Edutopia – Jennifer Wilkinson
“My co-teacher often says, “We cannot start to teach them until they are in the room.” I interpret this to mean that if my students are not present and engaged during instruction, nothing I can do will help them learn. The saying took on new meaning for me this year, because my second-grade class had a challenge: writing time. Instead of writing being a joyful time for self-expression and sharing, it was turning into a time of big behaviors and classroom management challenges. This prompted me to ask: What could I do to get my second graders back in the room during writing?” (more)