Student Orientation

https://www.teachervision.com/top-15-pieces-advice-veteran-teachers

Learn some general rules about what makes a great teacher. This advice is especially useful for
back-to-school and new teachers.
TEACHING STRATEGIES:
Personalizing the Secondary Classroom

New Teacher Resources

Getting to Know Your Students

Advice from Veteran Teachers

Classroom Management

Teaching Tips and Advice

If you were to walk into the classroom of any outstanding teacher, regardless of her or his grade
level, one thing will become immediately clear: students are respected, attended to, and clearly more
important than the subject matter or the instructional materials used.

Expert Opinion
Well-known educator William Purkey once said, “Effective teachers let students know that they are
somebody, not some body.”

Showing You Care

The best teachers are those who truly care for their students. They exhibit empathy and try to see the
world through their students' eyes. They know students have good days and bad days just like they
do, and they adjust their instruction accordingly.

So, too, are good teachers sensitive to their students' cultural backgrounds. They respect students'
languages, customs, traditions, and beliefs. They never make fun of students who are different but
rather celebrate these new opportunities for enriching the learning experiences of all students.

Students need to know that they will never be embarrassed or ridiculed nor will they be intimidated
or shown excessive favoritism. The best teachers have positive attitudes about everyone in the
school — students, custodians, secretaries, aides, librarians, cafeteria workers, and fellow teachers.
High-achieving classrooms are supportive, warm, and accepting.

Good teachers listen. They're aware of the “rule of two-thirds,” which states that in traditional
classrooms (regardless of grade or subject) two thirds of class time is taken up by talking, two thirds
of that time is taken up by teacher talk, and two thirds of the teacher's talk is telling or demonstrating
rather than interacting with students. These teachers know that students have much to contribute to
the curriculum and to each other and provide numerous opportunities for them to do so.
Fire Alarm
It's been proven that 90 percent of the positive things students do go unrecognized in the classroom.

Outstanding teachers know criticism has a negative impact on students' learning potential and use
more encouragement than criticism. They maintain a high ratio of positive to negative comments
(3:1—good; 5:1—better; 8:1—best).

Effective teachers provide opportunities for students to get extra help. They are observant of
students' needs and work to provide the instruction or materials that will help them succeed and
flourish. Student progress is constantly monitored and adjusted as necessary.

Higher and Higher

The finest teachers are those who have high expectations for their students. They continually
challenge their students, engaging them in higher-order thinking activities, problem-solving,
creative-thinking extensions, and other instructional activities that s-t-r-e-t-c-h their minds.
I once worked for a principal who said, “Students don't fail, teachers do!” It was his belief that good
teachers must take personal responsibility for their students' learning. Good teachers are sensitive to
the instructional needs of every student and work for the success of each individual in the classroom.
Effective teachers match the difficulty of a lesson with the ability levels(s) of students. In addition,
they vary the difficulty when necessary to attain moderate-to-high success rates (60 to 70 percent).

Using Student Ideas

Good teachers know they can significantly increase student engagement in the learning process by
incorporating students' ideas in classroom discussions by:

 Using student ideas by repeating nouns and logical connections.

 Rephrasing student ideas in teacher words.

 Using student ideas to take the next step in problem-solving.

 Drawing relationships between student ideas and information shared earlier.

 Using what students say as a summary of important concepts.

Top 15 Pieces of Advice from Veteran Teachers

Enjoy reading the wisdom of experienced teachers on how to become an effective, caring
teacher. Our top 15 tips work for all kinds of situations and ages of students. New
teachers will find this resource particularly valuable when they're getting ready to take
control of one of their first classrooms.
Realize that you will make mistakes, because becoming a teacher did not make you
perfect.
Don't be afraid to apologize to your students when you have made a mistake.
Realize that the lesson plan is just that – a plan. Remember, we make plans every day of
our life but rarely do we carry them out 100% of the time.
Get a good night's sleep every night.
Read, read, read as much about the teaching profession as you can.
Join a professional organization.
Write your name in permanent ink on the front of everything you own in your classroom.
Teachers are notorious for borrowing something of interest and then forgetting where
they got it from.
Don't let your teaching job become your life! Of all the professions in the world, teachers
could easily work themselves to death because so much in this world can be used to
teach our students.
Take the time to get to know your students.
It's amazing just how much you might accomplish when you get to know your students
on a personal level. When you stop caring, it's time to move on.
You can't do it all at once.
Be sensitive to your own needs and temper your drive to succeed with moments for milk,
cookies, and a good book. Renew your reasons for teaching as often as possible. It will
always bring you back to the pleasure of a toothless smile when something difficult has
been achieved! Remember the fuel for your day; smile, smile, smile.
There are three things that come to mind....
1. Where the bathrooms were all located.
2. Never tell the kids how old you are.
3. Never, EVER, be SUPER NICE when disciplining a kid.

Buy a large scrapbook.

When a child gives you a school picture, make sure they sign and date it. Then, place it in your
scrapbook along with a brief note to yourself to help you remember that student. You will never
regret taking the time to keep it updated.

Leave your personal problems at the door.

