We have put together our favourite 4 articles for the start of the school year.  From welcoming your students with a smile to helping rural teachers overcome isolation - happy reading!

Welcoming Students With a Smile

Greeting your students with a smile at the door brings benefits for both students and teacher, according to research.

Proactive techniques such as welcoming students at the door with a smile can reduce the occurrence of negative behavior as it helps to build a positive classroom culture for both students and teachers.  A study shows that this type of proactive behaviour can increase academic engagement and decrease disruptive behaviour in the classroom.

By welcoming students warmly at the door of the classroom teachers help promote a sense of belonging for their students and gives them social and emotional support that helps them feel invested in their studies.

To find out more read the full article Welcoming Students With a Smile. Source https://www.edutopia.org/article/welcoming-students-smile

Helping Rural Teachers to Overcome Isolation

Rural teachers can face many challenges from finding a sense of community to lack of opportunities for professional development.

Some ways to overcome the professional isolation include

• Connecting with other teachers, educators and peers of similar grade, subject level and subject area expertise with Edcamps regardless of location.
• Attend a virtual classrooms where featured educators share an overview of an idea, topic or resource they love and help advise other teachers on how to do similar work in their classrooms.
• Set up a virtual professional learning community: Providing a common time for teachers of similar subjects or grade levels to connect virtually and learn together.

To learn more about how rural teachers can overcome isolation read the article in full.  Source https://www.edutopia.org/article/overcoming-isolation-rural-teachers

Put Your Students in Charge of Their Own Learning

Getting students involved in activities that let them make more choices about and take charge of their learning helps students develop a sense of independence. 

Research shows that giving students more choice and autonomy is generally associated with greater personal well-being and contentment in both their personal and educational environments.

Encourage students to research answers to an idea or problem to get them to fully engage in the content and get them chatting about their findings and conclusions.

Gone are the days of the quiet classroom equalling a good learning space!

Read the article in full Putting Students in Charge of Their Learning Source https://www.edutopia.org/article/putting-students-charge-their-learning

Organising Students for Learning

Some students may struggle with organisation and prioritsation (executive function skills).  Students with executive function (EF) struggles need more intensive support to organise and plan their learning.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities and other sources indicate that an individual may have EF challenges if they struggle to:

• Initiate or plan a project
• Pay attention
• Understand different points of view
• Follow directions
• Keep track of belongings
• Regulate emotions
• Tell a story (verbally or in writing)
• Remember and communicate details in a sequential manner
• Retain information needed to complete a task

Helping Students With EF Issues

EF coach Seth Perler suggests starting with a backpack overhaul. Each item is discussed and put in a specific location, and the students do backpack rehab sessions once a week to keep organised.

Another good tip for kids with EF issues is to purchase a distinctive paper folder and write “QUEUE” in giant letters on both sides, insert blank Post-it flags in the pocket. All active papers should be kept in the folder and flagged as homework needing to be completed, homework ready to be turned in, or forms to be signed by a parent/guardian.  During the weekly backpack rehab anything else is either archived or thrown out.

To find out more about how you can help students with EF issues and tips for teaching organisation to all kinds of learners read the article in full. Source https://www.edutopia.org/article/organizing-students-learning