Co-teaching sounds simple until two adults are standing in the same classroom trying to decide, minute by minute, who is doing what.

That is where the struggle often begins.

Too many co-teachers are handed model names, but not the practical details they need to make those models work with real students, real schedules, limited planning time, and different levels of content expertise.

The Reference Guide that Solves the Problem

The HOW of Co-Teaching: 24 Classroom Implementations at a Glance gives teachers, specialists, instructional coaches, and administrators a quick, practical way to choose co-teaching approaches that fit the lesson.

Not the other way around.

Based on Chapter 2 of Best Practices in Co-Teaching and Collaboration: The HOW of Co-Teaching, Implementing the Models, this guide moves beyond “one teaches and one helps.” It shows what each adult can actually do during instruction so both professionals are used well.

Inside, you will find 24 co-teaching implementations organized by:

• Planning time required
• Specialist content expertise needed
• Best use for each approach
• What the implementation looks like in the classroom
• Chapter support for lesson chunks, co-planning, grouping, and routines

Use it during co-planning. Keep it handy for coaching conversations. Pull it out when a team is stuck in the same one or two models and needs a better option.

Co-teaching works best when roles are clear, planning is realistic, and both adults know how to contribute without stepping on each other or standing on the sidelines.

This guide gives teams a practical place to start.

FAQ

What is a co-teaching model?

A co-teaching model is a structured way for two educators to share instruction in the same classroom. Different co-teaching models help teams decide who leads, who supports, how students are grouped, and how both adults contribute during a lesson.

How do teachers choose the right co-teaching model?

Teachers choose the right co-teaching model by looking at the lesson goal, the amount of planning time available, the specialist’s content expertise, and what students need during instruction. The best model fits the lesson, rather than forcing the lesson into the same routine every time.

Why do co-teaching teams need more than model names?

Co-teaching teams need more than model names because knowing a label alone does not explain what each adult should actually do during instruction. Practical implementation details help teams clarify roles, avoid confusion, and use both professionals more effectively in the classroom.

Download the reference guide and choose the implementation that fits your next lesson.

Want more practical support for teachers?

I offer professional development for schools on co-teaching, collaboration, learning strategies, and supporting students who learn differently.

Education Programs & Workshops
Co-Teaching Training / Consulting
Free educator download
Substack sign-up

If you are here because you care about supporting teachers, you may also like:

Co-Teaching Support for Schools
Practical Learning Strategies for Struggling Students
Paraprofessionals and Teachers Working Together – Unlocking the Power of Collaboration for Student Success

The post How Co-Teaching Models Work in Real Classrooms appeared first on Susan Fitzell.

The Hamilton Project just released a deep dive into how the grade a student was in during the COVID-19 shutdowns impacted the long-term post-COVID learning recovery for struggling students. And, while I applaud the rigor of the research, let’s get one thing straight:

Yes, grade level matters.  But if we stop there, we miss the real story.

This isn’t just about test scores. It’s about students. Struggling learners. Kids with potential buried under disruption, disengagement, and disconnection. Kids who didn’t just fall behind, they lost belief in their ability to catch up.

So here’s my take on the report, and what schools should be doing right now to get real results.

Let’s Talk About What Really Got Lost

The research confirms what educators have been saying for years now: students in upper elementary and middle school during the pandemic took the hardest academic hits, especially in math. Younger students, who started school post-COVID, seem to be recovering faster.

What the study doesn’t show – but what every teacher knows – is that what got lost wasn’t just content.

• Confidence took a hit
• Self-regulation skills unraveled
• Routines and relationships were thrown out the window
• And for many students, the identity of being a “successful learner” quietly disappeared

We’re not just rebuilding reading and math skills. We’re rebuilding kids’ belief in themselves.

The Real Shift? From One-Size-Fits-All to What-Works-for-This-Kid

For decades, our system has taught, primarily, to the verbal-linguistic, auditory learner. That approach leaves out a huge number of students in every classroom, COVID or no COVID. Now, post-pandemic, it’s even more critical to embrace differentiated instruction that actually reaches diverse learners.

“Good for all. Critical for different learners.”

This is not a time to double down on rigid pacing guides and one-way teaching. It’s a time to lean hard into:

• Chunked instruction that reduces cognitive load
• Brain-based strategies that make learning stick
• Instructional strategies that reflect the varied ways students process and engage with content.
• Choice and autonomy that fuel motivation

Why Older Students Are Struggling More, and What to Do About It

The research is clear: the older the student during COVID, the greater the drop in math and reading proficiency. That makes sense. These students had the most pre-pandemic expectations placed on them and the most complex content to master with the least support.

But here’s what matters now: How do we help these students succeed?

Start with Self-Regulation

Recovery starts with teaching students how to learn, not just what to learn.

Struggling learners don’t just need tutoring. They need tools to:

• Set goals
• Monitor progress
• Use memory and organization strategies that fit their brain

These are the skills of self-regulated learners and they’re the key to turning the curve around. 