Show the kids you care.
The first people you befriend in a new school are the secretaries and the janitors.
They can help you enormously! They are the most valuable assets in the school; treat
them well.
Memorize and learn the students' names, first and last, before they arrive!
It is very important to start off your school year with knowledge. Know your students'
name, write them on name cards and assign them a seat so you can also memorize them
in order.
Find a mentor!
A veteran teacher that you can go to anytime and ask lots of questions.
Accept help whenever it is offered.
Find as many ways as possible to praise students because that is what they respond to
the best.
I wish I knew:
that a smile in those first critical few moments when facing the class for the first time
would change the pace of the day.
that the deep trembling all the way down to my toes would eventually go away before the
first period was over.
that the kids were more apprehensive about the teacher they were getting than I was
about them.
A simple, kind word or smile means everything to a child.
Take time to listen to your students and give them adequate time to share. Trust your
instincts and judgments.
Start the school year the way you want the rest of the year to progress.
If you want quiet, expect it the first day. If you want meaningful interaction throughout
the year then make sure you have it on the first day. Give students the respect and
guidelines they need. Make sure they know what you expect of them from day one and
the rest of the year runs itself.
No matter how hard you try to please the parents, the administration, and the
students, never stop trying to please yourself.

The toughest challenges become easier when you have the right resources. Find our best classroom
management resources, from room set-up advice to behavior modification articles to effective
teaching methods. Whether you're a new teacher or a seasoned veteran, there's something for all
grade levels, K-12.

General Teaching Methods & Strategies

All teachers, but especially new teachers, will find these General Teaching Methods resources very
helpful in setting up and structuring your lessons and classroom.

 Classroom Management Strategies & Advice

 Learner-Centered vs. Curriculum-Centered Teachers: Which Type Are You?
 Standards for Good Teaching
 Textbooks: Advantages and Disadvantages
 Levels of Questions in Bloom's Taxonomy
 Your Secret Weapon: Wait Time
 Problem-Solving

Cooperative Learning
Learn effective ways to teach in your classroom with these Cooperative Learning resources which
are excellent in helping develop critical thinking skills in students.

 Teaching with Cooperative Learning

 Cooperative Learning
 More Cooperative Learning Teaching Strategies

Inclusion
These Inclusion resources include suggestions for using material adaptations effectively, helping
special needs students become independent learners, and much more.

 Adapting Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science for the Inclusive Classroom
 Adapting Reading and Math Materials in the Inclusive Classroom
 Teaching Strategies for Using Materials in an Inclusive Classroom
 Adapt Lessons to Reach All Students
 More Inclusion Resources
 Discovering Math in Literature
 Planning Pyramid for Multi-Level Mathematics Instruction
 Teaching Mathematics to Gifted Students in a Mixed-Ability Classroom
 Math & Science Teaching Strategies

Teaching Reading & Language Arts

Browse through our resources for teaching the various aspects of Language Art to find suggestions
and techniques to use in your classroom.
  Teaching Strategies for Reading
 Teaching Strategies for English Language Arts
 Journaling Teaching Strategies

Using Technology
Useful tools and techniques to help you integrate technology and assistive technology, as well as
DVDs and television into your classroom, are found in these resources.

 Assistive Technology for Students with Mild Disabilities

 Stages to Technology Integration
 Technology Strategies for Music Education
 Integrating Technology

Addressing Special Needs

With these resources, you will be guided through principles that address accommodations and
modifications with a printable checklist to help with IEPs.

 Teaching Students with Special Needs

 Effective Accommodations for IEPs
 Educating Children Who Are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing
 Universal Design for Learning
 More Special Needs Teacher Resources

Learning From Social Interactions

Choose from sample activities for student-to-student learning, along with the benefits and how to
implement service-learning projects, and more.

 Student-to-Student Learning
 Use Service-Learning to Enhance Your Curriculum

The Classroom Environment

Teachers will learn ways to incorporate learning centers in their classroom, as well as how to
effectively set up the physical aspects of their classroom to enhance student learning.

 Learning Centers
 Creating an Effective Physical Classroom Environment
 Conflict Resolution Lessons
 The Basics of Centers

Multiple Intelligences
Descriptions of what Multiple Intelligences are, ways to use them in assessments, and a chart of
activities to enhance Multiple Intelligences are included in these resources.

 Multiple Intelligences: An Overview

 Using Multiple Intelligences in Testing & Assessment
 Multiple Intelligences: A Three Part Series
 Multiple Intelligences Chart

Related Resources
If you enjoyed these resources for Classroom Management, click the links below to our related
resources to find more help enhancing your classroom.

 Back to School Headquarters

 Professional Development Resources for Teachers
  New Teacher Resources
 Personalizing the Secondary Classroom

Marzano 13 Teaching Best Practices

Thursday, September 24, 2015
The study identified 13 best practices across three dimensions of
teacher behaviors and strategies which are correlated to significantly
higher levels of student achievement in an online learning environment.
Adopting these practices can help teachers effectively engage with their
students in an online or blended environment, and get the most out of
online tools. Here, we will take a close look at all 13 best practices
identified in the study, along with insights into how each can be
implemented and common challenges associated with them.

Marzano Dimension One: Strategies involving routine events

1. Communicating course/assignment rules and procedures

Clarifying your expectations is key to a smooth-running classroom,

whether it’s traditional or virtual. Think about it: if you didn’t know to file
your income tax return on April 15, wouldn’t you be late every time? The
concept is even more applicable to children. If they don’t know what
the rules are, they probably won’t follow them.

