Heather McClure
If you’ve spent time around Conscious Discipline, you’ve heard that adults should notice children instead of just saying “Good job.” But what do you say instead? This guide breaks down the noticing formula and gives you examples you can use right away. What Is Noticing Language? Noticing language describes what a child actually did and […]
I have a secret to tell you. English has a special power—it can make actions come alive! We do this with something called the continuous tense. Think of it as your own personal movie camera. 📽️ Let me show you what I mean. The Two Types of Actions Imagine you are watching your friend Leo. Scenario […]
Let’s talk about getting students’ attention without wearing out your voice! As teachers, we’ve all been there – trying to get 25+ kids to focus without resorting to the dreaded “teacher voice” that leaves us hoarse by lunch. Non-verbal cues are game-changers in the classroom. They help you smoothly redirect attention while keeping that positive […]
Hey there, educators! 👋 I’m excited to share a tool I’ve developed to help manage classroom noise levels in a fun, visual way. Let me walk you through how this noise monitor works. When you first load the page, you’ll see a traffic light-style display. This isn’t just any traffic light—it’s your classroom’s noise level […]
Most noise level monitors for classrooms incentivize noise. IYKYK. This free one incentivizes quiet by playing a YouTube video until the noise level gets too high, then it automatically pauses until students have quieted down again. Then it automatically starts playing again. You can customize the monitor by choosing any YouTube video you want and […]
Hey teachers! I’ve curated this collection of go-to music videos to use in the classroom. These are all clean and school friendly. If you play the video from this page, all are ad-free as well. No more scrambling to skip inappropriate ads or content while your class waits! I’ve organized them into categories that match […]
Classroom Noise Monitor Please allow microphone access when prompted by your browser 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Current Level: 0 dB Start Monitoring Stop Monitoring
Let’s face it – figuring out why kids do what they do in the classroom is tricky business. One minute a student is engaged and participating, the next they’re disrupting the whole class or completely checked out. Making sense of these behaviors and knowing how to respond isn’t always obvious. That’s where these four big […]
No matter who you are or what you teach, your entering classroom procedure should include greeting your students at the door. Research has consistently shown that greeting students at the door is one of the most powerful practices a teacher can implement. A seminal study by Cook et al. (2018) demonstrated significant increases in academic […]
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) aims to create an inclusive learning environment that caters to the diverse needs of all students. Thankfully, technology offers a wealth of tools to help educators implement UDL principles in their classrooms. Here’s a breakdown of some powerful tech resources: For Reading and Comprehension Natural ReaderThis free web app lets […]