How to Encourage Student Self-Efficacy
A confident classroom is a successful classroom. How do you build a culture of academic excellence in classrooms that promote student accountability, confidence, and success? By encouraging a growth mindset for all learners, finding ways to boost their confidence and their sense of academic potential. Here’s a look at a few ways to cultivate student self-efficacy. What is self-efficacy? According to Transforming Education, “Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to succ
How to Bring EDxED To Your School!
“Professional Development is meant to develop you professionally, not serve as purely administrative time.” That one line, delivered by the passionate and talented Walter Brown of Hudson HSLT, completely changed my perspective on professional development. How often had I sat through meetings during my mandated “Professional Development” time to talk through administrative checklists? Even in the furthest stretches of the imagination, the it would be a stretch to call much of
Owning Student Failures: Implications For Effective Parent Teacher Conferences
Sometimes I hear myself and others say, “I can’t get that kid to do any work”. Sometimes I am even guilty of saying, “that kid doesn’t do anything (in class)”. I would even admit that at one point in my career I may have even considered a student to be “lazy” because they fail to hand in assignments. A subtle, but obvious, shift in my thinking helps me manage my approach to how I deal with my most disengaged students. A shift that has made this common frustration far more
Solving School Problems? Ask the Experts — NYC Teachers!
The room was full of educational leaders from across the city, there to learn more about how to bring technology into school buildings, classrooms, and into the hands of the students they served. The mission was a good one. In 2008 the majority of schools still had limping-along access to the internet with maybe a computer in every classroom though mostly it was the teacher’s computer. Some schools were experimenting with giving students laptops, but mostly schools had comput
SHARE: How Educators Can (Really, Honestly) Unplug Over Winter Break —And How Stress Affects Us
Between grading papers, planning for the spring, and that extra-special energy students are buzzing with before a break, it’s super difficult for teachers to actually unplug over their break—but it’s so important that we do. Here’s why, followed by tips that will do dedicated educators a lot of good. Remember, self-care is truly an act of kindness to yourself! Read the tips at Concordia Room 241. Written by Jennifer L.M. Gunn
Jennifer L.M. Gunn spent 10 years in newspaper a
Leading During Times of Change
Mid-year changes are always the most difficult to make in a school. Since late August, schools have toiled to develop systems and put protocols into place. The front-loaded work was intended to carry the community through the entire school year. Then change comes, whether in the form of budget cuts, illness, or staff finding opportunities outside of your school. Change is stressful on everyone in a school — the students, the teachers, the support staff and administration. Le
SHARE: How To Transform the Leadership Office From a Complaint Department to a Solution Zone
The school leader’s office door is always open—often for complaints. When the door is wide open to negativity, it can bleed into school culture and weigh everyone down. But it’s possible to start building a positive and resilient school culture starting in those everyday office visits. Through the art of mindful listening, you can transform the school leader’s office from the complaint department to a solution zone! Read the whole story on Concordia Room 241 #leader #schoolle
SHARE: 6 Months To Go: A Teacher’s Guide for Winning the 2nd Half of the School Year
It’s January, which means there are six months of classes, lesson planning, meetings, and assessments left. As hardworking educators, we can easily start wishing away the rest of the year to get to summer. But honestly, by maintaining a healthy and clear perspective, there’s no reason that this year couldn’t be your best teaching year yet. Here, you’ll find some simple advice for building and sustaining a positive outlook from now until June. We can do this! Reflect & Renew J
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How to Run a Meeting: Agendas and Protocols That Really Work
We’ve all been there — sitting in a meeting that could have been an email while our other tasks continue to mount in our minds. A glance around the room finds some people drifting, scrolling on their phones, checking the clock while just a few people monopolize the conversation. Time is so precious in schools, and meetings can become a serious time suck. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Here’s some ground rules for effective meetings and advice for shifting your meeting cu
SHARE: Thriving in Your First Years as a Teacher
Six realistic, low-stress steps you can take to improve your teaching in the hectic early years of your career. It is a universal truth that early career teachers are overwhelmed. Between classroom management issues, lesson plans, and grading, we’re oftentimes drowning. With all the pressure to simply survive our first few years of teaching, doing anything else in the name of improvement may seem impossible. As a second-year teacher, I have days when I find myself treating li