Mastery of classroom procedures is an academic skill like any other –

and it’s necessary for student success throughout the school year.
Ambiguity can lead to confusion amongst students as to what is
expected of them, which in turns makes it that much more difficult for
them to actually meet those expectations. Additionally, if students do
willfully break guidelines, it is in your best interest to be able to easily
prove they were aware of the expectations in place. The same need for
clarification also exists for specific exercises and assignments. How can
you expect work that meets your standards if your students don’t know
what is being expected of them? Setting out well-defined expectations
and making sure that all of your students are aware of them is a key step
to seeing your students achieve the grades they are capable of.

Implementation Tips: Many teachers dedicate the entire first week of

school to instructing students in how they want the classroom to operate
—including everything from procedures for sharpening pencils to turning
in assignments. This same kind of investment of time needs to be made
before any exercise or project is given to students as well. Spend an
amount of time proportionate to the size of the assignment reviewing
expectations. For large or multipart exercises, break up the expectations
into manageable chunks and processes based on your students’ ages
and level of comprehension.

As always, when laying out expectations for the classroom or an

assignment, be sure to use best practices in teaching by discussing all
learning modalities. If you’re covering a pencil-sharpening procedure,
actually have the children perform the action. Make written explanations
that can both go home to parents and be referenced by the students in
their notebooks or folders. Finally, plaster your walls with every rule and
procedure that you deem necessary for the success of the class. In an
online or virtual environment, make sure you are taking advantage of all
the teacher-student communication tools at your disposal. Most of these
systems have messaging functionality, individual assignment directions
and description features, and places for students to take notes for
reference. Covering all of these bases should eliminate “I didn’t know
that” from your classroom vocabulary. 

2. Providing students with all materials needed to complete an

assignment

Defining clear classroom and assignment expectations and procedures

is only half the battle in ensuring your students have the tools they need
to be successful in the classroom. It is just as important to provide your
students with the actual materials they need to accomplish the goals you
set out. For all classroom activities and assignments, make sure the
necessary materials are readily available and easy to access. Think of it
this way: you buy a kit to build a wooden picnic table in your backyard.
All of the wood is pre-cut, and it even comes with the nails, bolts, and
nuts that you will need. However, you don’t have access to a hammer or
a wrench. You’re not going to get very far in building your picnic table.

Implementation Tips: There are many ways to make sure materials are

accessible to your students. The best strategies to use in your classroom
can largely be determined based on how extensively you use
technology. If you are relying on paper for most of your classroom
activities, keep a bank of file folders in an organizational rack that are
clearly labeled by assignment. As students work through an assignment,
all they have to do is go to the correct folder to access what they need.
This method also makes it easier for students who missed a class or two
to get their make-up work without needing to interrupt class.

If your class relies more on technology, there are plenty of free

tools you can use to distribute materials. Consider creating a
classroom website where things can be posted and downloaded –
try Weebly for Education for free and easy-to-use templates. Another
option is to start a folder system, similar to the physical method
discussed above, on Google Drive. Or, you can write a post on your
classroom blog for each assignment that provides directions and
links to any materials for downloading.

Biggest Challenges: Timing can be an issue if you implement physical

or web-based systems like the ones discussed above to distribute
assignment materials. If you release everything at the beginning of a unit
or assignment, there’s nothing stopping your high-performing students
from working ahead and then becoming bored when they finish.
However, if you release materials on a certain schedule, you will likely
frustrate students whose timetable doesn’t match up with yours. The
best solution is to release materials on a schedule, but work to align your
timetable to the pace the majority of your class is working at. Be sure to
also set aside some time for individualized work with those
students who are struggling or in need of enrichment.

Another common problem in implementing this best practice is related to

paper-based classroom, and is as old as education itself: the dreaded
words, “I lost it.” There will always be students for whom organization is
a challenge. You can’t make unlimited copies of materials without going
over budget, and you don’t have unlimited time to dedicate to these
students. So, make a point of providing instruction on organizational
skills early in the year (during the time dedicated to reviewing
expectations from tip #1), and then continue to touch on those ideas
throughout the school year.

3. Clearly presenting the goal/objective for each assignment

Although there’s always room for creativity and experimentation in

education, a lesson should never be delivered with an overall “let’s see
where this goes” approach. Every instructional day, each task should
have a clear goal associated with it. The clarity of these goals is key to
this tip. Not only do you need to understand the goal each task is
working toward, but so do your students. Just like if you were on a field
trip, you wouldn’t want to leave with a bus full of students and not know
where your destination will be.

Implementation Tips: Many schools and districts mandate that teachers

post the day’s learning goals and objectives somewhere on their
classroom whiteboard. However, they often don’t say anything about
teachers having to use age-appropriate language in those goals or even
having to discuss them with their students. This approach is structurally
flawed because it doesn’t take the students into account.

Instead, each day should start with a frank and age-appropriate

discussion of what you hope your students will take away from the
day’s lesson, what successful completion of the lesson looks like,
and what students can expect if they are struggling. When you
transition to a new task, even if it’s under the same goal, remind
your students of why they’re doing the work. This is not to say that
you shouldn’t use your board to post goals; visuals can serve as a great
reminder throughout the lesson. Simply be sure to write the goals in
language that can be easily understood by all of your students.

