TL;DR:

• Learn classroom tips to be more efficient at work.
• Don’t grade everything.
• Avoid recreating the wheel.
• Differentiate classroom instruction.
• Allow students to learn together using technology.
• Create an inviting classroom.

As educators, we know that we do not work a 9 to 5. The reality of it is that we work 12 months in only a nine month period. Sometimes, we use the summer to recuperate. However, when it all comes down to it, it’s hard not to take work home. Even with twenty years of service, I am still learning how to make my days easier. I came up with five classroom tips that would be helpful to all new and veteran teachers while we continue to struggle to in our profession.

Tips for Teachers: Don’t Grade Everything

I know what you are going to say, “How will the students know how they did if I don’t grade it?” They will know. In a perfect world, it would be nice to have the time to plan, teach, and grade within your plan time without taking work home. Everything a student does in class does not have to have a grade on it. Use ‘check-ins’ as a way to look at students’ work. Not grading assignments doesn’t mean not reading them. Check work and go over it in class. This is a lot more useful to the students than writing feedback on it. Not all assignments (even writing assignments) need to have feedback. When feedback is given, it’s best to highlight the most important improvements AND successes the students.

Everything a student does in class does not have to have a grade on it. Use 'check-ins' as a way to look at students' work. Click To Tweet

Tips for Teachers: Avoid Recreating the Wheel

Teachers share work all the time. Learn to collaborate with others outside of your profession and/or subject area. We believe that we should only collaborate with others who are in our own field, however, that is not true. As a secondary education English teacher, there were many times that I was able to collaborate with a math teacher to successfully teach a lesson.

Additionally, it does not have to be material from someone else either. Reuse old material by recreating the lesson plans. I remember having a great lesson plan for the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. After spending hours working on the unit, the curriculum changed the next year. I did not want to think that all that work was for nothing. I reused a lot of the material to connect to the new curriculum.

Tips for Teachers: Learn How to Differentiate

Learning how to differentiate student work does not have to be time consuming for the teacher or the student. As teachers, we learn how to motivate and educate our students so that they are able to learn effectively. We need to make sure that we are providing a learning environment for each student to thrive. Learning to use differentiated instruction in the teaching profession offers a bigger opportunity to get away from the cookie cutter approach to reach all of my students. 

Tips for Teachers: Learn Together

Students should be given the opportunity to learn together. This is often something we do in my English classes to guide our discussions. Since we are a 1:1 technology district, encouraging students to use their devices during class should be praised, not condemned. By this, I mean students will be on their device whether or not we want them to. Instead of focusing on a negative behavior, it’s best to introduce co-learning  in the classroom as students look up information during class. Not only will it effectively engage the students but will encourage them to conduct additional research on their own.

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Tips for Teachers: Create an Inviting Classroom Environment

The classroom environment can encourage students who want to learn. While we all decorate the classroom with colorful borders, creative sayings, or even words of encouragement, students want the classroom to feel inviting. Bringing in alternative seating offers students a variety of ways to learn. Sitting at a desk for 5-6 hours a day definitely changes a student’s attitude toward the end of the day.

These five classroom tips are not concrete by any means. Yet, I hope these tips will help you in your role in education. We all have a vision on how we view education. However, the one aspect we share is that we want the students to be successful in every which way. We are better together!

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About Kristen Koppers

Kristen is an educator, Edumatch author, blogger, and presenter. She teaches ELA in secondary education as well as an adjunct professor at a local junior college. Kristen has been teaching for twenty years and has a Master of Arts in English (M.A.) and a Master of Education in Administration (MA. Ed.). She certified as a National Board Certified Teacher in 2009 and completed her recertification in 2019.

Kristen is the author of Differentiated Instruction in the Teaching Profession (2019) #DITeaching and The Perfect Puppy (2020) #ThePerfectPuppyEdu. Find out more information about Kristen at: www.kristenkoppers.wix.com/koppers.