Celebrate Books and the Planet
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March 2021
Thursday Tip 1- “Virtual classes” doesn’t mean all the activities have to be on screen.
I know many teachers are raking their brains trying to come up with activities to teach a language online. The most natural approach is question-answer on screen or worksheets to complete and submit. This is quick and easy but not so engaging for our kids. Here are a couple of suggestions/prompts. I added the possible
Thursday Tip 1- “Virtual classes” doesn’t mean all the activities have to be on screen. Read More »
Thursday Tip 2- Give students voice and choice
Traditional teaching is usually one of compliance. Students need to BE QUIET, LOOK at the teacher, LISTEN, and then respond to the teacher’s questions. This usually leads to disengagement because the student is basically PASSIVE. No wonder, during virtual teaching, the disengagement is even more evident. Being away from school and separated from the teacher
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Thursday Tip 3- You can’t just transfer your in-person class to virtual.
It was Friday. I was in a faculty meeting when we heard that schools were closing due to COVID-19. We had to recalculate our direction and plan to start virtual teaching the following Tuesday. I was teaching six Spanish classes to middle school kids. Great kids. I had been using a lot of technology in
Thursday Tip 3- You can’t just transfer your in-person class to virtual. Read More »
Thursday tip 4- Embrace and address your student diversity.
When conducting teacher webinars, I often ask: “So, tell me about your class diversity. How do you address it?” To my surprise, many educators don’t know what to say. Some believe that their class is “not so diverse”. Or I hear comments like “I don’t see color. I treat everyone the same way”. How come?
Thursday tip 4- Embrace and address your student diversity. Read More »
Thursday Tip 5- Don’t assume your students understood your instructions.
This is hard to do during virtual or in-person classes, but of course, the former emphasizes the challenge. Many times, as teachers, we make many assumptions and think that our kids got it. Probably, they didn’t. Here are some things you can do to ensure comprehension: Focus on one set of directions at a time.
Thursday Tip 5- Don’t assume your students understood your instructions. Read More »
Thursday Tip 6- Never work harder than your students
This tip’s name actually comes from the title one of my favorite books about teaching by Robyn R. Jackson. She argues that the secret is not a specific strategy or technique, nor it is endless hours of prep time. It’s developing a master teacher mindset—rigorously applying seven principles to your teaching until they become your
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Thursday Tip 7- No matter what you teach, talk about the importance of embracing diversity.
As a mom and a teacher, this past year brought a lot of uncertainties and anxiety about my kid’s education. Are they learning enough? Will they be at their reading level next year? etc. When I manage to relax and see the silver lining, I focus on what’s most important. I want my kids to