Make Memory Strategies Visual, Vivid, and Doable

Let’s stop relying on rote memorization and start using:

• Mnemonics and acronym memory devices
• Color-coded notes and “snapshot” devices
• Visual organizers like mind maps and concept webs

Students don’t need longer assignments. They need smarter strategies.

Offer Choice. Always.

Want sustained focus? Give students control.

Even something as simple as, “Do these three tasks in any order you choose,” gives kids a sense of autonomy, and with it, increased effort and engagement. 

Let them doodle, color-code, or sit on a wobble stool. These aren’t gimmicks, they’re neuroscience in action. 

Don’t Just Track the Curve, Change the Trajectory

I appreciate the Hamilton Project’s approach. Their cohort analysis gives us a better picture of the long game. But we can’t wait for long-term studies to take action.

If we’re serious about changing student outcomes, we need to:

• Redesign instruction around how students learn best
• Build classrooms that support personalized learning and inclusion
• Focus less on where the curve drops and more on where we lift it

Final Thought: Every Learner Deserves a Win

The question isn’t just, “What grade were they in when COVID hit?”  It’s, “What support are they getting now to succeed?”

And that, friends, is a question we can answer today.

Want more practical strategies to reach your struggling learners? Explore 500+ ways to differentiate and accelerate learning in my book,  Special Needs in the General Classroom – Order here or bring me in for a PD session that turns awareness into action.
www.susanfitzell.com

References: 

https://www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/post/learning-curves-post-covid-learning-trajectories-differ-by-the-grade-a-student-was-in-when-the-pandemic-hit

Special Needs in the General Classroom, 3rd Edition: 500+ Teaching Strategies for Differentiating Instruction, 3rd Edition, by Susan Gingras Fitzell, M. Ed. (Author)

FAQ: Supporting Learners After COVID Disruptions

• Why did older students struggle more academically during the COVID-19 pandemic?
  • Older students faced greater academic challenges because they had more complex content to master and higher pre-pandemic expectations, but received less support during remote learning. The disruption affected more than grades. It also impacted confidence, self-regulation, and students’ sense of themselves as learners.
• What are the most effective strategies for helping students recover lost learning and motivation?
  • Recovery begins with explicit instruction in self-regulation. Visual supports and brain-based memory strategies matter. Students also need choice and autonomy. Chunked instruction, differentiated tasks, and predictable classroom routines help rebuild skills and confidence at the same time.
• How can schools support diverse learners in a post-pandemic classroom?
  • Schools must move away from one-size-fits-all instruction. Differentiated teaching that meets students where they are is essential. This includes varied ways to engage with content, personalized learning plans, and inclusive classroom environments so every learner has a path to success.

CLICK HERE to discover a wealth of teaching strategies and resources for maximizing student success!. Bring Susan to your campus! Featured seminar – Differentiation Strategies to Reach ALL Learners in the Inclusive Classroom

The post What COVID Learning Curves Miss: It’s Not Just About the Grade, It’s About the Learner appeared first on Susan Fitzell.

I started using mind mapping after reading I Can See You Naked: A Fearless Guide to Making Great Presentations by Ron Hoff (1988). My first presentation was drawn out like a colorful board game with a route to follow, arrows, and picture images of what I was going to do.

I remember thinking how much easier it was to use than index cards with a text script written on them. It was also much less restricting. I did not feel tied to reading the cards. Rather, I looked at the picture and went from memory. It saved me from the plight of many presenters: that of being tied to a script.

The technique worked so well for me that I started expanding the idea into my teaching efforts. As I read selections from English texts to my students, I drew the events out on paper in a map and graphic format. I would often interject silly ditties and exclamations of passion into the effort to make what I was reading to them stick out in their memory.

Given that my students were at the ‘cool’ age of ‘teen,’ they would often look at me and say, “You are crazy!” My pat answer was always, “Yes, I am, but you’ll remember this because of it.” Moreover, they did.

Students learn and remember graphic organizers better if they create them out of their own mental images and patterns. As a parent who has spent my children’s lifetimes trying to teach them how to learn, I was very excited when I walked into my daughter Shivahn’s college apartment and found mind maps, mnemonics, color, etc. all over one of her walls.

Now, it’s not unusual to find mandalas on her door or on her walls or flashcards scattered about, but this was a huge mind map made from recycled 8.5 X 11-inch pieces of paper. I had no idea what it all meant, but I do know it helped her to get an A in the course. My daughter co-wrote a book with me, Umm…Studying? What’s That?, so it’s reassuring to know that she didn’t ‘just’ write the book but also used the strategies and shared them with her peers.

Research Background for Mind Maps, Etc.

Many experts agree that developing cognitive maps and using advanced organizers increases critical thinking skills.

Long-term memory files information in the brain through patterns, procedures, categories, pairs, and rules. A mind map uses at least three of these five ways to store information, therefore helping the brain remember information better.

A classic mind map begins with a word, phrase, or idea typically placed in the center of a piece of paper. As the author of the mind map expands upon the word or phrase in the middle, the mind map expands to include various ideas that come to mind when considering that central prompt.

