New Teacher Tips: What If You Built the Emotional Connection First?

One of the biggest challenges to achieving the teaching career of your dreams is being able to make emotional connections with students all of the time.

Sure, planning a lesson is easy. However, making emotional connections with students to enhance learning is challenging. Research shows that emotional barriers block learning and the best teachers are those who are able to build emotional connections that help motivate and engage their learners. When you’re alone in the classroom, there’s no one to ask if what you are doing beyond those classroom walls is effective or not. You’re the teacher. You’re the one in charge.

Are You an Emotionally Effective Teacher?

Being able to know you can handle new and emotionally challenging situations is satisfying, but those “stuck” moments can also get in the way of becoming a good teacher. You may still feel as an outsider either professionally or personally and not know how to take the right steps to connect students emotionally to the material and skills you want them to learn. Even if you do know how to plan a good lesson, there’s no one around to ask you if you’ve said and done the right things. There’s no one to help you stay accountable for your success.

Teacher education programs do not prepare students for handling emotional scenarios in the classroom. Teachers usually find this out the hard way, by learning to control their feelings usually at the expense of their own well-planned and thought out lessons. Building a good emotional connection takes hard work. But it is the best way for both teachers and students to overcome isolation and to build a class community.

Should Teachers go for Master’s Degrees?

Is a master's degree worth the time and expense? On average, a master's degree will cost a teacher about $12,500. The good news is that in most public school districts, teachers get an automatic pay raise after obtaining a master's degree. Teachers with the degree earn somewhere around five percent more each year than those with bachelor's degrees. This adds up to a significant amount of money over the length of a teaching career.

In a "Room for Debate" forum discussion, a group of teachers and educators generally agreed that a higher degree was worth the investment. Promotion and pay in public schools is connected to the accumulation of such credentials and credits.

Some government officials and economists are in favor of eliminating the automatic pay increase due to budget shortfalls. According to the forum discussion, some Obama administration officials support compensating teachers based on student performance instead of their education levels.

Master's Degrees and Student Achievement

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, in a speech given by at the American Enterprise Institute in November 2010, said, "Districts currently pay about eight billion dollars each year to teachers because they have a master's degree, even though there is little evidence teachers with master's degrees improve student achievement more than other teachers -- with the possible exception of teachers who earn masters in math and science."

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, is against bonuses for master's degrees. He cited a University of Washington study that found no connection between a master's degree and student achievement.

Kathleen Wilson, an associate professor for the Colleges of Education and Human Services, is in favor of master's degree programs. She offered, "These programs really allow teachers to gain a better perspective in their area of instruction." She also argued that additional education instructs teachers on how to be versatile in the classroom.

School Districts Preferences

In the same "Room for Debate" discussion, C. Kent McGuire, Dean of Temple University's College of Education and a member of the board of the New Teacher Project, stated, "School districts typically prefer teachers with advanced degrees on the premise that these individuals possess a deeper understanding of teaching, learning, and human development".

Mr. McGuire is also a member of his local school school board. "We do look carefully at the institutions from which such degrees were conferred because not all advanced degrees are created equal," he said. He mentioned that his district prefers degrees from research institutions that emphasize advances in knowledge about how children grow and learn and the pedagogical implications of these insights. However, due to tight school budgets, is it possible some school districts may hire lower paid bachelor's degree teachers?

Teachers have the option of obtaining a master's degree in education or in their specialized subject area. Unfortunately, some universities provide short, low quality, graduate degree programs to accommodate teachers who seek a master's degree primarily for a pay raise. Katherine Merseth, director of teacher education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, stated in the "Room for Debate" discussion that of the nation's 1,300 graduate teacher training programs, only about 100 were doing a competent job while the others could be shut down tomorrow.

The Future of the Automatic Master's Degree Pay Raise

Due to the automatic salary increase, a master's degree seems to be well worth the time and expense. However, in the future, those automatic pay raises may be eliminated due to:

• Tight school budgets
• Studies showing no connection between a master's degree and student performance
• The Obama administration supporting the notion of compensating teachers based on student performance and not degree level

One could argue that teachers should get their master's degree as soon as possible, since the automatic pay raise may be eliminated in the future. If the pay gap between a master's and a bachelor's degree is eliminated, will it affect those currently benefiting financially from obtaining the higher degree? Perhaps not, but it's an issue teachers should look at.

