5 Rules to Break in the Classroom - Innovative Teaching Methods

As teachers we’re pretty amazing at creating rules. We have rules for just about everything. There are rules for how to behave, how to participate, how to get along, how to move, how to speak…well, you get my point. And it’s a good thing. Without rules and guidelines, a classroom and the children in it would go absolutely bonkers. However, as they say, “some rules are meant to be broken.” I’m here to suggest that it might be time to break some of our standard classroom rules and encourage our students to learn in new ways.

If you’re OK with breaking some rules (and being a bit of a rebel), here are just a few rules that you might want to break in your classroom...

Most of the time, it makes sense to have our students maintain an appropriate noise level. So, it’s no wonder that we have some rules about speaking quietly in the classroom. But, wouldn’t it be fun to break that rule? In fact, by encouraging loud voices, funny voices, and every voice in between, we can engage students in their learning a bit more.

Here are easy ways to break this rule...

➤ Create a jar full of silly voices. Pull them out when you want students to read out loud or share with the class. The voice challenges are an instant motivator. If you'd like a set of silly voice cards, just click here to grab them for FREE.

➤ Take the kids outside and let them shout about what they are learning. Can you imagine how many students would happily participate if they could shout out each letter in their spelling words or yell out vocab definitions?

➤ Don’t forget to try out some funny voices of your own. Leave behind that reserved-teacher voice and play around with voices during a classroom read aloud or during an everyday lesson.

More and more, teachers are breaking this rule. The flexible seating craze is definitely transforming classrooms. If you're like me, then you know that there are certainly times when students do need to find a seat to learn, but breaking this traditional rule can lead to some super fun lessons.

Here are easy ways to break this rule...

➤ Get students up and out of their seats with learning centers or stations. Have students rotate to different centers as they learn. (Check out my favorite learning stations HERE.)

➤ Play games to get students up and out of their seats. When games are combined with movement, students are more engaged and interested in learning. (Find free vocabulary games HERE.)

➤ Flexible seating options allow students to choose where they would like to sit. When students have flexible seating options, they can build community, collaborate, and feel more comfortable. Here are some of my favorite flexible seating ideas:

Stack Stools, Portable Lab Desk, Saucer Chair, Balance Ball, Wobble Stool, Director’s Chair

This rule is standard in most classrooms and schools. Since it can keep our classrooms and schools clean, it is an important one, too. However, sometimes it’s fun to bring out the bubblegum and amp up the fun-factor in the classroom.

Here are easy ways to break this rule...

➤ Hand out gum during standardized assessments. Did you know that studies show that chewing gum helps with concentration? According to Science Daily, chewing gum can help with focus and productivity. It's great to use for motivational test prep, too.

➤ Want to engage students in reading? Why not write a few reading passages about chewing gum. They’ll read a bit more eagerly if you promise gum while they work.

➤ Use chewing gum as a classroom motivator. Set a classroom goal like 90% class-wide homework completion for a week. Then, when students meet the goal, have a gum party. Bring out the gum and set up fun chewing gum stations. Stations could include tracking the biggest bubble, creating a new flavor of gum, writing stories about gum, and inventing new uses for chewing gum.

As a kid, many of my teachers enforced this rule. We weren’t allowed to doodle on our notes while we were learning. However, this may just be a rule worth breaking every single day. Studies show that doodling can help our students' brains stay active. Doodling also helps with memory recall while promoting creativity. So, it may be time to get rid of the "no doodling" rule for good!

Here are easy ways to break this rule...

➤ Teach a Doodle and Do unit that encourage students to doodle as they learn and while they practice their learning. (Check out all of the Doodle and Do units here.)

➤ Have students complete a homework assignment with doodles. You’ll be amazed at how excited students get about a doodle homework assignment.

➤ Let students doodle to show their learning. Wouldn’t it be fun to add a question on a test that students could answer with a doodle?

➤ Connect vocabulary to doodles. Give students a chance to deeply understand their vocabulary by moving beyond just learning the definition. Have them create doodles about the words to tap into their visual skills. (Here's a popular Doodle Vocabulary resource.)

For some reason, this rule gets followed a lot. Typically, teachers and students are expected to stay in their classrooms. While it makes sense a lot of the time, sometimes breaking this rule has a big payoff. In particular, a new setting can motivate, engage, and inspire students.

Here are easy ways to break this rule...

