Learning styles, communication ideas, optional grading, projects, late work options, contracts, utilizing resources, NGI ideas , Teachers Helping Teachers, posting grades, progress reports, sentences, tutorials, positive interventions, challenging classes, ACU, reflections, ideas from the web, and many more......

Learning Styles

At the beginning of the year, have students fill out an info. sheet or write down for you things about how they learn best, what they can do to be successful in class, what you might need to know as their teacher to help them be successful.  Give them a chance to tell you some things on paper about their learning styles and preferences, or what issues might be going on that would affect their learning.  Keep these and be sure to honor their reasonable requests as much as possible.

Communication

Talk to a student individually out in the hall as he or she arrives before class or when class is over about work that is missing, why it wasn't completed or turned in, and what the options are at this point. 

Extra Grades

Provide options for extra grades that can be figured into the daily or major grade average--not replacing a zero necessarily but giving an opportunity to gain an additional good grade by showing class skills on another assignment, one that the student can be successful on by making an honest effort.

Dropping Grades

Drop a student's lowest daily and/or major grade if he or she has begun making a sincere effort to overcome a lack of effort earlier in the semester.

Alternative Projects

Provide several alternatives on projects that are assigned so that students of varying abilities and talents can utilize those (something involving art work, drama elements, constructing something, writing, etc.)

Late Work

Accept late work, with penalties or limitations attached to the amount of credit that can be earned.

Contracts

Meet with a student to discuss terms of a contract that he or she would sign as to what must be done if a certain grade is to be reached, an office visit avoided, or certain errors in judgment or behavior rectified.

Resources

Be sure to talk with assistant principals, counselors, the special ed dept., etc. to learn info. about a student and his/her background or issues.  It is often easier to figure out how to work effectively with students if you can learn more things about them.

Teacher Communication

Talk to other teachers who have worked with a certain student in the past and find out what strategies were successful (or unsuccessful!)

Strategies suggested by teacher/English department head Martha Dalby

Working Lunch

When a student starts not bringing homework or not completing classwork, before it gets bad, make a contract with them that if they do not bring completed assignment each day they eat lunch with YOU. This works especially well if you are off during all three lunches.

One-to-One Teacher Help

Usually students fail tests because they haven't tried problems. Seek to trade time with another teacher from your planning periods for them to come and work with that student one on one.

Strategies suggested by former HHS math teacher Julie Jenkins

Post grades on a weekly basis:

One small thing that helps students take responsibility for their work is by posting grades on a weekly basis.  Students can see their missing assignments, and they can see how either turning in assignments and preparing for quizzes and tests or not doing so affects their overall grade.  Additionally, teachers can use this as a conversation piece with students.          

Strategy suggested by former HHS math teacher Tamryn Weber

Progress Reports:

This a simple idea...one I am sure most already do.  Print out progress reports every week or two in class. Highlight all grades under a 70, which can be made up. If the student is failing, have a little mini-conference and discuss a few appropriate steps that need to be taken.

Principal Conference

Have each student who is failing more than two classes have a conference with the principal. That will be time consuming, but possibly an effective tool.  Though it would only take a few minutes per student, three to five, they could discuss what is going on with that kid. "Are you having problems at home?... problems with a teacher?...really not understanding the delivery of the lessons? Do you need to go to someone else's tutorials?...OR, Are you just not taking care of business?"

Strategies submitted by English teacher Melissa Wilkins

Sentences 

Have them write vocabulary words and definitions, instead of sentences. 

Cheating

If student gets caught cheating, have the student call mom or dad and tell them that they are getting a zero and why.  Use this with some common sense.  If there is a student who is suspected  of being verbally abused at home, I try not to give their parents more reasons to run them down. 

Positive Interventions

For positive rewards give a choice of seat for a week, choice of desk buddy, extra credit, positive parent phone call and, of course, candy (gummie worms and frogs, surely). 

Strategies submitted by HHS science teacher Cyndi Stump

More Challenging Classes 

Step out and take a risk.  Schedule change/enroll students in a class that is more challenging.

I had one of the counselors change a student's schedule to add a chemistry class to his class list.  I knew that he needed to take chemistry to be able to pass the TAKS Test.  I called the student's parent and talked to them about the change.  I also talked with the student to let him know that he needed to take chemistry to help with the TAKS Test.  I told the student that he needed to do this in order to graduate from high school.  He took chemistry, and this did help him to pass the science portion of the TAKS Test. He passed the Science TAKS the first time he took it in the spring. This was one of my work students that was an at risk student.  

Increased Communication

Call employers of students to get them to help with students’ grades and attendance.  Monitor their hours on the job to make sure that they have enough time to complete assignments.

Get a list of the 3 week progress report failures and use this to see if any of  student are failing.   If the student is failing, go to the teacher and see why and contact the parents and the student to let them now what is going on with the failing grade.  Work with the student to make sure that they attend tutorials and anything else that they need to do to get the grade to passing.  

Strategies suggested by CTE/business teacher Ernie Motley

Choosing Not to Take a Zero

Have a form for the situation where a student refuses to do an assignment. They must sign it, and it will be sent to the parent.  The form says that they did not turn the assignment in, when it was due and that he/she chose not to do it at all for a late grade. That leaves the only alternative being a "0":they are choosing a 0 for a grade. Once I have talked to the parents who have received the letter via the mail, the student is given one additional opportunity to complete the assignment.  It usually works well!