Biggest Challenges: It will come as no surprise to any teacher to hear

that learners can have short attention spans. If you are in the middle of a
multi-day lesson with the same goal or objective, students can feel as if
they aren’t making any progress, or they may simply lose sight of the
goal and become disengaged. If you find yourself in this position, try to
break up your overall goal into smaller parts that are easy to follow. Take
time to explain the overall goal, but focus most of your attention on
covering how the smaller goals fit into the larger objective. This practice
will help your students feel invested in what’s going on in the classroom
every day.

4. Offering encouragement and positive feedback to students

Positive reinforcement is key to instilling a sense of confidence,

self-worth, and motivation in children, but for some students those
kind of interactions are hard to come by in their lives outside of
school. This fact makes it that much more critical that the
classroom always be a safe and encouraging environment for
students. Without any encouraging words, a learner is likely to shut
down from their entire educational experience. By using positive
feedback, teachers can be the oasis in the desert for their students.
This is not to say expectations should be lowered simply to ensure
students will be successful. Instead, maintain high standards for
your students and challenge them to achieve difficult goals, but
encourage them the whole way. When a student meets a standard
or goal, celebrate the accomplishment with them and share it with
their parents or caregivers. On the other hand, when a student is
struggling with an objective, focus on those aspects where they are
making progress to encourage them to persevere.

Implementation Tips: The best thing about working to offer

encouragement and positive feedback to your students is that it does not
need to take a lot of class time. Be effusive with your verbal praise. The
goal should be five positive comments for every piece of negative
feedback for each learner. Offering feedback through quick notes on
assignments can also go a long way. Although it is more time-
consuming, don’t be afraid to direct your positive feedback somewhere
other than the student, such as to their parents or guardians. Not only
will an encouraging call or email home help to build a better relationship
with your student’s caregivers, but you are also likely to be surprised by
how much the student appreciates it.
Also keep in mind that there is no bad time to offer encouragement and
positive feedback. It will likely be most impactful immediately after a
student experiences a success, but if you miss the exact moment,
acknowledging their success at a later time will still be appreciated. You
can even set aside dedicated class time to recognize learners who made
big progress or breakthroughs during the day’s lesson. However, it’s
important to remember that some students can be shy about receiving
praise in front of others; consider whether or not each student will
appreciate being singled out before doing so.

Biggest Challenges: Teaching is a demanding job, and on days when

your classroom is particularly challenging, remembering to be positive at
a 5:1 ratio can be difficult. Just remember that for as much good as
some positive feedback can do for your students, it can also help lift your
own mood and pull you through a hard day.

5. Allowing students to keep track of their learning progress

Ownership of learning is key to student achievement. Students need to

feel invested in their progress in order to thrive academically. All
students should know where they stand in your class and with the
curriculum at all times. They should be able to see the scoreboard so
they know when to feel proud about keeping up or when to step it up to
avoid falling behind.

Implementation Tips: Remember the old days when the only way to

know where you stood in your bank account was to actually reconcile the
checkbook? If you weren’t diligent about balancing, you had no idea how
much money you had. Now, it’s as simple as logging in to your bank’s
website. Not allowing students constant access to their progress data
has the same effect. They have no idea where they stand, so they can’t
take the appropriate steps for the desired outcome. When should
students have insight into their progress?—24/7.

Thankfully, most schools and districts employ an online learning

management system (LMS) where students can log in to keep track
of their grades. If your school does not have a system like this,
make it a point to update students by paper as often as possible.
Another option is regular, quick conferences with your students to
talk about their progress. Not only does this practice keep them
informed, but it also gives you an opportunity to provide the
positive feedback recommended in tip #4.

Biggest Challenges: The accuracy of classroom data often comes

down to one factor: the speed at which the teacher can grade incoming
work. If you’re falling behind in grading, students cannot be kept up to
date on their progress. Every teacher will get a little behind from time to
time, but there are things you can do to help stay caught up. One tip is to
use as much automation in your classroom as possible, either with
online assignments or through “clicker” programs. Another practice is to
employ lots of rubrics. They make grading easier and set clear goals for
learner success.

6. Accessibility to students via electronic communication as well as

face-to-face

The days of teachers simply lecturing at the front of the classroom are
gone. Teachers and students need to collaborate in many different ways
in order to advance their common goals. Oftentimes, that collaboration
doesn’t end with the last bell of the school day. In today’s connected
world, the key is to find a balance between being easily accessible to
your students to answer their questions and provide help without
smothering your own productivity and free time.

Implementation Tips: First, any communication between you and your

students must be recorded in some manner that is easily accessible and
shareable for accountability purposes. Unfortunately, we live in a time
where some educators have abused their authority in a variety of ways.
You want to be able to easily prove that all of your interactions are above
board. That being said, most electronic communication provides a record
like this, even texting with a service like Google Voice. To be most
helpful to your students, it’s also important to make yourself available in
a manner that they will be most likely to take advantage of, which may
mean via text or on social networks. Be sure to implement any initiative
like this in a manner that aligns with your district’s policies.

