I may be smarter than you or I know. So challenge me to think, and we'll both know if that's so! The point I’m trying to make is that we, as teachers, often assume too much. Just because a student knows an answer or can memorize a given piece of information, we assume that he understands. This is often not the case. Knowing informational facts and being able to apply that information by thinking critically and using the information to solve problems are two different things.

Children learn as children play, so play with your students every day! While I was conducting a presentation on effective teaching for high school and university teachers, a college professor volunteered the following: “When I walked into the training today and learned of the activities that were going to be conducted, I almost walked out. I thought it was going to be ‘elementary.’ However,

Allow and Encourage Students to Work Cooperatively. It is often stated that any teacher who argues against encouraging students to work cooperatively has never encouraged students to work cooperatively. Life is about cooperation. We simply cannot expect students to come to us possessing all of the skills they need in order to work cooperatively with others. That’s why they need us! We’re here to teach them.

Much research has been conducted on the power of cooperative learning. The results have been consistent...

Plan effective lessons. The very best teachers know that if you want to have a great lesson, you have to plan a great lesson. It truly is that simple. But understand that planning takes time. However, if you teach a well-planned lesson, then you can really enjoy your teaching. Now, does that mean that you will accomplish everything you intend to accomplish or that your plan will go off without a hitch? Of course not. Teaching is not an exact science, and that is why we need to plan so thoroughly.

Do Not Procrastinate. It happens to new teachers (and veterans) all the time—they enter into the "I’ll do it tomorrow" cave. I call it a cave because it is a dark and scary place to live! Do NOT—I repeat—Do NOT go in there! It is alluring, I know. We all experience a sense of overwhelm from time to time, and it’s easy to put one thing off. Then two things.

The following poem and tip were written by Annette Breaux and featured in her new book with Eye On Education: 101 "Answers" for New Teachers and Their Mentors: Effective Teaching Tips for Daily Classroom Use, 2nd Ed.

A new teacher came into my office crying one day, saying, "I just can’t do this. There aren’t enough hours in the day." "Aren’t enough hours in the day to do what?" I asked. "To be a teacher and still have a life—to grade papers, plan lessons, complete paperwork, and still manage to take care of my family at home. It’s just not possible.

Avoid Power Struggles with Students. Effective teachers do not engage in power struggles with students, period! I was recently observing in a teacher’s classroom when one of the students strutted in and announced to the class, "Guess what! My daddy won the lottery last night, and he said I can quit school, so good riddance to all of you!” I have to admit that I was amazed when the teacher simply looked at him, smiled, and said, "Boy, aren’t you lucky!" and she immediately began teaching. The student had no come-back because he, too, was amazed...

Make learning fun. While I was conducting a presentation on effective teaching for high school and university teachers, a college professor volunteered the following: "When I walked into the training today and learned of the activities that were going to be conducted, I almost walked out. I thought it was going to be ‘elementary.’ However, after participating in the activities and having fun doing so, I realized that if I could have fun, maybe my students could have fun as opposed to just listening to my daily lectures.

Research has shown, time and again, that when we are feeling anxious or nervous, our brains begin to focus solely on ways to relieve the anxiety. Research also shows that our brains take much longer to process a negative statement than to process a positive statement. Well, we didn’t even need the research to tell us that. Just think about it. When you’re upset about something, it becomes your focus because you want to feel better. Not exactly rocket science! Now consider this one: If someone said, “Your hair looks nice today,” you would probably thank the person and move on. It would feel nice to receive the compliment, but the compliment would not overtake your thinking.

"Down" time consists of any time that a student has nothing to do. When does "down" time typically occur in the classroom? It usually occurs when students finish an assignment early, when the teacher finishes a lesson before the end of the class period, or during transitions from one subject to the next. That was the problem, and here is the solution: Simply put, the way to avoid "down" time is to structure every minute of the entire class period. In other words, when giving an assignment, provide structured activities for early finishers.

The following poem and tip were written by Annette Breaux and featured in her new book with Eye On Education: 101 "Answers" for New Teachers and Their Mentors: Effective Teaching Tips for Daily Classroom Use, 2nd Ed.

The following poem and tip were written by Annette Breaux and featured in her new book: 101 "Answers" for New Teachers and Their Mentors, 2nd Edition.

The following poem and tip were written by Annette Breaux and featured in her new book: 101 "Answers" for New Teachers and Their Mentors, 2nd Edition.

The following poem and tip were written by Annette Breaux and featured in her new book: 101 "Answers" for New Teachers and Their Mentors, 2nd Edition.