Graphic organizers enable the brain to categorize information. A mind map is a non-linguistic representation method of organizing information that enables students to file the information away in long-term memory in multiple modes or memory packets.

The post Mind Mapping: An Effective Strategy for Differently Wired Brains appeared first on Susan Fitzell.

Disclaimer: A version of this article was originally posted as part of a series called, “Ask Susan”. In this series, I answered questions about teaching and learning. This article has been updated with new and additional information and links that apply to these teaching strategies.

Dear Susan: My niece has been told she has dyslexia. I remembered that you said you have some good resources that can help students with dyslexia. Can you point me toward that information? – Brian Harris

Dear Brian: Here is the information online that changed my son’s life after he was diagnosed as dyslexic.

1. Parents Active for Vision Education (P.A.V.E.) – The goal of P.A.V.E. is to spread awareness of vision therapy and its positive effects in reinforcing the critical link between vision and efficient learning. This nonprofit organization offers online resources for parents, and while the website hasn’t been updated recently, it’s a good starting point to begin looking for doctors and therapies for kids with dyslexia.
2. The Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF) – While this is geared toward the optometry profession, it’s another website well worth searching to find information of value. For example, you can find an optometrist who is knowledgeable about vision therapy. I also was able to do some advanced searching of the site via Google to find research and documents written more for the layperson on issues related to dyslexia.

3. There are also plenty of articles available through the OEPF that address vision therapy, found here via this search.

Vision therapy changed my son’s life and helped him overcome his dyslexia. He still has some symptoms, but not nearly what they were before therapy. I’m sure it can be of great help to your niece as well.

Here are some additional resources for Dyslexia:

Dear Susan: Thank you for your recent, thought-provoking presentation. You mentioned that there are teaching strategies for color-blind students to make it easier for them to learn. Can you point me in the direction of these techniques? – Taisei Ando

Dear Taisei: Absolutely! Two of the best resources I’ve found have been teaching strategies from an organization in the U.K. called Colour Blind Awareness, and tips from the site Understanding Graphics.

Colour Blind Awareness works to call attention to the hundreds of thousands of students in the U.K. dealing with color vision deficiency, pointing out everyday problems faced by those with colorblindness, how to get kids tested for the condition, and get support for kids with colorblindness.

The organization offers a very detailed tip sheet specifically for teachers on ways to help colorblind kids achieve success in the classroom.

Understanding Graphics has an informative page on designing images and pages for people with color blindness. For example, when designing a chart, placing the legend directly into the chart can help those with color deficiencies better identify which color bar or line corresponds to the data being presented. It also recommends not using color data alone to identify items in a chart or image.

I hope you’ll find these helpful!

CLICK HERE to discover a wealth of teaching strategies and resources for maximizing student success!. Bring Susan to your campus! Featured seminar – Differentiation Strategies to Reach ALL Learners in the Inclusive Classroom

The post Teaching Strategies for Tackling Vision Related Problems – Updated appeared first on Susan Fitzell.

Use Testing Strategies That Promote Student Success

As teachers, most of us have been taught that tests are the best way to assess our students’ learning (and the effectiveness of our teaching). But when a student scores poorly on a test, how does he or she benefit? The student loses confidence and ends up feeling ‘stupid.’ I believe we can use tests to improve learning, not just check what our students have memorized.

In his conference remarks, Thomas Guskey challenges teachers to consider how we might change the culture of classroom testing. Guskey asks, “What happens to these tests? What educational purpose do they serve?” His point is that teachers typically grade tests, give them back, and then move on. Students put their tests away and never look at them again. Some students will even make a show of sauntering to the trash to crumple and toss their test in the bin. If a student feels like she studied hard for a test and still got a bad grade, she can become disillusioned and disheartened with the classroom cycle that consists of teaching and testing, teaching and testing.

Many times, testing simply feels like a win or lose game between students and their teacher. I’ll never forget the day my son and I were discussing testing in one of his least favorite classes (and with his least favorite teacher) and he looked me square in the eyes and said, “Mom, I refuse to play the game.” My son was in honors classes, yet he felt this way! What if his tests were used as a learning tool instead of a ‘gotcha’? Would it be perceived as less of a game if students had a chance to re-take the test, or work out where they’d gone wrong?

There is an argument for the exam as the final assessment: if students don’t have the knowledge by the time they’re tested, that’s unfortunate, but it’s time to move on – there’s only so much time to teach the material. “What about a surgeon? Do they ‘test’ their learning on a genuine patient?” Guskey asks. “Or do they get to check their learning on a cadaver to make sure they’ve got it worked out?” You wouldn’t show a surgeon a heart bypass in a textbook and then send him or her straight into the operating room!

Tests give us crucial insight into areas where students are struggling. By moving on immediately after giving an exam, teachers miss a valuable opportunity to teach students exactly what they need to learn! Rather than a game in which students either win or lose, teachers can turn testing into a win-win classroom experience by giving students the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. We can change the culture in our classrooms by using tests as a tool to facilitate learning rather than marking the end of the learning process.

