The success of your school year will depend less on the beauty of your bulletin boards than on the structure you put in place to support successful academic performance and positive, age appropriate behavior.
1. Seating Plans to Create a Productive Learning Environment
When you plan your classroom seating arrangement, you make important decisions about your instructional priorities, the way you anticipate students will interact, and the kinds of instructional strategies you will use. Find plans for large group instruction, large group discussion, collaboration and a plan for a self contained special education room.
2. Positive Behavior Support
Putting a Positive Behavior Support Plan in place can help you have a really successful year, especially if you are teaching in a self contained classroom with special eduation students. Many chidlren with disabilities also have problems with behavior, everything from not understanding expectations to outright oppositional behavior. Postive Behavior Support Plans help these children succeed in school, as they will work for reinforcers that are meaningful for them.
3. Routines and Procedures Are the Backbone of a Well Run Classroom
Based on Harry's Wong's book, the First Days of School, routines are the backbone of a well run classroom. Teaching routines in the first days is a good investment of time, for it helps organize a class around acceptable behaviors, and routines become unspoken rules that help students work productively.
4. Rules Are Important For Setting Classroom Tone
Best practices dictate that rules are simple and number from 3 to 6 and no more. There needs to be at least one general compliance rule, such as "Treat yourself and others with respect." Rules should be broad enough that there may be several procedures that go with the rule.
5. Organization Helps Get the New Year Off on the Right Foot
You'll find lots of tips for getting your students and your classroom organized. These tips are good for parents and good for teachers, as they help support students with disabilities make the most of their new year.
6. Consequences Teach Students to Make Good Choices
Consequences are the outcomes of the choices we make. In order to avoid natural consequences, which can be very undesirabled, teachers need to establish consequences for problem behaviors and infractions of school and classroom rules. Effective consequences support learning positive alternative behaviors.
7. Worksheets, Icebreakers and Other Resources for Back to School
Here are worksheets, icebreakers and other activities to use as you start back to school. Hopefully you will find some activities you can print to get your year started.