➤ The next time you need to give students notes or you want students to review information or even introduce a topic, create a set of facts. Then, hide them around the school for students to find. This fact hunt will get them out of the classroom and learning! (Find ready-made fact hunts here.)

➤ One of the most powerful places for students to learn is right outside our classrooms. When students need a change of pace, take the kids outside. It’s super fun to host a poetry reading or some book talks under a shady tree. Or, you might have students read on blankets under the sun.

➤ The cafeteria is a great place to use during the school day. Since there are many times that no one is in the space, it’s a perfect place to shake things up. Imagine setting up learning stations at the different tables or hosting literature circles with snacks in the cafeteria. The change of scenery makes the lesson instantly more fun.

➤ Organize a walking field trip around your school’s town…or better yet, have students organize the field trip. They could research different notable places around town. Then, as the class tours the town, different students can share what they’ve learned.

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Something tells me that you might already break a lot of these rules. However, I hope that you’ve found a few ways to take your rebellious rule breaking a bit farther. I'd love to hear about some of the other rules you break in your classroom. Just leave your ideas in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mary Beth

P.S. Don't forget to grab your exclusive freebie of silly voice challenges HERE.

* This post contains affiliate links.

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Mary Beth

Tips for Managing and Handing Back Papers in the Classroom

Do you ever feel like you're drowning under a mountain of students' papers? Sometimes, as a teachers, it feels like we're constantly shuffling and sorting papers. I don't know about you, but after creating a lesson plan and grading students' work, it feels like getting the papers back to students can be a serious hassle. There has to be a better way! And...good news...there is! 

I surveyed a group of dynamic teachers about how they manage and hand back students' papers in their classroom. They came back with some awesome ideas! Check them out...

Setting up a central system of mailboxes is a great way to get materials back to students. Jennifer F. sets up a mailbox for each student. Then, she has a "mail person" as one of her classroom jobs. She just places graded work in a basket labeled "to be delivered," and the mail person sticks it in their classmates' mailboxes. 

Other teachers that use mailboxes noted that they place any work with grades on them in the mailboxes themselves and have a student "mail" all other papers.

Mailboxes aren't just for the elementary classroom, either. I used them successfully in my middle school classroom for years!

I love this fun spin on a typically boring task...handing back papers. In Kelly G's class, she puts on dance music once a week and students get all of their papers passed out while dancing around the classroom. Kids enjoy this because they're up and moving, and enlisting everyone's help means that it goes super fast.

Oh, and wouldn't this be fun to do this with an audio book or a read aloud? Imagine reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio while students help to pass out papers. Wouldn't that be sweet?

Google Classroom is a great way to keep track of everything in the classroom. Christine W. tries to have everything in Google Classroom. Google Classroom is nice because teachers can easily send feedback to each student on assignments. Another bonus is accessibility. Teachers can access and assess students' work from any mobile device. Oh, and that means that students can check out how they did on an assignment from anywhere too! Skip handing back papers all together and just go paperless!

Alyse A. sets up a plastic bin for hanging file folders. Each file folder has a number on it. The numbers correlate with the numbers that she gives students at the beginning of the year. Then, she has a "secretary" classroom job who files the completed work in the hanging file folders.

Dawn Z. uses folders to organize students' work, too. She has a designated "Homework Hot Spot" in the back of the classroom. Students hand their work in their numbered pocket. This makes it super easy to see if anyone hasn't turned in their work. Then, when it comes time to hand back graded papers, a student helper grabs the papers out of hanging folders in numerical order, making it quick business to hand back work.

Designating a specific time each day or class period is a great way to get a handle on students' papers. Bell work or morning work is a perfect time to hand back papers. While students are quietly working on the daily challenge, you or a fast finisher can hand back papers. 

Beth O. passes out work during bell ringers and she said that rotating around the room while handing back papers makes it easy to check in on how students are doing on their bell work, too.

Hanging a folder pocket chart or putting together magnetized plastic folders can help keep work that needs to be passed out in order. Students can easily "hand in" their work by placing it in the pocket chart or collect their work once its graded and placed in their chart.

If you're looking for helpers to place work in the pocket chart, you can always make it a classroom job or even offer a volunteer a "free" answer on the next test for helping to sort out graded work. 

Make handing back papers super fast by creating group folders or baskets for students to hand their work in. Then, as you grade the work, just stick it back in the group's folder. Simply give the folder back to the group and they can quickly grab their graded assignments. 

