December is a busy time with concerts, field trips, projects, presentations, and even variety shows to “celebrate the season.” However, by trying to get into the “holiday spirit”, educators may unintentionally create an environment where students and teachers may feel excluded.
In this post, I share my thoughts about positive relationships as well as some of the activities that I do on the first day of school to make connections with my students.
As teachers, we all know that our job extends far beyond the content we are required to deliver. We are educators, mentors, coaches, parents and more. It is important for us to find ways to wear all of these hats without burning out. I have learned many great strategies that certainly helped re-energize me as a teacher but there was one strategy in particular that I could not get out of my head.
This Call for Contributions has closed. As many school districts are moving toward incorporating student-centered curriculum and pedagogy, many teachers have found that it can be difficult to initiate a classroom culture that encourages students to embrace the change which calls for them to engage in discussions and take more responsibility for their own learning. Chemical Education Xchange (ChemEd X) is interested in learning about how teachers are creating a culture of student-centered learning in their classrooms. For this reason, we are initiating our content specific CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS centered on the concept of “Creating a Classroom Culture”.
Last year, I worked hard to teach my students how to fail and I believe it was the most important lesson they could have taken away from my class.