No matter what communication strategy you choose, it’s important to

stick to a consistent schedule. Make sure your schedule allows time for
your personal life outside of school. To encourage face-to-face
communication with your students, let them know what time you arrive at
and leave school, and invite them to visit before or after the school day.
Then, depending on your own needs and your students’, consider
making yourself available electronically at a certain time (preferably
during homework time) every night. You can still watch TV or participate
in any other off-duty pursuit—just have your phone or computer handy.
Also, remember that you are the one who gets to decide whether
something is urgent or can wait until tomorrow. For some students,
everything feels urgent. Set appropriate boundaries, and give yourself
permission to give important personal matters priority.

Biggest Challenges: The dedication teachers have to their students is

what makes them great at their jobs, but it can also be taken too far. Be
sure to set aside time for yourself, when you are not available to
communicate with your students. Not only does this decrease burnout,
but it also helps ensure that appropriate boundaries between you and
your students are maintained. There’s nothing wrong with building
rapport and personal relationships with your students, but it’s important
to model appropriate communication and save those discussions for
suitable times in the classroom.

Marzano Dimension Two: Strategies enacted on the spot

7. Monitoring student work

Without an accurate view of student progress, effective classroom

decision making is very challenging. Are your learners ready to move to
the next unit? Who is need of remediation? Who would benefit from
enrichment activities? Assessments, both formative and summative, are
one good way of monitoring your students’ development. The goal of
monitoring student work is to find out how much progress your students
have made in relation to the initial goals you set. Organizing that
progress into a four- or five-point scale can help you and your students
see the headway that has been made.

Implementation Tips: There are many ways to assess learning without

adding to your grading pile. Informal assessment needs to occur
regularly during every lesson. Although this type of monitoring usually
comes in the form of discussion and circulating the room while your
students are working, there are plenty of other informal strategies, like
exit tickets and short quizzes, that you can leverage. Familiarize yourself
with these strategies, make regular use of them in your classroom, and
watch the status of your class become increasingly clear.

Empowering your learners to keep portfolios of completed work and

projects also helps engage them in their own progress. This strategy
gives your students a broad and tangible overview of their progress
throughout the year, which can serve as a powerful motivator. It also
gives you evidence of their learning to share during parent conferences
and evaluations. In addition, most schools use some sort of online LMS
to share grades with students and parents virtually. Try to keep your
online gradebook as up to date as possible and leave comments where
you can to offer additional insight. Most online curriculum, whether used
for enrichment, remediation, or assessment, will have significant
reporting capabilities as well.

Biggest Challenges: Teachers tend to put a lot of pressure on

themselves when it comes to grading, thinking that it’s the only way to
get an accurate assessment of student progress. If the grading pile is too
high, some teachers forego activities that could be helpful in informing
instruction. Keep in mind that effective progress monitoring need not
involve much grading—or any at all.

8. Knowing every student by name and being able to recognize

them outside of the online environment
Learning your students’ names might seem like common sense, but you
won’t believe how many teachers are unable to call students by name a
month, two months, or even several months after the first day of school.
There are various reasons for this, but the bottom line is that your ability
to form a connection with those students whose names you don’t know is
severely inhibited. Especially for students with difficult home lives,
forming this connection can be critical to their academic success.

Implementation Tips: Students hate seating charts, especially on the

first day of school. However, a great way to learn names is to arrange
your students in alphabetical order—by first name. Taking attendance
every day at the beginning of the school year also gives you added
practice in name and face recognition. Don’t move students from those
seats until you have everyone memorized! Additionally, make sure your
school takes advantage of any of the tricks your LMS has to offer, like
showing the previous year’s school pictures of your students. Print them
out and quiz yourself if you have to. In some systems, you can even
arrange seating charts using student pictures.

When it comes to name recognition, teachers tend to have the bulk of

the responsibility, but it’s also important for other personnel in the school
to be acquainted with as many students as possible. This can be a
challenge, since principals, media and technology staff, and other
support staff will be exposed to more students at the school than
teachers but will spend significantly less time with them. However,
hearing something positive from a principal in the hall can make a
student’s day—especially if he or she is at-risk.

Biggest Challenges: Learning names is not an easy task. As a teacher,

you might have as many as 150–200 students. Other staff might see
more than a thousand. Adding to the sometimes impersonal approach of
certain blended learning strategies, screen time seems to be increasing
the amount of time it takes to learn names. However, learning your
students’ names might be the most important part of your job in the first
couple of weeks of the school year. It lays the groundwork for the rapport
you hope to build as you move through the early part of the year.

9. Allowing students to progress through assignments at their own

pace

We all know what it feels like to fall behind in a task or project. We also
know what it’s like to be faster or more accomplished at something than
our peers. In both cases, the feeling can be awkward and distracting.
Now, think about how students, who are just starting to find themselves
and get to know their talents, feel in one of those situations. Allowing
students to progress through curriculum at their own pace helps them
get to know their own strength and weaknesses, which builds their sense
of confidence as well as a willingness to persevere.
Implementation Tips: Small group instruction is a go-to strategy to
differentiate pace. This either means grouping students of similar abilities
or creating groups of mixed-ability levels so that high-achieving students
can help struggling learners move along in the curriculum. In many
situations, small group instruction like this can be very effective. Another
strategy to consider is using online or computer-based curriculum to
supplement instruction. With an adaptive platform, each student can
receive instruction in the appropriate areas and at the appropriate speed
for their skill level. However, limited resources and availability of class
time can be barriers to utilizing online solutions.

