HowToDoThings.com Recent For Teachers Articles

How To Erase Old Marks Off a Dry Erase Board

niko — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:04:20 -0500

Once you begin using a white board or a dry-erase board, you will have noticed that it never regains the pristine whiteness it had when it was brand new. How and with what material can you clean your board and leave it looking brand new and sparkling? What cleaner or method you will use will depend on the type of whiteboard you have. Make sure to follow the cleaning instructions which come with your whiteboard for best results. Some handy tips are listed down here...

Helpful and handy hints for cleaning:

How To Celebrate Pi Day

gin rummy — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:54:22 -0500

Pi is the Greek symbol for the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Pi is one of the most famous mathematical constants and Pi Day is celebrated across the world on March 14 each year. The value of Pi over time has been calculated to over a trillion digits after the decimal (not manually, of course!!). Most commonly these days people say its value is 3.1415926 - which is why we honor Pi on March 14 (3/14 - get it?!). On this day (and at 1:59 PM in particular, if you want to get really specific) students across the US celebrate Pi by participating in various fun activities. March 14 also has more special significance asthe day Albert Einstein was born, so March 14 actually becomes a double celebration for mathematicians all over the world who hold both Pi and Einstein sacred. For those who do not follow the above MM-DD-YYYY date format, Pi Day might instead fall on 3 January at 4.15.92 AM.

How To Prepare for the New School Year

Sarah146 — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:48:32 -0500

Parents and kids look for the best deals as they stock up on notebooks, folders, pencils, and the latest fashions. However, students are not the only ones doing back-to-school shopping. Teachers have a back to school list, too. Teachers have to plan ahead and be prepared for the new school year way before the first class even begins.

How To Help a Failing Student

Sarah146 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:40:08 -0500

How To Choose a Pet for Your Class

cwalk — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:36:59 -0500

How To Handle a Poor Teacher Observation

Sarah146 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:03:10 -0500

How To Garden Indoors with Children

Marilisa560 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:55:29 -0500

Do you love to garden? Do you want to begin a garden in your home or classroom? Are you unable to garden because you live in a temperate zone with long winters? Well here is some good news for gardeners and teachers who want to bring some life science and gardening into the classroom, especially in the winter months. You can easily and inexpensively begin a good-sized garden right in your classroom. Here's how:

How To Detect Plagiarism

Uninvited Writer — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:59:52 -0500

How To Be an Effective Substitute Teacher

caseynspeedy — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:37:53 -0500

Substituting is the most difficult job! But there are a few things that can make your job easier. Keeping these quick tips in the forefront of your thinking will also make the teacher you are subbing for want to have you back in his/her classroom.

How To Do Gardening Science Fair Projects

bronwyn — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:53:35 -0600

Gardening science fair projects can be both fun and educational for children – especially for those who may have no experience with growing plants. There are endless possibilities in terms of gardening science fair projects, and most of them can be easily adapted to fit the needs of different ages.

How To Plan a Garden for Kids

bronwyn — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:02:24 -0600

Gardening is a wonderful introduction to science and nature. If you are looking for a special way to spend time with a child in your life, think about planning a garden for kids. The garden can be big or small; the point is to have fun, spend time outdoors, and introduce children to gardening!

How To Grow Plants in the Classroom

bronwyn — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:55:16 -0600

Growing plants in the classroom is an excellent way to get students excited about science!

How To Incorporate Gardening into Kindergarten and First Grade Curriculum

Marilisa560 — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:16:22 -0600

Gardening with children is a perfect hands-on multi-sensory activity. Gardening and plant care can be a stand alone curriculum if you incorporate it into each content area. Here is a guideline to incorporate a gardening unit or project into every aspect of your kindergarten or first grade curriculum.

How To Garden Safely with Children at Home or in School

Marilisa560 — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:56:26 -0600

Gardening is in my list of top five learning activities. It's natural, therapeutic, hands-on, interactive and a great learning tool. Whether you teach plant care, botany lessons or gardening at home with your children or in school as a teacher, there are several areas to consider and steps to follow to ensure safety.

