Classroom Management - Tricks of the Trade

Guys, I know. Just take a deep breath, you guys. Give us a few minutes, okay? Justin, can you stop, please? Okay. Ladies and gentlemen! >>Narrator: Having trouble

managing your classroom? Here are some of our

favorite tricks of the trade. >>All right. We're going to come to this table. Please push in your chairs. Come on around. Remember, give them space. >>Narrator: Chris Opitz

creates a fishbowl so that students can learn lessons

in manners and math from each other. >>Chris: Audience,

our voices are off. We're just going to look for evidence

of a really great discussion, and then we're going to

talk about that afterward. >>I began using the fishbowl having

kids really closely observe other kids in discussion identifying

particular types of language, ways to ask questions, how to

use manners when disagreeing, and once that foundation is built, then the academics can be

so much more thoughtful. >>Mike started with 8. Kelly had twice as much as Mike,

and Joe had half as much as Kelly. >>Chris: Every teacher out there has

probably said at some point in time, "Turn to your neighbor

and talk about this idea. Look at your teammates

and talk about this idea." >>Why did you do those shapes? >>Chris: And really watch. If they are talking about the topic

that you've asked them to talk about, if they're actually listening to

each other and using that language and those social skills, then all

of a sudden, you have an environment where 30 kids are all

learning at the same time. >>Narrator: Share one of your tricks

with fellow teachers on Edutopia.