Here’s an example of how this type of learning can be applied. Let’s say you are finishing a unit. For the first part of the lesson, students take a typical test that you quickly grade as they’re being handed in. From the test, you can identify ‘grey areas’ where a significant number of students have struggled and ‘failed.’ You spend the second part of the class period re-teaching these ‘grey’ elements. Students are then allowed to re-take this part of the test where, of course, they improve. Rather than feeling disillusioned, students feel empowered and motivated to ‘learn from their mistakes.’

After hearing Guskey speak, I reflected on my own experiences. When I was in graduate school, the method of learning was an iterative process, where we continually redrafted our work until it was up to standard. There was no formal testing, but the same piece of work would sometimes be returned six or seven times with feedback. I would read the professor’s comments and learn how to improve my work – no disillusionment, just improvements. I learned more than I had in any test-driven educational program, and I actually remembered what I’d learned.

The next time you’re preparing a test, consider how you might make it into a learning tool. You may be surprised to find that you can turn your tests into a positive learning experience that promotes student success.

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Science proves that when we teach to a variety of learning styles and vary our delivery techniques, we will consistently reach more students.

Many of us still struggle with how to differentiate instruction in ways that can reach those students who struggle without singling them out in the inclusive classroom.

This list of ideas for differentiating instruction that can work in your classroom to help all students succeed was crowd-sourced from teachers in the classroom, just like you, so we know they work!

Strategies for Differentiating Instruction for Social Studies

• Decorate the classroom with students’ drawings of the culture being studied.
• Make a historical comic strip that meets specific criteria.
• Compile a notebook of history jokes. Work facts into the jokes.                     
• Play charades with “significant” events from the unit you are studying.
• Create history raps that identify key dates and people.                     
• Play “What’s my line?” or “Pictionary” with names, dates, places.
• Create time sequence charts with titles for major eras of history – then create a mnemonic out of the sequence of the titles.            
• Write a skit or play from a period in history, or as a typical day in a specific culture. Example: Sparta or Athens.
• Make a game of predicting what will happen in several current event stories.
• Play “guess the culture” based on artifacts in a time capsule.
• Debate important issues and decisions from the past.               
• Generate an illustration which best depicts what democracy* means to you. (Engages brain to store data.) *Example.
• Create limericks about important historical events.                     
• Make visual diagrams and flow charts of historical information.
• Have students conduct imaginary interviews with people from the past.        
• Send a postcard from one historical character to another historical character.
• Have students draw a mural that reflects a specific time period.                    
• Role-play a conversation with an important historical figure.
• Make maps out of salt dough and show geographical features and key places.                  

Strategies for Differentiating Instruction in English/Language Arts/Foreign Language

• Teach “concept mapping” to help remember content or take notes.
• Create song rap to teach grammar and syntax.
• Write a sequel/next episode to a story or play.                 
• Use different kinds of music for different kinds of writing.
• Create crossword puzzles/word jumbles for vocabulary words.                     
• Analyze literature for “connections to our lives today.”
• Practice impromptu speaking and writing.            
• Predict what will happen next in a story or play.
• Experiment with joint story-writing – one starts then pass it on.                
• Analyze a story and describe its message – reach a consensus.
• Use a “human graph” to see where a group stands on an issue.            
• Analyze similarities and differences of various pieces of literature.
• Use a “story grid” for creative writing activities.              
• Read poetry from different perspectives and in different moods.
• Play vocabulary words “Pictionary.”           
• Conduct language drill exercises with partner.
• Draw pictures of the different stages of a story you are reading.                  
• Write an autobiographical essay: My life to date, my life in the future.
• Use highlight markers to “colorize” parts of a story or poem. (Option: highlight tape.)          
• Write a new poem each day of the week on “Who Am I.”
• Use sticky notes to make predictions as you read a story or novel.                 
• Imagine being a character in a story/play – what would you do.
• Write a letter to the author telling him/her how well you liked (or didn’t like) his/her book.            

Strategies for Differentiating Instruction for Math

• Write a series of story problems for others to solve.                     
• Learn mathematical operations through songs and jingles, rhythm.
• Explain how to work a problem to others while they follow.                     
• Use a formula card for tests.
• Make up puns using math vocabulary or terms.                   
• Provide tables, graph paper, lines, and space for working problems.
• Solve problems with a partner: one person solves, and the other explains the process.
• Make up sounds for different math operations and processes.
• Create poems telling when to use different math operations.                     
• Solve complex story problems in a group.
• Teach how to use a calculator for problem solving.          
• Do a statistical research project and calculate percentages.
• Create number sequences and have a partner find the pattern.                     
• Use “each one teach one” for new math processes/operations.
• Mind-map proofs for geometry theorems.               
• Describe everything you do to solve a problem to a partner.
• Design classification charts for math formulas and operations.                     
• Have teams construct problems linking many math operations, then solve them.
• Do a survey of students’ likes/dislikes, then graph the results.                    
• Track thinking patterns for different math problems.
• Estimate measurements by sight and by touch.           
• Bridge math concepts beyond school. (What? So what? Now what?)
• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide using manipulatives.                     
• Imagine using a math process successfully, then really do it.
• Learn metric measurement through visual equivalents.                     

