This week’s episode addresses the relationships we all have with administrators. As music educators, we have a responsibility to demonstrate the value of the arts and what music does for the greater school community. This can sometimes feel like an uphill battle when trying to gain admin support. What is it exactly that they want from us?
Read MoreWhat is social-emotional learning?
How you can incorporate SEL for any age
Finding social-emotional learning resources
Why is it important to include SEL in your classroom?
How to start using social-emotional learning
Have procedures/consequences in place
Self assess every day. Celebrate the successes, and research how to improve the rest
The first ten minutes of the year are critical
Having an over-arching philosophy for every level you teach is essential
Realize that beginners can sound as good as advanced performers; if only on single notes
The only discipline is self-discipline
Unlike sticker charts, grades, and incentives, promoting intrinsic motivation provides students with the purpose, autonomy, and mastery required to excel on their own.
Giving kids choice doesn’t mean a free-for-all, we can still guide their choices.
Simply asking an otherwise difficult student to complete a task, like handing out music, can give them some vital ownership of what goes on in the classroom.
In this episode we talk about:
What we can do to be calmer and more centered: no matter what is happening in the classroom
How can we deal with frustrating students, parents, colleagues, and administrators
How to bring some zen into your classroom to improve student behavior, increase student retention, and gain an overall joy of teaching
Right now many teachers are in the throes of Back to School, which can cause a fair amount of stress, anxiety, and excitement. To help, Adam walks us through how to hack our classroom by helping us answer some of the most pressing questions, including:
How do we optimize our student’s focus, even if something has shaken them emotionally before they come to our classroom?
How should we set up our room for optimal flow?
What should our room feel like for our students and how do we craft that feeling?
Most of all, why is all of this important?
While we all know we should devote some of our precious rehearsal time to sight singing, many of us (especially us instrumental teachers) don’t do it. If you feel like you already don’t have enough time to do everything you want to accomplish in class, perhaps you’re hesitant to take time away from that to help kids sing, when that’s not folks expect at your concerts.
Read MoreIn this episode, I talk with master elementary music teacher David Row about everything you need to know to teach elementary music. We go over how to get started, how to shape a curriculum for elementary kids, how to build lesson plans, and how to handle classroom management.
Read MoreI chat with Michael Linsin, who specializes in this topic. He’s the man behind Smart Classroom Management, sending weekly emails with management tips to more than 100,000 teachers. Michael’s ideas can change the way you teach, starting in your very next class.
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