What are some innovative teaching strategies to support learning in the classroom?

I’m constantly looking for new ideas, especially for math. On this day, I saw a strategy that made my teacher heart soar!

I was presenting a two-day co-teaching program for an amazing group of teachers in Jonesborough, Tennessee. When I arrived at the high school, I was shown into Mrs. Elliott’s classroom and I was stunned at what I saw.

Ditch the Paper and Eraser Damage

Instead of student desks, the room was full of tables and chairs. Okay, that may not sound so innovative. However, each table was covered with a dry-erase board. Every table, also, had a basket with markers, sticky notes, and a bit of eraser. There was even a zipper pouch on each side of the table for the student’s cell phone! Mrs. Elliott was kind enough to take a few minutes to explain how she puts her tables together and uses this teaching strategy in her classroom.

“I get a 4×8 sheet of shower board from Lowes, and it’s quartered… they know me now so they know I need it cut and they cut it for me, for free. Then I velcro it to the table at the four corners. Usually it lasts about a year. I change them out about once a year. The little baskets are Dollar Tree and they are velcroed too. What I use them for is when students are working on a problem, and I can use the board to help them work out the problem.”

Innovative Teaching Strategy for Math, English, Social Studies, Science, and More

This teaching strategy can work in any math class, or any other class where it might benefit students to have an easy, clear way to practice problems or jot down notes that they may need in the moment.

A big thank you to Mrs. Elliot for sharing her room with us for two days and for taking the time to share her ingenuity!

What cool strategies do you implement in your classroom to make it easier for you to help students, and for them to help themselves? Tell us about your great ideas in the comments below.

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