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Well, there you have it, some easy ways to manage and hand back students' papers. I hope you've found something that can work in your classroom. If you have any other ideas, be sure to share them in the comments below.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Mary Beth

* This post contains affiliate links.

Mindfulness in the Classroom - Tools for a Calming Corner in the Classroom

Ever felt like your students could benefit from slowing down and taking a moment calm? Well, you're in for a treat. Mindfulness isn't just a buzzword; it's a game-changer. It's about hitting the pause button, taking a deep breath, and diving into the magic of the present moment. And here's the kicker – it's not just for adults; it's for kids too!

So, picture this: A classroom where calm reigns supreme, thoughts find their chill, and focus becomes a superpower. That's the power of mindfulness. And guess what? We're not stopping there. We're bringing you the tools to create a Calming Corner that'll turn your classroom into a sanctuary of serenity. Let's dive in!

(GREAT NEWS! I've put together exclusive FREEBIES for mindfulness. Click here to receive them!)

Mindfulness meditation is a way of focusing the mind so that it is fully attending to what’s happening right now, to what we’re doing, and to the space that we’re currently in. Cultivating mindfulness means to be present, to pay attention, and to be aware of our emotions and the way that we respond to them.

Recent neuroscience research points to many benefits of mindfulness meditation: 

   ➧ increased focus
   ➧ a sense of calm
   ➧ decreased stress
   ➧ decreased anxiety
   ➧ improved impulse control
   ➧ greater empathy for others
   ➧ improved conflict resolution skills

Our students need opportunities to practice mindfulness mediation. Since the human mind often wanders from the present. Our brains have a tendency to become absorbed with thoughts about the past or the future. This kind of thinking makes us anxious. 

Academic pressure now affects kids as early as kindergarten, resulting in less time for play and other stress-reducing activities. Today’s students are faced with an unprecedented amount of anxiety. The pressure only grows greater in middle and high school. Surveys have found students reporting stress and fatigue as much as 75% of the time. 

What’s needed is a way to decrease anxiety and help students to manage their emotions. That’s where mindfulness comes in.

Infusing moments of mindfulness in the classroom is not only powerful, it’s also quite simple. In general, to practice mindfulness, have students start by bringing attention to their own body.  Then, have them breathe in through their noses and out through their mouths.  When they notice that their mind has wondered away from the present moment, they should gently bring their attention back to their breathing. 

It’s also a great idea to intentionally plan moments of mindfulness in the classroom! Here are some simple ways to do just that…

1. A Mindful Moment
At the beginning of class, or after a transition, have your students close their eyes and take several deep breaths. Ask them to pay attention to their breathing and what it feels like.

2. A Mindful Break
Once or twice during a standard length class, just stop. Have your students stand up and stretch and then sit back down and do 30 seconds of mindful breathing. This takes no more than a minute, and it gives everyone a needed break.

3. A Mindful Quote
Use motivational and inspirational quotes to help focus students’ minds during a moment of mindfulness. 

It’s as easy as sharing a quote, or you can download this free set of mindfulness quotes and put together a container to pull from all year long.

If you'd like me to send you a free set of 24 mindfulness quotes and the materials to make a container like above, add your name and email address below:

4. Attention Check
During a long lesson, stop and ask your students to pause and “check their attention.” Is their mind on what is being done in class, or has it been wandering? This gives kids the chance to deliberately redirect their attention to the matter at hand.

5. Finger Labyrinths
Traditionally, labyrinths are used for mediation and relaxation. Often, people walk through labyrinths. Give students the same sensation with finger labyrinths. 

I’ve made a collection of them that students can use when they need to focus their minds. Students simply trace the spiral paths as they practice mindfulness.

Add your name and email address below to receive the finger labyrinths and mindfulness quotes in your email inbox!

6. Mindful Closure
At the end of class, have students close their eyes and focus on their breathing again. Ask them to think of what they have learned and perhaps congratulate themselves on their progress and accomplishments.

As teachers. we have many opportunities to introduce students to mindfulness practices. Of course, one of the most important ways we can do this is by cultivating mindfulness in ourselves. If we, as teachers, are present and aware of our own emotions and responses, we set an invaluable example for our students.

Many of these mindfulness activities work well in a Calming Corner in the Classroom. Add the quotes or labyrinths to the calming corner to help students when they need to take a step back and become more present in the moment. Find more ideas for creating a calming classroom environment here.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Mary Beth