Best Practices

These are some examples of Best Practices that can be used in any school classroom. This is, of course, only a partial list of specific things that can be done; I will be adding to this page as I compile more onto my new list, and as others suggest some of their own.

-       Modeling ‘good reading’ in class to encourage student participation. While certain activities including ‘popcorn reading’ (in which students are called upon, selected, or assigned to take turns reading) have their merits and downfalls, teacher modeling has benefits that can appeal to nearly all students in the classroom. By having the teacher read material to the class, he or she is able to both model ‘good reading’ while students read along silently, and allowing them to dramatize and bring life to texts that some readers might struggle with, or that others might find stale or uninteresting.

o      Assisted reading: Offering to have another student or a designated individual read to another student or group of students who may be struggling with their reading for any reason (such as a learning disability or having English as a second language) will keep them on track with the rest of class, while helping them to develop their own reading skills by silently reading along, or repeating passages and teaching unfamiliar vocabulary.

-       Walking around the classroom. There are numerous benefits to having an instructor, team-teacher, or assistant move around the classroom during instruction, presentation, or activities. These include enabling proximity management to monitor and manage student behaviour and participation, and state-changing which will help to ensure that students are paying attention.

o      Proximity management: Moving around the room provides many opportunities for the teacher to manage student behaviour and participation. Examples of and strategies for proximity management can include approaching or standing near (in front of or behind) a student’s desks,

o      State-changing: Movement around the classroom helps to keep students attentive by what is called ‘state-changing’. This strategy forces students to shift their attention to different locations as the teacher moves from one place to another, and can allow the teacher to present material in a much more animated and exciting manner.

-       Keep a ‘parent log’ for students’ parents who want to stay informed about student progress. Keeping in touch with students’ parents enables teachers to build relationships with those students and their families. By involving parents in a student’s education, a teacher is able to keep their progress in check and those parents informed of their child’s performance.

-       Have a minimal set of classroom rules! If more rules are needed, more enforcement is needed. If more enforcement is needed, less material is being covered. If less material is being covered, less is being learned. If less is being learned, students will not perform. Think about having fewer rules that encourage appropriate behaviour and participation.

-       Write rules in positive language. Don’t tell students what they can’t do; tell them what they can do to encourage them to take responsibility for their behaviour.

-       Post classroom rules in a conspicuous location. Posting rules in the classroom will remind students of what they are and encourage them to adhere to those rules.

-       Sharing walls and class books. One way to encourage students to produce quality work and strive for their personal best is to allow them to share their work. When work can’t be shared during class time, consider posting their poem, story, picture, or other work somewhere in the classroom where other students can see it between classes or during free time in-class. Work can also be compiled in a three-ring binder that other students can look at.

-       Key word wall. Students will be confronted with new words on a regular basis, and will seldom ask what these words mean. If the teacher or another student uses a word or term that might be unfamiliar to others in the class, write or post it with a definition somewhere in the classroom.

-       Overplan. Always plan more than you have to for a class period; it’s better to leave some material uncovered than it is to have unattributed time that gives students opportunity to misbehave, or otherwise not be learning. This includes having work for students to complete after tests while other students may be finishing theirs.