Strategies for Differentiating Instruction in Practical Arts & Physical Education

• Give verbal explanation of sport routines.                 
• Have students imagine the computer is human – draw how it works.
• Have students tell one another how to run a word processing program – then do it.
• Have students perform physical exercise routines in sync with music.
• Have students pretend they are radio sportscasters describing a game in progress.  
• Play “Recipe Jeopardy” – make questions for answers given.
• Use music to help improve keyboarding skills and speed.                     
• Teach and play a series of non-competitive games.
• Use peer-coaching teams for individual shop projects.              
• Assign teams to prepare and serve meals from foreign countries.
• Have students draw pictures of how to perform certain physical feats. 
• Have students work in pairs to learn and improve sports skills.
• Teach a series of “spatial games” (e.g. horseshoes, ring toss).            
• Create cooperative computing teams to learn computer skills.
• Create visual diagrams of how to use shop machines.                  
• Have students list how things learned in shop can help in your future life.
• Teach students to imagine a skill, and then try to do it exactly as they imagined. 
• Capture a process involved in art or sports on video or camera, and create a step-by-step manual or review materials using the images.
• Choose textbooks with CD-Rom companion materials.

Strategies for Differentiating Instruction in Science & Health

• Write a humorous story using science vocabulary.           
• Group research projects in which each group designs and implements plans.
• Create a diary on “The Life of a Red Blood Cell.”                
• Use lab teams for science experiments and exercises.
• Write steps used in an experiment so someone else can do it.                
• Discuss controversial health topics and write team position papers.
• Make up an imaginary conversation between parts of the body.                
• Describe the “before and after” of key scientific paradigm shifts.
• Give a speech on “Ten steps to healthful living.”                
• Learn the pattern of successful and reliable scientific experiments.
• Use the symbols of the Periodic Table of Elements in a story.                     
• Practice webbing attributes of various systems of the body.
• Find five different ways to classify a collection of leaves.                     
• Draw pictures of things seen under a microscope.
• Create montages/collages on science topics (e.g., mammals).                     
• Create posters/flyers showing health processes.
• Use vocabulary games to study and review science vocabulary.                     
• Use concrete models to demonstrate science concepts and/or parts.
• Use concrete models as metaphors for systems in the human body.           
• Use forensic science activities to create interest in scientific method, research, etc.

Excerpted from Special Needs in the General Classroom, 3rd Edition

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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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The post An Innovative Teaching Strategy From a Teacher in Tennessee appeared first on Susan Fitzell.

1. Students do not believe they can succeed even if they try.
2. Students do not feel they have any control over their life choices.
3. Students have a need to avoid failure.

Change Negative Mindsets: Be a Mind Detective

I was teaching high school and working with struggling learners. Many of my students were unmotivated, felt defeated, or believed they were stupid. So, I tried some teaching strategies I learned from a book titled Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Tamar E. Chansky, Ph.D. It is, by far, the most practical, common-sense solutions book available written in lay person’s language on the topic of OCD. The author uses analogies, both verbal and visual, to help the reader understand how to approach the issue successfully.

For example, one analogy compares OCD thoughts to junk mail. Chansky suggests teaching youth to examine their thoughts. If their thoughts are negative, then they should label the thoughts as junk mail, or as something else the child could relate to. Having taught bullying prevention for several years at that point in time, I taught youth to label negative self-talk as “bullying thoughts.” I encouraged them to look at their thoughts by suggesting that they “Be a mind detective.”

I explained, “You’ve got thoughts going through your head. As a detective, determine: Are those thoughts negative? Are they positive? Are they telling you good things about yourself or bad things about yourself? What are they telling you? If they’re telling you bad things about yourself, tell them to stop it. You are the one in control of your thoughts. You’re the detective. When the detective tells you, ‘They’re saying these bad things,’ you tell those thoughts, ‘No! No more.’ Instead, choose thinking that is positive, that helps you to feel smart and powerful.”

Use positive self-talk.

Positive thinking is significantly related to youths’ engagement, self-confidence, imagination, and optimism in the learning process. (Hong, Lin, & Lawrenz, 2012) It is not very different from visualizing success. You are changing your thinking. You think it; you feel it; you do it. I have done a lot of research on this type of reprogramming our thoughts, gaining much from the works of Dr. Albert Ellis (Ellis, 2007).

Not everybody subscribes to that psychology, but I do because it works. There’s a significant body of research behind it as well as hundreds of years of spiritual teaching out of the Eastern philosophies. I realize that it is controversial in some religious circles and respect people’s right to differ. I, however, cannot remain silent on something that has yielded concrete, positive results and thus freed people from emotional pain.

The best way to combat these negative beliefs and behaviors is to use teaching strategies that engage learners and support their experience of success in the classroom. That said, these strategies will work with most of your students, yet may not work with all of them.

