Getting Started with Instructional Technology Strategies
Several months ago, at one of our Creating a Highly Engaged and Effectively Managed Classroom Environment on-site workshops, one of the participants came up to me during a break and began talking about his life as a former student. He said, “you know I hated all my elementary and high school teachers.” “I was a student who caused a lot of misbehavior problems because I just didn’t like school or any of my teachers.” “They just didn’t know how to handle me.” It wasn’t until after high school that he found out he was ADHD, was put on medication, and began to be able to focus on tasks at hand. Now, as a teacher and assistant principal, he looks back on the lessons of his behavior at that time. We went on to discuss some of the strategies we were presenting in the workshop and how they would have helped him to be more focused and engaged in his teacher’s lessons when he was a student.
Why is it that some students are constantly misbehaving or frequently interrupting class? Are they just destined to be behavior problems for teachers? What about those students who are completely quiet, non-confrontational, and simply not taking part in the class? That too is a form of challenging behavior. Research shows that both can be student reactions to boredom. They are bored, therefore disengaged during that lesson or in that class.
According to the Gallup Student Poll, a poll designed to aid educators in providing a more focused education entitled Engaged Today-Ready for Tomorrow, nearly half of all students reported they are actively disengaged from school. This Gallup poll has nearly 4 million total completed surveys to date.
While we are not suggesting in this article that all behavior problems will be completely gone if you just keep your students engaged, we are saying keeping them “engaged” and “actively learning” will significantly help with classroom management and at the same time improve student learning.
TLC Educational Solutions National On-site Workshops
- Building a Motivated Student Learning Environment through Engagement & Modeling
- Creating a Highly Engaged and Effectively Managed Classroom Environment
- Guiding Instruction Using Formative Assessment Strategies
- Promoting Higher-Order Thinking Skills with Engagement & Motivation
- Using Differentiated Instructional Strategies for Student Motivation & Engagement
- Classroom Management Strategies That Work
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Contact Information
Patricia A. Crum Ed.D. & Terry L. Crum M.S., National Trainers & Educational Consultants
E-mail: drcrum@tlceducationalsolutions.com Website: tlceducationalsolutions.com
Phone: 402.431.2351
About the author
Patricia and Terry draw from over 40 years of educational experience in the roles of teacher, coach, administrator, presenter, and district level leader. They bring together PreK-12 experience and presentation skills to engage teachers and administrators in developing effective instructional, technological, and classroom management strategies. They offer a variety of professional development workshops in classroom management, differentiated instruction, higher-order thinking, student engagement, and formative assessment.