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The temperature in the classroom is starting to soar, as smoke starts to emanate from the heads of your students. You crank the air-conditioning up to full, but there is still no relief from the heat. You can’t quite figure out what has caused the spike until one of your more vocal students puts up his hand and says,
“Mr. Teacher, can we have a brain-break, my head’s about to essplode.”
You’ve been working these little engines that could, too hard, and since you can’t legally pour coolant in their ears anymore, a brain-break might be just the tool you need to provide their skulls some relief.
So, push in your chairs and stand up behind your desk. Play a game of Simon Says if you have no creativity whatsoever; play 7-up if you just want them to put their heads down; or, simply tie those kids up in a human knot and laugh it up while they try and untangle themselves.
Brain-breaks are not just fun — they are necessary. They keep the temperature of the room down, waste valuable time when you can’t think of anything important to teach and they save you from having to make that embarrassing phone call home to inform mom and dad that “Junior’s head just essploded, again.
“Mr. Teacher, can we have a brain-break, my head’s about to essplode.”
You’ve been working these little engines that could, too hard, and since you can’t legally pour coolant in their ears anymore, a brain-break might be just the tool you need to provide their skulls some relief.
So, push in your chairs and stand up behind your desk. Play a game of Simon Says if you have no creativity whatsoever; play 7-up if you just want them to put their heads down; or, simply tie those kids up in a human knot and laugh it up while they try and untangle themselves.
Brain-breaks are not just fun — they are necessary. They keep the temperature of the room down, waste valuable time when you can’t think of anything important to teach and they save you from having to make that embarrassing phone call home to inform mom and dad that “Junior’s head just essploded, again.
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Of course you love the sound of your own voice; you’re a teacher. But why damage those precious vocal cords yelling for attention when you could be spinning a yarn when all eyes and ears are on you.
Will it be one finger in the air, or 5? Will you command attention with a salute, or instill dominance with a raised fist? It will take some training, of course. Pavlov’s Whistle was quite irritating on first blow. Stick with it though, and soon the screams of 25 will be reduced to cricket chirps. So raise that hand of God, while placing a single finger over your lips, and witness a bit of good ol’ public shaming until the last sound is uttered. Soon you’ll find that pin you dropped. |
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As a student teacher, I bore witness to an event seldom seen by classroom teachers. I was in class on the day where my practicum teacher was away and I got to see a substitute teacher in action. Rarely do we get to see our subs – after all, they’re only there because we were too hungover to make it on that day. So, to see a sub in action is like getting praise from middle management – it just doesn’t happen.
Naturally, the sub never follows your detailed lesson plan (written painfully between 5 and 6 that morning), and even if they did you’d wish that they hadn’t. So, it remains a mystery, what do they actually do? Drinking games. They play drinking games. |
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Fuzzy Duck, 21, Bullshit, Beer Pong, Let’s go Camping, Drunk Jenga… the list goes on. Chances are a substitute teacher has played one of, or all of these games with your students.
I learned this lesson from Charlie, one of the all time great teacher subs – “If you enjoy playing the game over a pint at 11 pm, the kids will enjoy it for its own merits at 11 am.”
Since then, almost every drinking game I’ve ever played has been converted into an age appropriate game for kids, and almost every game I’ve learned from students has been converted into an age appropriate game for adults.
So, if you’re hungover and can’t think of something to write down for your substitute teacher to do, fear not, they’ve got you covered. Yes, the very games that caused you to get into trouble the evening before are the games that will be played by your students on the day you’re away.
I learned this lesson from Charlie, one of the all time great teacher subs – “If you enjoy playing the game over a pint at 11 pm, the kids will enjoy it for its own merits at 11 am.”
Since then, almost every drinking game I’ve ever played has been converted into an age appropriate game for kids, and almost every game I’ve learned from students has been converted into an age appropriate game for adults.