How To Get Grant Money for a School Gardening Project

Marilisa560 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:52:31 -0600

Science in our school curriculum has often focused too much on paperwork and too little on real applications. Life science and biology in particular are subjects that have so much potential for hands-on activities and experiments. Gardening and plant care is an ideal venue to explore your biology or life science classes or curriculum. If you'd like to begin a gardening project in your classroom, there is grant money available to support your endeavors. Here are some areas to explore for grant funding.

How To Choose Plants Kids Will Love to Grow in Their Classroom Project

Casey47 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:35:28 -0600

Growing a garden with your students can be a fun and rewarding task for you and for the children. The importance to gardening with children is to keep their attention at all times. I know as a child if my outdoor experimental garden did not grow I was tremendously discouraged and gave up quickly. Children are like that, easily distracted and discouraged. They want to see results, often times faster than we can produce them. No matter how much you explain, this attitude will be the same for gardening.

How To Get Started with a School Garden Project

Casey47 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:58:53 -0600

A classroom gardening project can be a fun and wonderful learning experience for you and your students. It is also something the entire school can become involved in, if organized properly. Gardening shows children the cycle of life, as well as where a lot of their fruits and vegetables come from. It is something they can become involved in and will hopefully give them a sense of pride in what they have created. It may even open up a life time of love for growing flowers and vegetables.

There are several things to consider when you are organizing a gardening project for a classroom or school. This article will go through all the things to consider, and the necessary steps you will need to take.

How To Organize a Foreign Language Class Debate

aniram — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:50:47 -0600

Class debates can be a great motivational tool for creating meaningful interactions and discussions with language learners. They provoke students to speak impromptu and express themselves freely. As a teacher, you are not only an outside observer or a mere prompter of the class debates, but also an active participant and a thorough designer of the class activities.

How To Be the Best Teacher

cherry_77 — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:25:50 -0600

Teaching may sound like an easy task but it is as daunting as any job. Having taught for a good seven years at universities, high schools and special ed schools, I have tried a bit of everything of how it is to be a teacher.

There are different strokes for different folks. That is true. For the many students and their levels that I have taught, I found special kids to be the most challenging of all. However, each student is different. There are even talented kids who could be more difficult. Coming from different backgrounds, and culture, a child’s personality is formed into something unique and complex. It is a great challenge for the teachers then to uncover the child’s strengths provided by these circumstances.

How To Help Students Build Self-Esteem

theramblinghousewife — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:39:23 -0600

Every year I spent in the classroom, I was always able to instantly identify my students that had a low self-esteem. These students performed poorer. They lacked confidence and didn't actively participate in classroom discussions. They sat themselves in the back of the room and slouched low into their chairs, as I glanced around the room, looking for someone to volunteer an answer. Lowered self-esteem can, and will, impact how well a student does in your classroom. When a student feels good about himself, it reflects in his schoolwork. The following information will help you build the self-esteem of your students and help improve their overall classroom performance.

How To Discuss Student Performance with Parents

theramblinghousewife — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:31:28 -0600

We, as teachers, have all been there. Every time those parent conferences rolled around, I always dreaded at least one or two of them. Sometimes, it was because a student was performing so poorly, or behaving so badly. Sometimes, it was just because a specific parent could be so difficult to talk to. Whatever the reason, discussing student performance with parents, can be an uncomfortable situation. However, it is a necessary and vital component of a student's education. When parents and teachers work together, there is always a better outcome. Follow these steps, to more easily discuss student with performance with parents.

How To Earn Your Students' Respect

theramblinghousewife — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:31:37 -0600

Respect from your students will not come freely. It is something that must be earned and it isn't always easy. But creating a mutually respectful environment between both students and teacher, provides a nurturing atmosphere in which students will be more willing to put forth their best effort. It also helps maintain the order in your classroom, so that the classroom environment is always conducive to learning. Follow these steps to gain the respect of all of your students, each and every school year.