Teach Students to Learn How They Learn to Find the Road to Success

Students who feel they are not capable of more need to get their power back. Yes, maybe the teacher gave a hard test. Maybe they did not study, or did not study enough. Or, maybe they need to think about how they learn, and not always try to do things the way somebody else says they should do them. Maybe they do their homework, but maybe they also do a little extra the way they like to do it.

That is a hard sell for some children. My son used to say, “My teacher says write it out three times in cursive, so that’s what I have to do,” even though he did not learn that way.

Why should he write it out three times in cursive and fail the test every week? By the fifth week, do you think my son was motivated to write it out three times in cursive? Do you think homework was something he looked forward to? No, not spelling or vocabulary homework. Was it helping him? No!

So, I came up with a compromise.

“Okay, how about you write it two times in cursive, just as the teacher wants, and I’ll negotiate with your teacher to allow you to draw the word the third time.” So, the third time, we printed the word on a flashcard, added a picture that represented the word and color-coded the word. We practiced five cards a day for the week before the test, just five of them at a time.

Every single time he made flashcards, color-coded with a visual image, and practiced a little bit every day, he aced the test. Finally, I stopped getting involved because he was doing it on his own.

And then one week I saw an ‘F’ on his test. I asked, “Honey, what happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you do your flashcards?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Well, I was doing so good. I thought it was easy, I did not think I needed to do it anymore.”

Every single time he chose not to use the strategy, he failed the test. Eventually, he figured out that he needed to honor the way he learned.

My son was one of those children who did not want any strategies that were different from what the teachers required and the other children were doing. In college, he still did not want to stand out as a different learner; however, he knew that to succeed, he would have to sort out a way to use his strategies discreetly. He knew how he learned, and he used it sometimes, but he would not tell anyone he was using a different strategy. That was fine. “I don’t learn from the teacher,” he said. “I go to class and I sit there to look good. I’m just in the chair so they count me when they take attendance, then, after class I get together with other kids in my class, or with the teacher’s assistant.”

In high school honors classes, he did not learn anything from his teachers. He will tell you that straight out, because they all lectured, except for his chemistry class. That lady let them blow things up – he loved that chemistry teacher! So, how did he succeed in honors and Advanced Placement classes? He went to a local coffee shop with his friends, or to somebody’s house, and they taught each other.

My son learns best by peer tutoring, watching tutorial videos, and hands-on experiences. My daughter uses a variety of visual study strategies and loves to teach her friends as well. She would broadcast what she was doing to succeed; but my son is private. They are different children.

Tell students, “Choose how you learn. Learn how you learn, and choose to learn how you learn!” So many children know how they learn and won’t do it because they don’t want to look different.

Teaching Strategies that Foster Empowerment and Motivation

In a study by J. Nichols titled Empowerment and Relationships: A classroom model to enhance student motivation, the initial findings indicate that a classroom environment which is based on positive social relationships, while encouraging student empowerment, may be the first step toward improving student motivation and achievement. She describes a classroom environment that not only attends to the social and emotional needs of students, but also to learner-centered teaching as a critical factor (Nichols, 2006).

Learner-centered instruction is differentiated instruction. It is instruction that honors how students learn, utilizes teaching models that increase student engagement and thereby increases motivation and success.

Following are some simple, effective, easy-to-implement teaching strategies for engaging learners and differentiating instruction. Again, if you choose to teach using these strategies, teach students that the strategies that work for them are their strategies to use the rest of their lives. This is the essence of personalized learning.

Strategies That Support Success:

1. Chunking – Chunk tasks for students so that they approach their learning challenges a piece at a time. Students who struggle in the classroom are best served by breaking assignments into manageable parts, with manageable deadlines, that focus on success. Chunking does not require teachers to reduce rigor. Imagine that you must clean a very messy, seven-room house. If you were to chunk the task of cleaning the house, you might tackle one room at a time, or first declutter, one room at a time, and then dust on another day. On the third day, you might wash and polish floors, then wash and clean the rugs. Eventually, if these tasks are spread out over a period of time, the house will be impeccably clean. Essentially, this is the same approach as chunking assignments in the classroom. Each chunk, completed well, is a success to be celebrated.
2. Offer choices in academic assignments – Can our students and schools make the grade but still offer students some choices? No matter how strict your school-district mandates are, we must ask: Are there choices we can offer? Because choices empower, motivate, and foster critical thinking (Brooks & Young, 2011; Flowerday & Schraw, 2000; Simmons & Page, 2010). Offer students choices as often as possible to allow them to exercise control in their lives. Too often, students feel they have no control over their success or their emotions. They blame others for their failure, or attribute their success to good luck rather than their hard work and ability, or they blame themselves, using the excuse that they are stupid. When students have choices, they must exercise control to make decisions. Once they make a decision, it is critical that they accept the consequences of those decisions. They own it, for good or for bad.
3. Ask students what went right – Focus on what the student has learned from an exercise or an assignment as opposed to what went wrong. Most importantly, encourage students to think beyond the grade and to understand that mistakes are an opportunity for learning. Recently, I observed a teacher handing back assignments and highlighting how many points the student had improved from the previous assignment. Students cheered for each other, acknowledging everyone who made gains. If there were students who did not make gains, that was handled discreetly because I never heard a negative number called out. It was exciting to see students and teachers celebrating even small successes. I used to think positive thinking was “fluff.” I am not a touchy-feely kind of person, so I pooh-poohed it. But the research shows that, biologically, positive thinking literally builds neural connections in your brain. You are actually firing off neurons and dendrites that are releasing dopamine (Shohamy & Adcock, 2010), noradrenaline and other brain chemicals which, in fact, support successful learning. Negative self-talk releases too much cortisol, which is a stress hormone, and increased levels of cortisol impair working memory (Oei, Everaerd, Elzinga, Van Well, & Bermond, 2006). This is not psychological. It is biological.
4. Create opportunities for students to exhibit their strengths – When assigning students to groups in a high school biology class, the teachers asked for five volunteers who could draw well. Three students quickly stood up. The teachers announced again that they needed five and asked for the rest of the class to share who they felt was good at art. Students quickly named two additional students. Each of those students was then assigned to a separate group. Now, each group had an artist to work with on the project. The teachers then went on to ask for excellent internet researchers. Five students quickly stood up. Those five students were assigned to five separate groups. Now each group had an artist and a researcher. Student individual strengths were celebrated so even students who may not have been outstanding biologists had an opportunity to focus on their success and how it contributed to the team.
5. Students need personal goals – Ask students about their goals and frequently show the connection between what they are learning in the classroom to their personal goals. Be ready to answer the question, “Why do I need this?” rather than share careers that may be meaningless to specific students, try to find examples from a wide spectrum of interests and career paths so that students might see the possibilities and the light that is meaningful to them. (Hallenbeck & Fleming, 2011)
6. Energize your class – Infuse your classroom with short musical energy breaks once or twice during a class period. Set a timer for 90 seconds, and crank up some Vivaldi, Mozart, or other Baroque period pieces that play at about 60 beats per minute. Then, have students stand, stretch, move, clap, stomp, or dance to the music. If you want to take that up a level, create an “I can do it!” chant to the beat of the music. (Brewer, 1995)
7. Teach students how to learn – Allow students opportunities to study the way that they learn instead of the way you learn or way the teacher’s manual dictates. Some students learn by writing what they hear. Some students learn by drawing pictures and labeling what they hear. Some write best from a traditional outline. Some write best if they start with a graphic organizer. Some work best standing or sitting on a Pilates ball. Some prefer the traditional desk and chair. Some memorize better by singing their notes. Some need to repeat what they have learned over and over again in a chant. Avoid forcing all students to learn the same way at the same time and at the same pace. There’s no faster way to demotivate students than to fail to recognize their individuality.

Walk Your Talk: Do not Feel Like a Failure If You Cannot Reach One Child

It is important to understand that, as teachers, we should not give up on using engaging strategies because there might be a few students on our roster who, no matter what we do to reach them, we cannot reach. Just as we need to help students focus on their success, we as educators, also need to focus on our successes and not give up because our efforts are not 100% successful. As a teacher mentor, I see, all too often, that teachers will give up because they focused on the one or two students in the classroom that they cannot reach. Do not fall into that trap.

References:

Brewer, C. B. (1995). Music and learning: Integrating music in the classroom. Retrieved April 1, 2013, from http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Arts in Education/brewer.htm

Brooks, C. F., & Young, S. L. (2011). Are Choice-Making Opportunities Needed in the Classroom ? Using Self- Determination Theory to Consider Student Motivation and Learner Empowerment. International Journal of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, 23(1), 48–59.

Ellis, A. (2007). Overcoming Resistance: A Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Integrated Approach (2nd ed.). New York, N.Y.: Springer Publishing Company.

Flowerday, T., & Schraw, G. (2000). Teacher beliefs about instructional choice: A phenomenological study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(4), 634–645. http://doi.org/10.1037//0022-0663.92.4.634

Hallenbeck, A., & Fleming, D. (2011). Don’t you want to do better?: Implementing a goal-setting intervention in an afterschool program. Afterschool Matters, 38–48.

Hong, Z. R., Lin, H.-S., & Lawrenz, F. P. (2012). Effects of an Integrated Science and Societal Implication Intervention on Promoting Adolescents’ Positive Thinking and Emotional Perceptions in Learning Science. International Journal of Science Education. http://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2011.623727

Nichols, J. D. (2006). Empowerment and relationships: A classroom model to enhance student motivation. Learning Environments Research, 9(2), 149–161. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-006-9006-8

Oei, N. Y. L., Everaerd, W. T. A. M., Elzinga, B. M., Van Well, S., & Bermond, B. (2006). Psychosocial stress impairs working memory at high loads: An association with cortisol levels and memory retrieval. Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 9(3), 133–141. http://doi.org/10.1080/10253890600965773

Shohamy, D., & Adcock, R. A. (2010). Dopamine and adaptive memory. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(10), 464–472. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.08.002

Simmons, A. M., & Page, M. (2010). Motivating Students through Power and Choice. English Journal, 100(1), 65–69.

