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NEA: Works4Me
Works4Me
- Teacher and Substitute Responsibilities
Teacher and Substitute Responsibilities
Works4Me presents weekly practical classroom tips from real experts -- your colleagues!
1. Teacher and Substitute Responsibilities
From Beverley Fifer, a principal in Virginia:
"As a principal, I ask teachers who are taking extended leave to provide thorough plans for only the first two weeks of their absence. In my school district, our long-term or extended leave substitute educators must assume all of the duties of the teacher for whom they are substituting. These duties include bus duty, conferences, PTA, and other responsibilities. These substitute educators also receive pay commensurate with first year teacher salaries, so I expect them to do the planning after the first two weeks.
"The teachers' plans for the first week should be very detailed, containing not only the curriculum planning, but also notes about the children, typical behavior expectations, and teaching and learning styles. The second week plan should account for the material to be covered, resources used, assignments, etc. For the remainder of their extended leave, I ask teachers to provide an outline of work to be covered and the anticipated pacing. Often students need additional remediation; or, if students have a good grasp of the material, they may only need to review the concepts. "I require my teachers to do the planning prior to their absence, but in the case where an emergency has arisen, my teachers may submit plans daily after they leave. Therefore, there may be some differences in the actual pacing; however, if there are vast differences, I ask the sub to talk with me and the teacher to discuss alternatives to the outline."
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» More Substitute Teacher Tips2. Professional Discussions
From Fran Lo:
"I find Classroom 2.0 to be very practical, interesting and helpful. I use the groups to be part of discussions about matters that interest me. For example, in one group I've asked how teachers in secondary schools who have used Smartboards/LCDs like them. Secondary teachers use them differently than elementary teachers, and classroom needs are different. This website has provided a way to share ideas with teachers who share the same interests and concerns."
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» More Technology Tips3. Question of the Week: Multiple December Holidays
From the Works4Me Worker Bees:
"December is full of holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and others. How do you teach about these multiple holidays? How do you inclusively celebrate the season, and what are your favorite holiday projects to do with your students?"
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» View Replies & Post Your Tip4. Heard on the Message Board: Writing Tablet
Heard Last Week in the Works4Me Lounge:
"I am thinking about getting a writing tablet that can relay what I am writing to a computer and then project it onto a screen via an LCD projector. I want to be able to wander around the classroom as I go through the explanation of the material. I teach pre-calculus, trigonometry and calculus, so I need one that allows the symbols and graphs to be displayed. Does anyone have an idea of which tablet would be best to use?"
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» More Technology TipsWorks4Me Resources
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Tips Library: browse hundreds of archived tips
Discussion Board: ask questions and share tips with other teachers
- Early Childhood Behavior and Vowel Patterns
Early Childhood Behavior and Vowel Patterns
Works4Me presents weekly practical classroom tips from real experts -- your colleagues!
1. Token Behavior
From Gayla Morstorf, a first grade teacher at Geronimo Road School in Lawton, Oklahoma:
"I reward good classroom behavior by giving my students ten small tokens on Mondays. They keep the tokens in baggies until Friday when they can trade them in for prizes. They can earn more tokens for good behavior, but they can also lose tokens for unfavorable behavior throughout the week. My rule is they need to have the same amount I gave them on Monday in order to trade. Students work hard to practice the desired behaviors and learn about consequences when they make bad choices. If someone takes another student's tokens, they give up all of their tokens and give them to that person!"
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» More Classroom Management Tips2. CVC Story
From Betty Klein, a first grade teacher at Cleveland School in Lawton, Oklahoma:
"This may seem like a silly tip, but it sure helped my talkative first graders understand the reading skill CVCe. When my students could not grasp it in adult terms, I told my students the following story. CVC and the vowel talked quietly making the short vowel sound. Then along came the vowel's friend silent e and stood at the end. Although he didn't talk, he made a funny face that caused the vowel in the middle to talk loudly (the long vowel sound), which got him in trouble. The children all started laughing because they could identify with getting in trouble for talking or making someone get in trouble for talking. The skill CVC and CVCe are no longer a problem for them. This story helped my students sound out new words with these vowel patterns."
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» More Reading Tips3. Question of the Week: Block Scheduling?
From the Works4Me Worker Bees:
"Sometimes teachers are forced to take extended leave for medical or personal reasons. How do you plan for this extended leave? You must plan for weeks at a time while you are still teaching and holding down a regular schedule. How do you fit time in for planning ahead and make these plans meaningful?"
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» View Replies & Post Your Tip4. Heard on the Message Board: Social Networking
Heard Last Week in the Works4Me Lounge:
"Forget MySpace and Facebook — lots of teachers are now networking with each other on educator-specific social networking sites like Classroom 2.0 or NextGen Teachers. Have you joined any social networks specifically set up for teachers? What are the benefits?"
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» More Professional TipsWorks4Me Resources
E-mail Newsletter: sign-up to receive free tips weekly
Previous Newsletters: recently published tips
Tips Library: browse hundreds of archived tips
Discussion Board: ask questions and share tips with other teachers
- Reinforcing Behavior, Relating Text and Recommended Book
Reinforcing Behavior, Relating Text and Recommended Book
Works4Me presents weekly practical classroom tips from real experts -- your colleagues!
1. Balanced Behavior
From Pam Carroll, a third grade teacher at Marvin Ward Elementary School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina:
"I use a balance scale, along with the small blocks that come with our math kit, to reinforce positive group behavior. When students receive a compliment from another teacher or when I see them following directions, I give them a positive block on the left side of the balance scale. When students misbehave as a group, I drop a negative block on the right side of the balance scale. When the positive side touches the table, we have a Positive Party. Recently my students voted to have a Teddy Bear party. I was surprised that the boys voted for this type of party but it was a hit! To make sure this party was not a distraction to the curriculum, I had the students read to their bear