After several years and many adventures, I am excited to be returning as a prof in the B.Ed. Program at uOttawa.

This is my “Digital Hub”!

i haven’t written a post here for three years. The last time I contributed was as part of my “Professor Pearson” days when I needed an additional tool to create and distribute resources and ideas.

As part of my Integration of Information Technology AQ course we’ve been invited to start a blog for professional purposes. This site has served as a repository for ideas and examples and I often send it to people who want ‘quick and dirty’ ideas.

I’ve also been giving a lot of thought to this image  (https://austinkleon.com/steal/).

It represents the dichotomy of what pitfalls we face with  technology And also the opportunities for transformative and inspired learning.

Maybe reframing this blog as a repository for best pedagogical practices I see and experience in other people’s rooms might help me and my PLN to grow too.

Classroom management is essential to productive lessons. However, most classroom issues can be solved by ensuring you have created engaging lessons which “make the class time fly by.”

I cut my management teeth while working in some of the most complex and socio-economically challenged neighbourhoods of Glasgow. Street brawls, drug dealers and knife fights were a continuous issue in and around these schools. Although the students were sweet, happy and thankful young people, they came from tough homes and tough streets. So, it wasn’t unusual to be told to F-off or  ‘flipped the bird.’ One day, I even had a student attempt to throw a desk in my direction (at me? I doubt it. He wasn’t that angry at his regular teacher). By the time I came back to Ottawa, ‘rough’ classes seemed like a cake-walk,  but I’d also learned a few things in making classroom management better.

The biggest difference in classroom climate:  if the students trust you, they will work for you.

Another few simple tips:

1)Mean what you say. Empty threats are easily ignored.

2) Stay positive. The student is not the problem, it’s the behaviour.

3) The “lesson” should fit the “crime.” A student throwing garbage around the room? She/he can spend some time cleaning up the classroom. Can’t sit appropriately in a chair? They could stand.

4) ALWAYS STAY CALM. Raising your voice will never help. I love the ‘broken record”… ‘I just need you to sit down. I just need you to sit down. I just need you to sit down. I just need you to sit down.”

5) Address behaviours as quietly as possible. Go directly to the student and lean in. Whisper your directive. If you give the student an opportunity for a show, many will take it.

Behaviour Cheatsheet 1    Behaviour Cheatsheet 2

Other ideas:

There are ways to improve your classroom strategies. Great resources exist all over the internet for new teachers.

Billed as an ‘online cafe’ to post questions and queries for beginning teachers, http://www.survivethrive.on.ca/ is a great place to access good sources or start a discussion about issues you’re facing.

This website, disciplinehelp.com/ attempts to address the bigger issues at work in identifying 120 acting-out classroom behaviours.

The National Education Association also offers some pretty fantastic resources on many management issues.

Mr. Hughes also offers some sage advice:

I’m always finding cool things on the Interwebs for my students. I have a few favourites which I use again and again. You can find more in my “diigo links” on the right hand side bar.

New France – Virtual Museum , Defending Quebec (Parks Canada)

WW1 Games (BBC Schools Online)

 Animated Map of WW1  (I love this one – I have students consider how often the Germans/Axis seem to be “winning.” Using only this map as a resource, can they determine what tactics caused the ebb and flow of the war?)

Montreal’s McCord Museum – great games and amazing political cartoons

Juno Beach and Storming Juno Website – Go Team Canada!

BBC Bitesize Revision:    contains humourous summaries of:

• Causes of World War One Activity on Causes of World War One

• Treaty of Versailles   Activity on Treaty of Versailles

• League of Nations   Activity on League of Nations

• Road to World War Two Activity on Road to World War Two