort of a conference, between all the teachers, so they are aware of the vibration notification, and help the student get used to the routine at first!

The Greetings.in Watch Caption for Instagram, Meme, Quotes for Facebook & Whatsapp (thegreetings.in)

Tip #3 Checking for Comprehension Virtually in a Culturally Relevant Way Ever feel like students don't understand a topic but you can't tell because no one is responding virtually? One way to help this is to use break out rooms, the think/pair/share strategy, and a polling activity. First, ask the students a question central to the topic at hand and which you have been studying. It should be somewhat open ended, with more than 1 correct way to respond. Next, give the students 2 minutes to write down what they think about the topic. Next, have them go into a break out room and spend about 5 minutes sharing what they think and listening to their partner. While they do this, they should write down anything the other person stated that they did not have in their answer. Finally, they should return to the main room and the teacher should open a new document that is presented to the whole class and allow students to share wat they talked about while adding to the whole class document. Finally, the teacher can put up a polling question so that each individual student can put their new combined answer down. By allowing students to orally discuss and share before actually answering a question, they will develop common prior knowledge, which will lead to more willingness to share.

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Well, that's it for now! I hope these tips help you spring into action (sorry) to help your students! Come back soon for even more tips! Let me know what questions you have in the comments section below!

Cyber Sale!

 

Hurricanes in Louisiana- A Teacher's Perspective

 

    As I sit here, I wait for the news about what schools will be closed tomorrow. You see, I am based in Louisiana, and Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura are headed this way. So far LSU and the local parishes ( we don't call them counties)are closing Monday, with the expectation that more closure days are ahead, as the situation is assessed daily. This means teachers will have a day or two off. So what should they do, with this extra time ( and of course, if they have power!)? Here are some suggestions!

1. Catch up on emergency lesson plans, seating charts, etc. Every school has requirements that they expect the teachers to do, and sometimes those expectations get pushed to the side by life. Take a little time to get those completed so you can relax from the stress.

2. Consider taking a class online. There are several classes out there for those who look. Maybe you feel a little intimidated by the videoconferencing platform you have, or you feel a bit inexperienced. Do a search and find out what resources are out there to help you in that area. I have been using Simple K12 webinars (free) to learn about different topics. Or read up on an article or 2 from your favorite educational journal- NSTA has wonderful info available for science teachers. Maybe your school system has some videos they have done that you could explore. There's a lot out there, so take a look.

3. Take a moment to lesson plan- are you ready for when school returns? Do you need to look for resources? Maybe you remember that you needed a little more in a unit or to fill out a topic area. There are a lot of resources available for free or little cost. One of my favorite resources is Teachers Pay Teachers. There are so many resources there on all subjects. Just look and see.

4. Finally, remember to rest. You need to be mentally, physically, and emotionally well to work with your students. Take a nap. Spend time with your family. Play with your animals- a sure way to relax if you have one (or more). The sun will come out soon!

Resources for Teachers

 

    As students and teachers prepare to go back to school, I'd like to mention something that I feel is an essential resource- the dual monitor setup! Perhaps you have an extra monitor sitting around that you aren't using from an upgrade? It's easy to create  a dual monitor set-up. You will most likely need to get a few new cables. But you may be wondering, why would you want to have this setup?

    As a teacher, a dual monitor will allow you to have your videoconferencing material on 1 monitor, while you present or work on the other monitor. This means you will have gallery views of your students on one screen while you are presenting on the other! Gone are the days when you have to minimize your students screen while you present, and hope that they are behaving. You can easily have visual confirmation of their attention. Show a movie clip, present a presentation, use a whiteboard, and never lose sight of your students!

    What about students? Is there a benefit for them as well? With 2 monitors, students can easily view what the teacher is saying or doing, while having the materials they need on the other screen. Fill in notes, use a calculator, follow the presentation at your own pace, anything you need. Of course, some students know that this means they can also have other distracting materials out on their screen as well, so parents may need to help their students develop good work ethics and monitor as needed. Still, the ease of being able to see what is going on in an online class without resorting to a split screen  that reduces the readability of the material may make the extra work worth it, especially for a student with visual difficulties.

    This message will not go into how to set up a dual monitor. There are too many types of monitors and computers to easily give directions. However, there are many resources on the internet. Just do a search for "How to set up dual monitors" . You'll be glad you did!

 

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Green Screen Help

     As teachers prepare for the beginning of school, they may need a green screen. Even students might find it helpful to use one, to block off the view of the rest of the room for privacy. My computer wasn't strong enough to create virtual backgrounds for video meetings without a green screen. As I looked at the prices, I knew I didn't want to spend much money- teacher, remember? I decided my best bet was to work with what I had and make one! To begin with, you will need 6 pieces of PVC pipe and 4 of the 3-way couplers from my local hardware store. I already had some from when I made a green house over winter out of PVC pipe. I attached the pieces to make a frame. Then I took an old sheet I had that was green ( yes, green works best, I don't know why)  and I clipped it to the frame with paper clip binders. Voila, a green screen! I adjusted it so it was at the right distance from my computer. Now the rest of my room is hidden (another great use, at least for me!) and I can use virtual backgrounds for video meetings! Even better, it is easy to take down. Just a few twists and everything rolls up. Here is a picture of my set up. Hope it inspires you! What are some things that you have made or repurposed  to help you teach or learn during virtual meeting times?

End of Summer

The End Of Summer 

    Earlier today my son mowed the yard. It's one of his chores and he does a pretty good job. Later in the evening, I called him over to me at the door. "Do you see it?", I said. "What?" he answered. I pointed outside. There on the lovely, just mowed yard, were tiny bits of yellow and brown strewn on the ground. The trees were dropping their leaves. As we watched, more joined the pile beneath the tree, carried by the wind. My son groaned, but I just smiled. This is one of the first signs I normally see that indicates fall is coming! Other signs also began to show up around town this week. The food store had pumpkin spice coffee, and Halloween candy made its appearance by the entrance door. Down another aisle, orange and yellow beckoned, in the shape of wreaths, and pumpkins for decorations. Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with teaching. To me, the end of summer is a sign of change, of something new, something different. Sure, summer hasn't been normal. But students are returning to school, even if it is virtually, or in a hybrid situation. It's time for a change, for people everywhere. The promise is there. It's in the leaves.

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