My middle school students this year are very scatterbrained. It seems to take forever for them to get focused at the beginning of class and to find the materials they need when I ask for them during class. When it’s time to get into groups for a lab activity, there is a lot of commotion. [...]
I was recently at a workshop where the presenter used the term “bell-to-bell teaching.” As a student teacher, I was embarrassed to ask what this means. —Cory, Mobile, Alabama Teachers can’t control the length of the class periods, but they can control how they use the time they have. The goal should be to maximize [...]
I’m having some classroom management problems in my middle school science classes. I think the classroom itself provides many distractions and contributes to the problem. My middle-school students sit at lab tables, facing each other. Their chairs spin, they are able to open the drawers and put trash in, they can turn on the sinks, [...]
In a previous blog on student teaching, Christina Atton reflected on her student teaching in science. Her cooperating teacher, Ms. Chevin Stone (from Donald E. Gavit MS/HS in Hammond, IN), shares her experiences as Christina’s cooperating teacher. When my principal emailed asking for a volunteer to work with a student teacher in a science classroom, [...]
I am trying to decide how to arrange my classroom with 22–27 chemistry students per class. Last year, my desks were arranged in the traditional manner: rows with an aisle. This year I’m thinking of setting the desks up in pods of four or in pairs. Do you have any advice on desk arrangements? —Melanie, [...]
We are applying for a grant to upgrade the technology in our science department, and we’re thinking of buying “clickers.” Do you have any advice? —Iris, Salem, Oregon Clickers (personal response devices) look like calculators Students use keypads to respond to a question, often multiple-choice, and the results are tabulated and displayed—similar to popular television [...]
Wikis have been called ”the quintessential collaborative tool.” In this article from the February 2010 issue of NSTA Reports, you’ll find out how teachers around the country are using wikis to collaborate with colleagues around the world, as well as to communicate with students and parents. Do you have a wiki? Tell us about yours, and how [...]
When I have a class discussion, it seems to be dominated by a few students or else no one raises a hand. How can I encourage more students to participate? —Brenda, Warren, Michigan I suspect every teacher has had class “discussions” turn into seminars with a few students while the others merely watch. Class discussion [...]
I’m a new middle school teacher, and last week I had to miss two days due to illness. When I came back, my classroom was in shambles and it appeared that the students did not do any work. What can I do, short of never missing another day, to make sure this doesn’t happen again? [...]