Brian Jenkins contributes content related to high school teaching careers, among other education and career topics, to BrainTrack.com.

How to Establish and Regain Classroom Control: Have a Effective Management Plan and Handle Consequences

A successful way to manage a classroom includes developing effective systems resulting in controlled student misbehavior.

Classroom management is probably one of the things you will have to struggle with on a consistent basis. Having patience and skills is necessary to become a successful classroom manager.

An effective classroom management plan is what you need to create a positive learning atmosphere, which should be in place before any teaching begins. Knowing how to deal with discipline problems is part of effective classroom management. Often, discipline problems result from a new teacher's diminished confidence in one or more areas of his/her ability to successfully manage a classroom.

Educators, administrators and experts all agree that the ability to calmly control student behavior in order to create a cooperative learning environment can make or break a new teacher's ability to be successful.

While there is not one particular method for managing a classroom, experts agree on a handful of guidelines: teachers must be consistent in their message and consequences, lay a strong foundation of expectations early in the school year, follow through with set consequences when students misbehave and stay on track without giving into distractions.

Maintain a Consistent Message and Consequences

Students must understand first that you care enough about them, but that you are in control and will stand firm on the class rules. For example, if you state the next person who talks in class will be required to do an extra homework assignment, you need to be sure to give a student the assignment for the next time s/he talks. When you communicate a consistent message, students realize you are in control and are less likely to act up. Simply put, students won't challenge your authority when there is not a need.

Create Strong Foundation of Expectations

An effective classroom management plan needs clear systems to help students become more self-directed in their learning and behavior. Set up expectations for success so students always know exactly what to do for every task, rule and procedure. All throughout the year, teach and reinforce those rules and procedures on a regular basis.

Students learn at a higher level when they know what is expected of them. In the beginning of the school year, spend much more time reinforcing rules and procedures than on actual teaching. Also, be sure to reinforce the rules and procedures as deliberately throughout the remainder of the school year.

Follow Through With Set Consequences

If you don't follow through with set consequences, larger problems can arise. From the start, misbehavior should be deal with quickly. Determine a range of consequences (maximum of five) and always begin with a warning. State the consequences in clear and specific terms so that students will know what type of punishment they can expect if they break a rule.

Relate the consequences to the rule as directly as possible.

If you are a new teacher, the challenge can be how to implement an effective classroom management plan. By maintaining a consistent messages, creating a strong foundation of expectations and clearly showing the consequences, you can have control over the classroom, which makes a positive learning experience better for both you and your students.

Have you checked out the classroom management resources at the New Teacher Resource Coaching section?

First time members receive a complimentary membership and after that, just $4.97 per month. To find out more about what the coaching center can do for you and your career, visit the registration page

http://newteacherresourcecenter.com/wishlist-member/?reg=1283994793

or click here.

Classroom Management Tips: Stimulate Teenagers with Active Learning Experiences

Engaging teenagers for an entire class period can be challenging for any teacher. Because a teenager's emotional energy is high and many emotions and experiences are new, (adults have already experienced these waves of emotions) teenagers are easily impressionable, moody, sensitive and easily excitable. It is easy to see teenagers moodiness for example as annoying, but when you get to understand them better, you will engage them more effectively. In this way, you won't see them as "discipline problems," but people with legitimate needs and wants.

The key is for teachers to channel this emotional energy into active learning experiences and fun lessons. Role playing, panel discussions and games are authentic and positive and a good way to start.

Listen to Your Teenage Students
If you find you have 10 minutes to spare at the end of a lesson, use it to your advantage by opening a discussion. What are some of their concerns and feelings? You'd be surprised what they reveal. Accept everything as legitimate which creates a safe haven for teenagers in a world where they may think their opinions and ideas are unacceptable.

Use Small Group Work for Problem Solving
Provide a practical problem that small groups of students can solve using class content. Create small groups of students and have them make a decision or answer a focused question that solves practical problems related to the content they are studying.