How To Deal with Bullies as a Child

teacher — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:25:18 -0500

Mankind has been plagued by a growing problem that has been infecting our society for thoushands of years. What is this problem? It is know as bullying. Adults have a hard time dealing with this attitude and the trauma linked to it for years on end. In fact, criminal minds have been known as either bullies or victims of bullying. Either way, most people don't seem to have all the tools needed to put a stop to it, which is why schools have decided to take matters in their own hands.

You see, educators believe that bullying must be nipped in the bud. And it can start as early as Kindergarten. Bullies come in all ages. The younger a child is when he learns right from wrong and how to react appropriately to difficult situations without affecting others negatively, the better the chance is that he doesn't become a bully.

How To Use Wikipedia

apolman — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:32:44 -0500

Wikipedia has been on the Internet for several years now and was founded on the idea that everyone had information and knowledge they could share with others, which is what the Internet is really all about. The problem with Wikipedia is that anybody can contribute information on any topic at anytime they like, regardless of what they know about it. Many teachers (like myself) won't allow students to cite Wikipedia when writing papers due to the (at times) unreliability of the information. Many students argue that every page on Wikipedia is checked for accuracy but due to the size and number of updates to the site every day, this simply is not true. If you have found information on Wiki that you really want to use, here are some tips to making sure you get the correct information.

How To Get Your First Job Teaching At a Two-Year College

Beth141 — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:38:23 -0500

Many teachers interested in trying a new venue, looking to supplement their income, or seeking the first step in the transition to becoming a college professor find teaching at a two-year college to be a rewarding experience. If you have ever considered trying your hand at teaching at a two-year school, here are some steps that may help you land that job.

How To Differentiate Instruction

bronwyn — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:19:42 -0500

As a teacher, you will have many challenges to face in teaching a group of students. All children do not learn in the same way, so a teaching method that is very effective for one student may not be very helpful to another. You need to differentiate instruction in order to reach all students, even while working toward the same academic goals. Differentiating instruction creates more effective learning for your students, and can even help with students who are acting out in your classroom!

How To Remove a Bee From Your Classroom

Staff468 — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:21:00 -0500

Bzzzzzz!!! When it comes to the attention of the class, ever get the feeling that all of the multiplication tables in the world can't compete with a single bee? A bee in your classroom can cause quite a prolonged disturbance. Even if none of your children are worried about being stung, the presence becomes a huge distraction to practically all children, grinding productivity to a halt as their eyes follow the darting, distressed bee around the room. How can you direct attention back onto the lesson at hand?

Keep the children as calm as possible. Of course, the best way to achieve this is by setting a good example. Remember, bees don't like to be in cars or inside a room any more than you want them there. When trapped within walls, they are far more interested in escape than they are in attack.

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How To Start a Charter School

Susie254 — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 11:24:00 -0600

Charter schools are typically started under the guidance of a particular school district. In most cases, charter schools are added to the existing roster of schools within a district and may focus on reaching children who are performing at or below state curriculum standards. The planning and implementation of a charter school can take several months, and even years, before the school is actually ready to open its doors to students.

How To Manage a Charter School

Susie254 — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 09:37:00 -0600

Managing a charter school involves more than securing funds, developing policies and hiring a staff. While the initial implementation of a charter school may be successful, diligent management must continue if the school is to remain successful and show continued improvement.

How To Get Funding for Charter Schools

Susie254 — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 09:12:00 -0600

Before a charter school can be implemented, funds must be secured to cover all of the school's expenses. This may include the building of a new school unless a building can be found and used to house the charter school. Even so, the building may need substantial renovations before the charter school can be opened. In addition to building and maintenance funds, funds will also be needed for salaries, supplies, equipment and other expenses. Because it may be difficult or virtually impossible for a school to depend strictly on funds allotted from the school district, funding must be found from other sources.

