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Teaching Tips

5 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Classroom

December 27, 2017

by: LWT staff

2 minutes

The year has flown by and the 2018 is just around the corner! Have you had a chance to step back and assess your classroom and teaching strategies since school began in the fall? When school begins, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush. Winter break is the perfect time to reevaluate your teaching goals and get a fresh start in the classroom. Here are five New Year’s resolutions that you can implement this year:

1. Get Organized

Out with the old, in with the new! The new year is prime time for getting organized. Take advantage of winter break and push the reset button. Take a look through your files and your supply closet. What are you missing? If the fall gusts of wind blew through in the beginning of the year and left your classroom in a state of chaos, use these weeks to tidy up. Sort out which materials you can recycle, what needs to be given away, and what resources you’re lacking.

2. Incorporate Differentiated Learning

If you’re finding that your teaching tricks have gotten a little stale toward the end of the calendar year, use the new year as a fresh start for incorporating multisensory materials and activities for all learning styles: visual, tactile, kinesthetic, and auditory. Appealing to a variety of learning styles ensures that each of your students gets the instruction they need to become confident communicators. Try our Roll A Dough for tactile learners and Magic c Bunny for visual and kinesthetic learners.

3. Take Advantage of Professional Development Opportunities

Refreshing your professional skills by might seem like an obvious resolution for the new year, but we understand that making time for professional development is easier said than done. This year, resolve to find convenient ways to brush up on your teaching strategies by taking advantage of virtual workshops and on-demand webinars. All the professional development you need is right at your fingertips, which makes sticking to this resolution a cinch.

4. Strengthen School to Home Connections

The new year is a great time to touch base with parents and see whether they have any questions or concerns about their child’s progress in school. Fostering an open line of communication with parents is a new year’s resolution that offers a return on its investment. The student always benefits from clear school to home communication. Schedule some time to send out a winter classroom update to send to parents.

5. Stay on Top of Trends

Education is a constantly evolving field, with new standards and research being made available all the time. Carving out time to read the latest research and statistics on teaching can better prepare you for being in alignment with new strategies and changes to educational standards.

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