Classrooms alive with engaged students and high energy teachers can be powerful places for the growth and development of youth, academically as well as socially and emotionally. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and focused time from teachers to make it all happen. It can feel downright overwhelming at times, but let’s take a look at some ways you can use visual learning tools to increase efficiency so that everybody wins.
Give a glimpse of real life by having students complete a “job application” and hold short interviews. Some teachers even hand out “payment” in the form of homework passes, classroom bucks, or extra credit. This can be a very fun and helpful way to engage students in taking an active role in the operation of their classroom. And what’s more, assigning tasks to the helpful hands around you will free you up for other tasks that only you can do. Grading papers, communicating with parents, planning and developing lesson plans are just a few examples. Sharing classroom responsibilities is a great way to improve your efficiency and effectiveness while also teaching students valuable lessons about work.
For example, when you read some great quotes in a big writing assignment, create a visually appealing poster displaying the quotes, but do not include the names of the authors. This can inspire the students who read them, and foster a sense of pride in the ones who wrote them. If they choose to identify themselves and accept the praise publicly, you can fine-tune your praise methods according to individual students. Posters and signs are indeed an effective way of giving praise to younger students. You can reinforce academic accomplishments and positive behavior with certificates or awards, or even posters that track progress.
Incorporate moving pieces, such as magnets, and involve students in arranging them. Keep them engaged in tracking and recognizing achievements, both their own and those of their peers. Students will also have a very clear understanding of classroom expectations through observing and participating in praise.
Don’t forget to involve parents as well. Communicating your expectations for their children in the classroom and also for the parents themselves, early on, can save parent/teacher conflict down the road. Let parents know how you and the students have outlined behavior and academic expectations. Be clear about the level of involvement you expect from parents and lay out what they can expect from you. You can create a handout for students to take home and return with a signature. Clear, consistent, and open communication with parents from the start of a school year can reduce the need for conferences, direct emails or phone calls, freeing you up to be a more efficient teacher.
Make Custom Posters Outlining Common Procedures
Posters around the classroom can have a great impact on students and teachers. Encourage collaboration and allow students to decide how they would like to display common procedures, rubrics, standards, and schedules. Students can be invested in the information on the posters or teachers can present them with important information without student involvement. Either way, students will learn where to find what they need and the visual aids can increase their retention. Posters have an added benefit of providing visual stimulation, therefore contributing to the overall tone of the environment as upbeat and collaborative.Help Students Organize Activities and Clean-Up
Running a classroom requires a lot of attention to many different things: handing out papers, logging missing work, organizing and tidying the room, tracking down supplies, taking attendance and communicating with absent students - these are only a fraction of the tasks that teachers must keep up on to be efficient. Our advice? Delegate what you can. Assigning specific tasks will foster a sense of responsibility and will help students gain skills in communication and leadership.Give a glimpse of real life by having students complete a “job application” and hold short interviews. Some teachers even hand out “payment” in the form of homework passes, classroom bucks, or extra credit. This can be a very fun and helpful way to engage students in taking an active role in the operation of their classroom. And what’s more, assigning tasks to the helpful hands around you will free you up for other tasks that only you can do. Grading papers, communicating with parents, planning and developing lesson plans are just a few examples. Sharing classroom responsibilities is a great way to improve your efficiency and effectiveness while also teaching students valuable lessons about work.
Manage Time Effectively
As much as delegation benefits students, it is also a great way to manage a teacher’s time effectively. This concept extends to classroom aides and volunteers if you have access to them. Work with their own strengths and abilities and allow them to lighten your workload. When utilizing student or adult help, be clear about priorities so that when there are interruptions in the day’s plan, it is easier to get things running smoothly again. Keep the classroom organized and labeled. The classroom will run more autonomously if everyone knows where things are and where they belong. This will open up more time for you to focus on teaching or planning.Use Signage to Praise Students
Praise is a powerful tool that teachers can use to reinforce positive behavior and motivate students to be engaged and productive in the classroom. To be effective, though, praise should always be sincere and deserved. There are a number of different ways to deliver it and the method you choose may be dependent on the age of your students. A study in the Australian Journal of Education & Developmental Psychology suggests that while elementary aged students are generally open to receiving praise publicly, older students prefer more privacy. Consider giving praise in a public way, but anonymously for these students.For example, when you read some great quotes in a big writing assignment, create a visually appealing poster displaying the quotes, but do not include the names of the authors. This can inspire the students who read them, and foster a sense of pride in the ones who wrote them. If they choose to identify themselves and accept the praise publicly, you can fine-tune your praise methods according to individual students. Posters and signs are indeed an effective way of giving praise to younger students. You can reinforce academic accomplishments and positive behavior with certificates or awards, or even posters that track progress.
Incorporate moving pieces, such as magnets, and involve students in arranging them. Keep them engaged in tracking and recognizing achievements, both their own and those of their peers. Students will also have a very clear understanding of classroom expectations through observing and participating in praise.
Provide Clear Expectations of Classroom Behavior
Setting high expectations for your classroom’s conduct is incredibly beneficial, both to the students and for your efficiency as a teacher. When students know what is expected of them and that those expectations are consistent, they can “monitor themselves and take more responsibility for their behavior - and their learning.” You can more easily recognize and encourage positive behaviors and they can spend more quality time completing tasks and increasing learning. Be sure to teach students about the expectations, do not simply announce them. Engage students and even consider involving them in creating the “code of conduct.” Post it in the classroom so that everyone may refer back to it when necessary.Don’t forget to involve parents as well. Communicating your expectations for their children in the classroom and also for the parents themselves, early on, can save parent/teacher conflict down the road. Let parents know how you and the students have outlined behavior and academic expectations. Be clear about the level of involvement you expect from parents and lay out what they can expect from you. You can create a handout for students to take home and return with a signature. Clear, consistent, and open communication with parents from the start of a school year can reduce the need for conferences, direct emails or phone calls, freeing you up to be a more efficient teacher.
Give Visual Learning Tools a Try!
Visual learning tools are versatile and can be made to fit any lesson, project, or classroom activity. Using posters for praise, to monitor progress, and to communicate rules and expectations can be a collaborative activity for students or a solo venture for teachers. They can be laminated for long-term use, or on copy paper as an informational handout for parents. You can create classroom novelties that can be used as tokens of positive reinforcement - think gold stars, but with no limits on your imagination. Students of all ages benefit from visual learning tools and utilizing them in your classroom can do wonders for your own time management and efficiency as an educator.