The best advice for any teacher is to change the attitude. See adolescents as exhuberant and full of life rather than exasperating. Have a laugh with them. Connect with them on their own level and you'll remember what it was like to be a teenager, too. This will guide you to understanding them and their learning needs better.

Classroom Management Tips: How to Keep Students on Task and Seated + New Classroom Management Resource

Based on the responses of the new teacher survey, many teachers are finding it increasingly difficult to keep students seated and well behaved without getting up all the time, which as you may have noticed, can be very distracting for other students who want to learn. (Teachers who want to participate in the survey, can still do so and will receive a FREE gift for their efforts. Just email: sassondorit@gmail.com to let me know you've completed the survey.)

So how can you keep students seated for the entire lesson?

There are many classroom management tips you can find online that can help, but the best way to prevent students from getting out of their seats depends on how you begin your lesson and what rules, procedures and consequences you have already in place for those students who are constantly disrupting the lesson by getting out of their seats. If this is a constant problem enough to bother you, then it needs to be dealt with on a classroom management level.

Effective Classroom Management at the Beginning of a Lesson
In order to start a lesson discipline free, you need to decide in advance how you want your students to behave at the very beginning of a lesson (i.e. getting ready for the lesson = entering the class quietly, taking folders, etc.) and then making these expectations crystal clear to the students.

Use Well-Defined Consequences
Students should know exactly what will happen in terms of consequences, if they don't follow the rules and procedures. Also, not having well-defined rules or procedures leads to chaos in the classroom, which is another reason why students may suddenly get out of their seats and walk around.

Use Positive Reinforcements
You'll also need a positive reinforcement system (some kind of tangibles) for those who do follow the rules and procedures. A natural consequence could be - skipping recess or losing privileges such "Do what you want" minutes. These are just a few ideas.

Of course, these rules, procedures and consequences should be adjusted according to the level of the students you teach.

If you're a coaching member of the new teacher resource coaching club, you'll already be able to download an important resource entitled, "My Classroom and Behavior Report," which is designed to help students reflect on their behavior and work progress for the week's lessons. At the end of the week, students reflect on how to become more self-directed in their behavior so they can stay on-task.

Note: This resource is designed for lower-middle elementary students, but can be adapted to suit the needs of your students.

Not a member of the new teacher coaching club?

Click here to learn more about the coaching club and what it can do for your career. Membership is just $7.97 per month and you'll receive 1-2 new coaching resources weekly to jumpstart your teaching career.

New Teacher Tips on Reducing Performance Anxiety

In response to a recent question submitted to the New Teacher Resource Coaching Center, I would like to share with our readers a short video tip on what you can do to reduce performance anxiety and engage students more during learning.

Click on the video clip below.

(The video got slightly cut off, but I hope you got the idea! Oops!)

For more coaching resource tips and tricks, read more articles at the NTRCC or consider joining the coaching center. Membership is $7.97 per month and you will receive unlimited coaching access.

http://newteacherresourcecenter.com/join-the-coaching-center/

to find out more about the center
and how you can join!

Some Fun Lesson Ideas For You

I wanted to you a heads up about some really cool LESSON ACTIVITIES which I know you and your students will LOVE.

If you are constantly on the hunt for starter activities, games and other ways to add interaction and pizzazz to your lessons, this is going to save you a bunch of time and will give you some amazing ideas for making lessons more fun. One of my favorite activities is Box Bingo which you will find on page 3 but there are lots and lots of others including magic tricks, reviews, energizers and cooperative learning activities.

You can grab the free report now by visiting the following link or by clicking here.

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4103332

3 Key Parts to Writing Great Lesson Plan

Creating a lesson plan that properly associates the comprehension level of the kids with your teaching material provides your students with a lesson both challenging and interesting.

With any lesson plan there are 3 key parts to complete:

"The Pre" (or beginning) of the lesson plan, the teacher should aim to teach something new or tie in new material with previously taught material. This "pre" part of the lesson should provide motivation and can be in the form of a quote, a statistic or question. The function of the "pre" provides a connection to the main part of the lesson. The length of this part should be about 10 minutes.

"The Content" of the lesson reflects the goal you expect the students to accomplish. The goal can be a new skill or a review of a previously taught skill. During this time students will incorporate and interpret the material of the lesson. The length of this part should be about 30-40 minutes.

