Dedicated to beginning and preservice teachers
As schools open their doors for a new year, preservice educator Curtis Chandler urges novice teachers to prioritize the two crucial elements most likely to fuel student success in the months to come: teacher relationships with students and clarity about classroom expectations.
As the weeks of summer spread out before us, teacher educator Curtis Chandler anticipates teachers will enjoy their well-earned break, balance relaxation with productivity, engage in self-selected, unmandated professional development, and reflect on fall’s possibilities.
Last Weeks of School / New Teacher Tips
by Curtis Chandler · Published 04/12/2023 · Last modified 05/21/2023
To avoid having movies and parties consume valuable learning time during the last weeks of school, teacher educator Curtis Chandler suggests ways to celebrate and solidify knowledge gained during the year. Tips for new teachers and veterans, including a list from ChatGPT-4.
Deciding when – and how much – to help our students can be difficult, writes new-teacher educator Curtis Chandler. It requires both a self-assessment of our own preconceptions and the ability to strike a delicate balance between high expectations and full support for all.
New Teacher Tips / Strong Class Starts
by Curtis Chandler · Published 12/12/2022 · Last modified 01/27/2023
Wrestlers – like Curtis Chandler’s youngest son – need a strong start to succeed in each match. Students benefit from strong starts each day too. Curtis shares tips for new and veteran teachers to begin every class: bait and switch, informational hooks, and many more.
How can teachers make sure “visual classroom noise” doesn’t diminish learning opportunities for students? Curtis Chandler draws on research to suggest we choose colors carefully and reduce clutter – stowing away anything that doesn’t have a direct, daily impact on learning.
When Curtis Chandler began ‘longboarding’ to work, he endured a newbie’s trial-by-fire. After many bruises he took a friend’s words to heart and opened to the learning experience. The tips he shares here can help beginning teachers “embrace the challenging reality of our profession.”