It’s also important to not give students too much freedom over their own
instruction and pace of learning; it’s simply too disruptive to the
curriculum. However, accommodating self-paced learning over the
course of single assignments or class periods can help students take
ownership of their learning. Just be sure to have a plan in place to keep
fast-working students busy while the rest of the class finishes the activity.

Formative assessment is also key to effectively using self-paced

methods. Out of all the assessment practices, formative assessment has
the greatest effect on student learning outcomes. It needs to be timely
and reflective. You always want to know when a student has fallen too
far back or is working too far ahead. Formative need not mean formal.
Informal assessment is often the best practice here.

Biggest Challenges: Pacing guides are becoming more prevalent as

class time is further compressed by testing and other mandates.
Teachers simply need to make sure that everything in their curriculum is
covered. This can make differentiation of pace a challenge, but it should
still be facilitated whenever possible.

Additionally, the challenge of keeping fast-working students engaged will

always be an issue. Spend a great deal of time brainstorming enrichment
activities to give to these students before embarking on a self-paced
assignment.

10.  Providing help to understand and practice new knowledge

This is why teachers teach—to help students acquire and master new
knowledge. It’s perhaps the most fundamental part of the job. That being
said, it might also be the most complicated. Who do you help? When do
you help them? How? Even veteran teachers struggle with these
questions. And there is no shortage of pedagogies to try to make sense
of these practices.

Implementation Tips: Most teachers prefer some sort of gradual

release model, variations on “I do, we do, you do.” These kind of models
are where pacing and formative assessment take precedence. There is,
of course, the process of delivering a lecture to present new knowledge
and then using homework to help students practice. However, most
forward-thinking teachers want to get away from that. There are also
approaches that are completely different, like flipped learning. In a
flipped classroom, students acquire new knowledge at home using
videos and content available online or made by the teacher. Then, they
come to class in order to practice those skills and receive help from the
teacher. The theory is that class time is used for what’s important—
practice—rather than rote memorization.

In theory, if curriculum is paced correctly and mastery has been

achieved by all students in your class before moving on, no one should
need help with the next topic. Of course, that’s rarely the case. And
that’s why it’s important to perform some sort of formative assessment or
pretest before each major topic or unit, with more informal assessments
coming at the beginning and end of each lesson. You should also keep
the pulse of your class during a lesson. It may sound like a lot of work,
but a deep understanding of informal formative assessment strategies is
essential to helping students grasp new material.

Biggest Challenges: The first barrier to effective teaching of new

knowledge is simply time. Benchmarks have to be met. Tests have to be
prepared for. A lot of administrative minutiae cut into class time. Many
times, the students who are struggling the most need to be moved along
for the sake of the rest of the class. The other barrier to this practice is a
question of differentiation. How do you know where everyone is? Who
needs more time? Who’s working ahead, and how far? In many
classrooms, small groups, formative assessment, and online learning
tools can solve these challenges.wledge. It’s perhaps the most
fundamental part of the job. That being said, it might also be the most
complicated. Who do you help? When do you help them? How? Even
veteran teachers struggle with these questions. And there is no shortage
of pedagogies to try to make sense of these practices.

11.  Allowing students to ask questions during online

courses/assignments

A teacher’s dream class is full of bright, inquisitive minds eager to

explore all of the knowledge this world has to offer. Hands always go up.
Questions are always thoughtful and on point. The natural conclusion to
draw from this is that all teachers would be more than happy to take any
question at any time during a lesson in an effort to generate that sort of
atmosphere in their classroom. However, in an effort to stay on schedule
and maintain hard-won order in the classroom, it’s typically not the case.
The problem with this reality is that a classroom where questions are
discouraged is one where young learners will struggle to stay engage.
So, to hold and deepen students’ interest in all the topics you cover,
make sure that your classroom is one where all questions are
consistently encouraged and embraced.

Implementation Tips: There are a variety of ways to encourage

students to develop questions that will help the whole class progress
through the lesson without completely overtaking class time. First, make
your expectations clear. State that questions are welcome at almost any
time during the class, but ask that no one interrupt while someone else is
speaking and that questions only address the topic at hand. Make sure
that these policies are available and easily visible as a reminder to your
learners. Second, you should act as a model for your students of best
practices for asking questions throughout the year. When your students
are speaking, ask questions that drive the conversation forward. Always
wait for them to finish a thought before launching in with your questions.
And, gently correct bad questioning technique whenever you see it.

Remember that many students are shy about asking questions or

speaking in class. Instead of forcefully calling on them, introduce some
randomness into the procedure by drawing cards or Popsicle sticks with
each student’s name on them. You can also use Post-it notes and a
poster to let students leave a question or comment about the day’s
lesson anonymously as they exit the room. Another idea that makes use
of technology is the idea of backchanneling. Backchanneling is similar to
a discussion board, but it happens online in real time. In the classroom,
students can engage in a backchannel chat with their devices while a
passive activity, like a lecture or video, is taking place. Students love an
opportunity to use their devices, and this mode of communication can
feel less intimidating to your more reserved learners.