"The Review" of the lesson is just what the name suggests--a summary of the lesson. During the review, the teacher wants to use transitional phrases to help the parts of the lesson flow from another, such as “Okay, you did that very well. Now let’s see how these attitudes are reflected in the news report that we are going to read.” Here, the teacher gives positive feedback and then shares the main task of the lesson to come, which is reading for specific information. The length of this part should be about 10-15 minutes.

When it comes to writing a great lesson plan think about the students and be sure the lesson is both challenging and interesting. Like a good story, your lesson plan should have a beginning ("the pre"), middle ("the content") and end ("the review").

For information about Dorit Sasson's coaching program "How to Become an Effective Lesson Planner," visit http://www.doritsasson.com/?p=514.

Classroom Management Tip of the Day: Having Control = Successful Lesson

Here's an important classroom management tip for you:

The important thing in classroom management is to feel the class you're teaching and to conduct the lesson and manage the class accordingly before expecting students to engage in activities you've never tried before. This is difficult for a new teacher who is mainly occupied with the lesson plan, and to cover all the good activities s/he has prepared.

In my third year of pre-service back in 1992, I planned a challenging double lesson with a lot of free activities for two hours for a tenth grade EFL (English as a foreign language) class I had never taught before. This is in general, a good idea, but in retrospect, it was necessary to know the class, their weaknesses and strengths, AND to have full control (also remote control) before having them engage in such activities. In general, it is important to fit your good ideas to the class, and that needs experience in general and with those specific classes.

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Stressed and frazzeled with managing your classroom? Unsure where to start? Become a member of the New Teacher Resource Coaching Center for a mere $7.97 per month, and you will have unlimited access to a variety of coaching support resources on classroom management, lesson planning tips and tips on teaching English language learners. Email sassondorit@gmail.com, for more information.

Tip of the Day: What to Do When Students Act Out on Purpose

Here's a question that was anonymously submitted to the Teachers' Diversity Coach this past week: (with permission from the teacher)

"I found out today that the students have now decided to go against me and a group of them are seeing how far they can push me. I am not allowed to do letters home, or call parents (because of the sub status) and I have learned that they don't mind if they are sent to the office or stay in for recess. I have done many positive reinforcements also, but that isn't getting anywhere. What can I do to help my students who want to learn and be there not be affected by behavioral issues of others? What are some ways that I can discipline the students for talking when needed to stop (many of them do this now), interrupting me, teasing, etc? This is a 4th grade class. I have tried re-arranging desks and that hasn't helped either. Any suggestions would be greatly helpful. Do I comment to them Monday that I know
that they are trying to push my buttons? Help! I've talked with other teachers and they think I'm doing what I can but I need some good consequences for actions and I can't think of any that I haven't already tried."

Here is my response:

In cases like these, it might be a good idea to turn this negative classroom atmosphere into a teachable moment. Perhaps, have a class discussion to get to the root of the problem. Explain to them that you are human and have feelings, too, and that this is hurting you. You put a lot of time and effort into being there for them and it's disrespectful and hurtful to be treated that way. Even with your long-term sub status, it is possible to involve the class and have them come up with a new set of rules and consequences. Make them feel like they are part of the decision making process and have a say in the classroom. I would also recommend going to the administration to gain permission to call the parents.

As a second preventive tip, I would also recommend having a supportive teacher who could take a particularly disruptive student. This teacher would know when one of your students shows up that you've had problems. Maybe the student would have to sit behind a divider of some sort and complete the assignment they interrupted, as well as the assignment they now have to do which is a social skills lesson or character development lesson. Maybe they would need to take it to the school counselor to discuss, have signed & return the signed assignment to you.

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Since you've probably received my e-book, Taking Control of the Classroom, my FREE gift to you for signing up to be on my mailing list, you might want to revisit some of the ideas in establishing an effective and user-friendly classroom management plan.

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Members of The New Teacher Resource Coaching Club have immediate access to "A Framework for Differentiated Lesson Planning," which is a 68 page e-book of lesson plans and ideas, resources and tips. New teachers wandering through the maze of differentiation while still learning the ropes of classroom management will find this resource especially helpful.

Click here to join the coaching club!

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