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Explain to students that the brain relies on chemical messengers called neurotransmitters to send messages to other parts of the body and enables us to express our emotions.  Insufficient or out-of-balance neurotransmitters can produce mood swings, anxiety, and depression. Drugs and alcohol can play a major role in the imbalance of these important chemical messengers.

It is important for young people to understand that, when a drug is taken, it acts as an artificial neurotransmitter.  When alcohol is consumed, for example, it substitutes for endorphins, the neurotransmitters that significantly affect mood, causing the brain to produce less of its own natural endorphins.  Like alcohol, all drugs that replace neurotransmitters cause the brain to produce less of its own natural chemical messengers.  This can have lasting effects on mood and other important brain processes long after the drug is used.

Talk with students about what kind of affects commonly-used drugs can have on their brains and their ability to control their anger and other emotions:

1. Marijuana: Marijuana replaces the natural receptor for serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for aggressive behavior, sleep, and hunger, therefore causing an imbalance in the brain.  The brain signals that it has too much serotonin and stops producing it.  When the drug wears off, the brain does not have enough serotonin, which consequently causes withdrawal symptoms, such as insomnia, fatigue, depression, and mood swings.  All of these could affect a young person’s ability to control their anger.
2. Alcohol: Alcohol also alters serotonin levels and substitutes for endorphins, therefore causing an imbalance in the brain.  The brain signals that it has excess endorphins and slows down its natural production of them.  When alcohol wears off, the brain does not have enough endorphins to relieve normal, everyday pain.  Students are less likely to deal with their anger responsibly when in pain or feeling sick.
3. Cocaine: Cocaine releases excess dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for controlling moods and feelings of pleasure, into the brain.  This  blocks the gates where natural dopamine would enter a cell for up to 72 hours and causes some of the natural dopamine to be lost, thus damaging a person’s ability to feel pleasure.  When the drug wears off, users are often unable to feel pleasure, happiness, or other emotions, and become severely depressed.  This can significantly alter someone’s ability to control and express their emotions, including anger.

By teaching students about the ways that drugs and alcohol affect their ability to manage anger, we are equipping them with the knowledge they need to understand the chemical processes behind their emotions and the ways that artificial substances can affect them.  And, most importantly, we give them one more reason to stay away from harmful drugs in the first place.

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A: This is a more common problem than most of us realize: A child grasps the basics of handwriting or printing letters and words and can write out answers – but without a structured, ruled writing sheet their handwriting is just a scrawl that doesn’t really improve much.

Once children are past the grades where they learn the basics of handwriting, they are largely on their own at school. Most teachers do not have the time to work with students on improving their handwriting, and yet it is such an important component of the school years and beyond, into their careers. We may all do most of our communicating on tablets and laptops but handwriting still has a place in our culture.

Learn Calligraphy Together!

Handwriting apps are available to help children practice their printing and cursive skills. But here’s the best solution: Teach your child calligraphy. It’s a beautiful art that requires fine motor control to use the pen correctly. It’s also a very creative activity – kids can pick different colors of ink and use different-shaped nibs (interchangeable points on the pen) that wildly change the shape of letters. They learn to pay attention to every part of a letter. Even better, it’s an activity that you can do together.

How to Get Them Interested in Calligraphy

To catch their interest, find videos online of beautiful examples of calligraphy lettering and of artists creating calligraphic works. Look for videos that explain the advantages of learning calligraphy and how the art can be applied to everyday activities.

Even very young children can be introduced to the creative magic of calligraphy. Water-based markers are available, many of them with “shaped” nibs, that toddlers can safely use. Put child-safe scissors into their hands as soon as they can squeeze them. Give them unlined paper, crayons and nontoxic glue. Get them active in creating as soon as you possibly can.The benefits to your child’s brain by taking this approach are so worth the effort. They will develop fine motor skills, grip strength, and creativity. There’s also research to indicate it supports brain development and reduces stress.

The other important factor in teaching calligraphy and paper art is that it minimizes the use of technology. It shifts the child away from tablets and apps and gets them involved in hands-on activities that build critically important brain connections to develop fine motor control.

In a world that no longer requires perfect penmanship, the best way to develop a child’s handwriting skill is to turn them on to the beauty of handwriting and the opportunity to make creations they’ll be very proud of.

References:

Chen, Wen et al. “Long-Term Chinese Calligraphic Handwriting Training Has a Positive Effect on Brain Network Efficiency.” PLoS ONE 14.1 (2019): n. pag. PLoS ONE.

Kao, Henry S.R. et al. “Calligraphy and Meditation for Stress Reduction: An Experimental Comparison.” Psychology Research and Behavior Management 7 (2014): 47–52. Psychology Research and Behavior Management. Web.

Kao, Henry S.R. et al. “Cognitive Effects of English Brush Handwriting: The Case of Visual–Spatial Aptitude.” Asia Pacific Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy 3.2 (2012): 190–201. Asia Pacific Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Web.

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