So, if you’re hungover and can’t think of something to write down for your substitute teacher to do, fear not, they’ve got you covered. Yes, the very games that caused you to get into trouble the evening before are the games that will be played by your students on the day you’re away.
Group work gives all of your students an opportunity to be part of something special. An environment where their voices are heard and where everyone is working toward a common goal. This is of course, a crock, as group work amongst students is similar in many respects to group work among adults. Some slack, some run the show. And others think they’re contributing in a positive way, but really they’re just playing the proverbial cowbell at too high a volume.
So why is group work a positive thing about teaching?
Your sweet, sweet dumb kid just got their highest ever mark and they are beaming with pride! Little do they know, it wasn't their expert colouring that made the difference.
These are the dog days of the teaching year, so even the smallest moments are worth celebrating.
Nice job cooperating kids, let’s make some snowflakes, rock a Christmas movie or two and count down the number of sleeps ’til the holidays. You’ve earned it.
So why is group work a positive thing about teaching?
Your sweet, sweet dumb kid just got their highest ever mark and they are beaming with pride! Little do they know, it wasn't their expert colouring that made the difference.
These are the dog days of the teaching year, so even the smallest moments are worth celebrating.
Nice job cooperating kids, let’s make some snowflakes, rock a Christmas movie or two and count down the number of sleeps ’til the holidays. You’ve earned it.
So many of your best lines fly over your students' heads like a warm summer breeze. You’ve had so many gold nuggets over the years that have fallen on deaf ears that you sometimes wonder why you even bother speaking at all.
Oh snap!
Someone just got your low-brow, off-colour, extremely dated reference to a movie from the 1970’s. There must be another adult present. What more, one who doesn’t have a child in your class and is not there to judge you. Yes, sir! Today for one period out of the day, you had a teammate – a partner in crime. Your back and forth was so good you could have been the next Abbott and Costello.
Higher learning took place today. The children in your class discovered that you are actually quite funny (but they’re still not sure why). High fives to the fab duo of educators in this classy team of excellence!
Oh snap!
Someone just got your low-brow, off-colour, extremely dated reference to a movie from the 1970’s. There must be another adult present. What more, one who doesn’t have a child in your class and is not there to judge you. Yes, sir! Today for one period out of the day, you had a teammate – a partner in crime. Your back and forth was so good you could have been the next Abbott and Costello.
Higher learning took place today. The children in your class discovered that you are actually quite funny (but they’re still not sure why). High fives to the fab duo of educators in this classy team of excellence!
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Several years back, a game was created called ‘Foldit’ that posed complex problems about how proteins fold. In three weeks, gamers provided crucial insights to solve the structure of a protein-sniping enzyme critical for reproduction of the AIDS virus. They helped reveal its structure and identified targets for drugs to neutralize it. In short, their gaming skills helped to solve a problem that had vexed scientists for more than a decade.
They also discovered that in the game ‘Double Dribble,’ if you shoot three pointers from the corner, you will never miss. Personally, I think it’s kind of a cheaters move – but if it cures AIDS, you know, I guess I can’t complain. Gamification is the application of typical elements of game playing to other areas of activity. In the education world, this is known as making learning boring stuff more fun. It is nothing new, of course, but with the advent of the internet, it has gotten a whole lot easier. |
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Pick a challenging topic to teach, Google it, and chances are, you will find a game online that makes learning it a whole heck of a lot more fun.
“Mr. Reynolds, can I play that times-table game? You know, the one where you answer math questions and the basketball player shoots three pointers from the corner and never misses?”
“No. You can’t. Every time you play that game you choose easy mode and every question you get is something times zero.”
“And every time I win! Hooray for learning!”
sigh.
“Mr. Reynolds, can I play that times-table game? You know, the one where you answer math questions and the basketball player shoots three pointers from the corner and never misses?”
“No. You can’t. Every time you play that game you choose easy mode and every question you get is something times zero.”
“And every time I win! Hooray for learning!”
sigh.