Biggest Challenges: In addition to the reluctance of some students to

speak in class, you can also encounter the opposite side of the spectrum
—those students who are all too enthusiastic for any chance to make
their voice heard, whether or not it relates to the topic at hand. Again,
this is a situation where modeling and timely correction can be effective.
And just because you encourage questions doesn’t mean you need to
receive any and all that your students pose. On the other hand, if you
are struggling to get your students to ask any questions at all, quick,
informal assessments can help you figure out if it is because the content
is too easy for your learners to stay engaged, or because it’s over their
heads.

12.  Treating all students equally

This practice may sound completely obvious, but in truth, it might be the
most difficult of all to fully and successfully implement because it goes
against basic human nature. Even the most patient and kind teacher
may take a sigh of relief when certain students are absent. Others find it
difficult to call on everyone in the class equally, skipping some students
for a variety of reasons. And some teachers tend to give extra
opportunities to the same students repeatedly because they have
demonstrated that they can handle them.

Habits like this are incredibly easy to fall into – and all teachers do to
some extent at some point or another. They just seem to make days go
more smoothly. But for the betterment of every student, you need to be
conscious of them, and catch yourself when you feel that you are
slipping into such habits.

Implementation Tips: There are a variety of strategies to make sure

that all of your students receive equal attention in class. Most have to do
with methods to randomly select students, whether by drawing names
out of a hat, using popsicle sticks, or some other creative strategy. It’s
important to establish this precedent early in the school year so that
everyone knows they can’t hide from your attention. Another tactic is to
make a point of having short conferences with each of your students
periodically throughout the school year. This is a good way to reconnect
with students who perhaps haven’t received as much attention recently.

In a blended learning environment, it’s actually easier to connect with

every student because of the differentiation capabilities of online
programs and the fact that there are fewer whole-group exercises. More
small-group and individual work means more time for teachers to
circulate the room (just make sure you circulate the entire room!). It’s
also easier to monitor your students’ work, which means there are more
opportunities to notice something worth bringing up.

Biggest Challenges: Some students thrive on attention—usually with

negative consequences. The natural tendency is to reduce negative
behaviors by denying them that attention, so these students may rarely
be called on in discussions. While this can make for a quieter classroom,
these students, who are probably masking social and emotional
difficulties, are denied opportunities to progress. Other students may be
overlooked simply because they are extremely reserved; they work hard
to avoid attention, and when surrounded by a room full of louder, more
outgoing students, they succeed. Overcome these challenges by taking
time to engage one-on-one with all of your students, to get to know them
on a personal level and understand the ways that they tend to interact.

Marzano Dimension: Strategies addressing content

13.  Adding external resources to assignments aligned to local objectives

There is no doubt that the scope of education has expanded in the past
decade or so. In decades past, curriculum was centered on a textbook,
and little thought was given to providing students with real-world
experiences. Now, the focus has shifted to immersive educational
experiences that better reflect what students will see once they leave
school. Part of this shift involves encouraging students to take
advantage of the vast amount of information now at their fingertips
thanks to the internet. Teachers must embrace their students’ ability to
extend their own learning, and actively make it a part of their curriculum
by having students find and utilize external resources.

Implementation Tips: It is to both your own and your students’ benefit

for some filtering to occur when students are seeking outside resources
for assignments and projects. If possible, provide instruction not only in
the curriculum but also in information gathering relative to the subject
area your students are working on. Provide acceptable online options for
students to consult in the course of their work by using a class website,
blog, or other link-sharing system. This isn’t censorship; it’s a way to
optimize the information-gathering process for your students and teach
them about appropriate online research methods.

Students, particularly those in online learning settings, also need

opportunities to unplug. Pointing out the local real-world resources
available – like museums and libraries – to further their studies is a great
way to get students to venture out into the community. Consider offering
extra credit or extra time to complete assignments in order to motivate
your students to engage with the offline world. This also teaches
students how to effectively research and use resources outside of the
structured environment of the classroom, which is a highly valuable “real
world” skill.

Biggest Challenges: Some resources, particularly online ones, simply

aren’t reliable enough to be consulted in an academic situation. A good
use of time early in the school year might be to instruct students on how
to discern reliable information and resources for particular subject areas
from subpar ones to avoid students forming poor research habits.

Interested in hearing more about the Marzano Research Lab’s findings

regarding online teaching best practices? Check out how Marzano
Research peer-reviewed a research project that we conducted for our
classroom practice and assessment program, Study Island!

Advanced Placement® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the

College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not
endorse, this site.
 The overall uncertainty in the world today is forcing us to make radical changes in
many sectors of our lives. One of them is education, which plunged overnight into a
state of global emergency. Different delivery methods have been used to respond to
the crisis; these are referred to as online, virtual, distance, and emergency-remote, to
name a few. Are there differences among them? I discovered that virtual education
and online education are two different teaching modalities. Still, we could easily
believe they are synonymous. I consider it beneficial to learn about their differences,
discover what type of teaching our children receive, their characteristics, and their
advantages.