Strategy submitted by communication arts department head/teacher Racy Grant

Tests/Quizzes as Final Evaluation of Knowledge
Allow students to retake quizzes OR if a student fails a quiz but passes the test, raise the quiz grade to a 70. During tutorials students are allowed to make test corrections to raise their test grade and clear up misconceptions.
Give extra time on assignments/quizzes when appropriate, such as family emergency. 
 
Student Relationships
Have private talks with students to establish a closer relationship. Also use nonverbal signals to correct off task behavior.
  
Other Motivators
Talk to coaches, band directors, etc. Call parents.
Strategies suggested by English teacher Brian Coulter

Preferential Seating

Preferential seating can include not only placement in the classroom as relates to the teacher/media surfaces but also as relates to strategic grouping with peers...sometimes away from distracting individuals, sometimes near a coaxing influence.

Peer tutoring is also a great way to have a concept explained in a totally different or simplified way.

Re-submitting Assignments

I allow students to re-submit assignments after teacher feedback and suggestions.

Media

I provide computer reinforcement with appropriate software. Practice websites to drill sites are also useful.

Strategies suggested by math teacher Mike Clay

Makeup Work for Multiple Absences

When it is obvious a student is struggling or getting close to failing, print a progress report and highlight the missing work. Discuss with the student when a good time would be for him/her to come in and make-up the work. Call the parent and inform them of the agreement. 

If the problem is due to absences, contact the attendance office and or the nurse to find out if there is a legitimate reason for missing school. Follow through by calling the student at home to see how he/she is doing.

Continue to offer opportunities to stay after or come early to help a child catch up.

If a student is failing another class but is doing okay in mine, allow that student to go to the class he/she is having problems in to get additional help.

Send students to the counselor or principle depending on the nature of the problem.  Sometimes, the counselor helps by listening and setting up check list, etc.  Other times the principal's stern disciplinary measures help as an intervention.

Strategies suggested by art teacher Jeannie Davis

Self-Reflection/Documentation Form

Student Name:______________________________________________

Date Assigned:___________________ Date Due: ____________________

Student Signature: _____________________________________________

Parent Signature: ______________________________________________

Because you are in danger of failing my class and losing credit toward graduation, you will need to answer the following questions with complete sentences, proper grammar, and correct spelling.  Write your answers neatly on notebook paper (or type them), attach the paper to this form, and return to me by the date specified above.

1.      Why are you failing this class?

2.      What do you need to do to correct the situation and improve your grade?

3.      What can the teacher do to assist you?

This assignment, along with mandatory tutorial attendance, will become your strategy for improving your grade.

Tutorial Assignment

Items checked below indicate problems your student is having in Chemistry. Absences___                                 Homework not turned in ___          Other ____

Low test grades____                   Low daily quiz grades ____

Talking ____                                 Sleeping in class ____

Other:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Parents or students:  feel free to contact me for more information at 668-5990 ext 2025

Strategy suggested by former HHS Assistant Principal Scott Bailey

Student Focus/ Compliance 

Engage students in active role playing by assigning sections of material to be taught to other students.

 Use games to show format for quizzes. (Students can create the games for material absorption.)

Play appropriate music while students work in class.

Increase the focus of the entire class and appropriately channel the motor behaviors of fidgety students by scheduling brief stretch break.

The student who gets into a conflict must write and submit to the teacher a brief ‘process’ plan outlining how they will improve their behavior. At minimum, the plan would state: (1) the role the student played in the conflict, (2) the part that other participants may have taken in the incident, (3) the student’s suggestions for finding the best resolution to the problem, and (4) how the student can act in the future to prevent the conflict from recurring.

Positive attention and praise can greatly improve the teacher’s relationship with problem students.

Teacher demonstrates a sincere desire to understand a student’s concerns when he or she actively listens to and then summarizes those concerns.

Educators can maintain self-control during a tense classroom situation by using a brief, simple stress-reduction technique before responding to a student’s provocative remark or behavior. When provoked, for example, take a deeper-than-normal breath and release it slowly, or mentally count to 10. As an added benefit, this strategy of conscious relaxation allows the educator an additional moment to think through an appropriate response--rather than simply reacting to the student's behavior.

When a student's confrontational behavior seems driven by a need for control, the teacher can structure verbal requests to both acknowledge the student’s freedom to choose whether to comply and present the logical consequences for non-compliance (e.g., poor grades, office disciplinary referral, etc.). Frame requests to uncooperative students as a two-part statement. First, present the negative, or non-compliant, choice and its consequences (e.g., if a seatwork assignment is not completed in class, the student must stay after school). Then state the positive behavioral choice that you would like the student to select (e.g., the student can complete the seatwork assignment within the allotted work time and not stay after school). Here is a sample 2-part choice statement, ‘John, you can stay after school to finish the class assignment or you can finish the assignment now and not have to stay after class. It is your choice.

Sending a mildly non-compliant student on a short visit to a neighboring classroom can give both the teacher and student a needed break. Arrange with an instructor in a nearby room for either of you to send a student to the other’s room whenever you need a short respite from the student. Set aside a seating area in each classroom for student visitors.

Strategies suggested by former Spanish teacher Linda DeWeber