Online education
Online education occurs when teachers and students participate and interact in a
digital environment using the internet and computer networks' technological
resources synchronously; that is, their use must coincide with established session
schedules. This method usually has areas of opportunity in the social dimension:
The teacher may have to make extra effort to put together a class meeting with a
climate of freedom and create trust among the students to achieve pedagogical
goals. An example of online education is classes taught through Zoom sessions.
Subsequently, the assigned activities are uploaded to Canvas or Blackboard
platforms for the teacher to review.

Teacher role: Teachers who participate in online education are often referred to as
"tutors" because, unlike in a physical classroom, their role within the virtual
classroom is to accompany and assist students in their learning process.

Tools: Schoology, Edmodo, Blackboard, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Google

Scholar, etc.

Advantages
 Openness: Access to information is expanded because this method
overcomes geographic barriers; anyone, regardless of their location, can attend the
courses.
 Flexibility: It promotes self-management of time devoted to study and
assignments.
 Effectiveness: This method promotes the development of personal
autonomy; the student self-manages.
 Personalized accompaniment: Online education is distinguished by the
personalized accompaniment to the students, even when working in teams.
 Economy: The costs of physical spaces and transfers are reduced.
 Community: Online education promotes debate and dialogue in a community
connected through academic knowledge.
 

Virtual education
 This model requires technological resources, such as a computer or tablet, an
internet connection, and the use of a multimedia platform. Unlike online education,
this method works asynchronously, i.e., the teachers' sessions and the students'
schedules do not have to coincide. This method is similar to distance education, but
strictly with technological resources. Course materials or documents are uploaded
to the chosen platform for students to review. Questions are usually discussed in
public forums for the entire group.

Teacher role: Delivers the course and shares work materials through platforms.
Students can subsequently upload their activities for review and then receive
feedback from the teacher to see their areas of opportunity to improve.

Tools: Platforms like Canvas, Blackboard, Edmodo, Schoology, or email.

Advantages
 Flexible: Because the method can be handled asynchronously, students have
more flexibility to manage their schedules and professional time as they prefer.
 Efficient: The classes are presented session-feedback, which moves the
topics quickly, avoids distractions, and carries the students at the same pace.

Distance education
Unlike virtual education, distance education can be partly face-to-face and virtual;
however, this may vary depending on the educational institution. Students have
control over the time, space, and pace of their learning because no internet
connection or computational resources are required, as they are in other methods.
The materials used are usually physical, such as notebooks, pens, crayons, memory
sticks, and CDs. Many programs even send educational materials and lessons by
postal mail. A current example of distance education is the Ministry of Public
Education's open television channels in Mexico at the beginning of the quarantine,
in some cases supported by radio broadcasts.

Teacher role: When teachers receive the students' completed learning resources,
such as their activity assignments, USBs, or CDs, they have a responsibility to
grade and credit the students and provide them feedback. This can be by phone,
email, or text messages. Also, some teachers have the role of recording the
sessions or classes to be broadcast on television or radio.

Tools: Television, radio, email, postal mail, physical resources such as note binders,
books, notebooks, pencils, etc.

Advantages
 Flexibility: The students manage their personal and school time and
organization.
 Accessibility: Distance education programs are broad in scope and reach
people of all socioeconomic levels, thanks to the classes' technological resources'
simplicity.
  

Emergency remote education

This concept was born in the wake of the global crisis in March this year, due to
COVID-19. Education found itself in extreme difficulty as it had to adapt its methods
to continue teaching rapidly. This type of education aims to move the courses
taught in-person to a remote, virtual, distance, or online classroom. A report
published by The Learning Factor in Peru entitled "Emergency Remote Teaching"
described that different countries and institutions responded differently to the
educational changes. The term "emergency remote education" is entirely new, as
roles and tools are not defined. For example, in the United States, some educational
institutions are teaching face-to-face but with restrictions imposed. Others are
using the online modality described above. So, the definition depends on how the
country or institution has decided to manage the crisis. 

Teacher role: May vary, depending on the method used.

Tools: Vary, depending on the method used.

Advantages
 This method prioritizes education as an emergency and looks out for the well-
being of the students.
 This new term refers to consolidating all actions from governments,
businesses, non-governmental organizations, and individuals to find solutions and
keep up to date constantly; education can suddenly adapt if the emergency
changes.
Our world is in a stage of reconstruction where any type of learning is welcome.
That is why topics like these are relevant to all people because they affect the future
of today's generations. Distance education has become very suitable. New
technologies have become our right-hand resources in the process, helping us stay
connected without physical interactions. Future generations will remember this new
chapter, so it is doubly important to be conscious of the decisions we make now
and how we will address the challenges that confront us in the future.

TVET’ being focused on practical skills and work-readiness makes remote learning

particularly challenging. Practical skills are often acquired through learning-by-doing,
which occurs in school-based workshops and laboratories or through hands-on
experience at the workplace.

Loss of peer interaction

Prolonged closures also disrupt essential school-based services such as immunization,

school feeding, and mental health and psychosocial support. Loss of peer interaction and
disrupted routines also result in stress and anxiety. 
These negative impacts will be significantly higher for marginalized children, such as
those living in countries affected by conflict and other protracted crises, migrants,
refugees and the forcibly displaced, minorities, children, living with disabilities, and
children in institutions, the report added.