How To Develop Policy in Charter Schools

Susie254 — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 08:34:00 -0600

Charter school policies must be developed, examined and fine-tuned. Developing a good policy is the key to running a successful charter school. There are typically several policies in place for charter schools, including personnel, discipline, enrollment and safety policies.

How To Get Charter School Grants

Susie254 — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 08:41:00 -0600

In many cases, charter schools depend upon grants for establishing the school. However, grants aren't always easy to obtain, and for many, the competition for grant money is fierce. How can you edge out the competition and obtain a charter school grant? Read the following tips:

How To Develop a Charter School Curriculum

Susie254 — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:41:00 -0600

The benefits in starting a charter school center around the curriculum that the school will offer. Creating a curriculum that is fully developed and offers not only the core subject areas but also a strong selection of elective classes is the key to building a successful charter school.

How To Increase the Growth of Charter Schools

Susie254 — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:31:00 -0600

A 2005 report by the Center for Education Reform found that charter schools make up 4% of public schools in the United States and have seen an increase of 13% in one year as well. While these statistics are encouraging to those who support charter schools, more must be done to encourage an increase in enrollment. If you want to help increase the growth of charter schools in your area, follow the steps below.

How To Assess Students

Honey543 — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:32:00 -0600

There are several reasons why a teacher needs to assess her students. Assessing students helps to determine how much they are learning and what they are struggling with. By assessing students, the teacher can help students achieve their academic goals for the year. There are many different ways that students can be assessed.

Projects. This can be done individually or in a group. By giving a student a project and a length of time in order to do it, a teacher can assess how the student organizes time, generates problems, and solves those problems. By doing the project in a group, the teacher can also assess how students interact with others and how they participate in group settings. In order for the project to be a success in terms of assessing the student, the teacher must give clear instructions and deadlines.

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How To Practice Adaptive Teaching

Susie254 — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:43:00 -0500

In order for teachers to understand how to practice adaptive teaching techniques, they must first understand the goals and procedures of adaptive teaching. Adaptive teaching seeks to reach out to all students, regardless of their level of learning or their socioeconomic backgrounds. The goal of adaptive teaching is to instruct each student based upon his individual needs.

How To Evaluate Teaching Strategies

Lisa343 — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 17:09:00 -0500

A great lesson is like a gourmet meal. There are many ingredients that combine to create a wonderful flavor. In order to achieve this masterpiece, however, the chef must be well-prepared. It takes planning and organization before, during, and after the prep work is done. The work may be time-consuming, but the end result is certainly something to savor.

The same can be true of a great lesson. Will you season today's lesson with a lecture, some cooperative learning, or perhaps an open-ended discussion? A teacher, like the gourmet chef, must ask him or herself a number of questions before, during, and after the lesson in order to evaluate and ultimately choose the best teaching strategy for each teaching situation. Below are a number of steps to follow in order to achieve this goal.

Questions to ask before your lesson (during planning):

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How To Work with Teaching Aids

Kaye305 — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 11:44:00 -0500

A teaching aid is something a classroom teacher uses in her class to help students improve reading and other skills, reinforce a skill, or to make learning fun. Teaching aids can be used in any of the core classes. There are several types of teaching aids to be utilized in your classroom.

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How To Use Teaching Tools

Kaye305 — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 06:54:00 -0500

Teaching requires the use of many different types of educational tools. Some are a necessity and some just make teaching and learning much more interesting. Many teaching tools are used for educating the children in your class while others are used for teacher preparation and organization. What are some tools that you should be using in your classroom and how should you be using them?

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How To Plan Back to School Teaching Activities

Kaye305 — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 05:48:00 -0500

Beginning a new school year can be stressful for teachers and for students. Students are nervous about meeting people in their class, and teachers are curious to see just how each student interacts with others. By planning appropriate back to school activities, teachers can help alleviate nerves, and get to know their students!

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How To Teach Students Time Management and Study Skills

Kaye305 — Wed, 31 May 2006 09:13:00 -0500

Are your students not handling their time well? Do their study skills seem unsatisfactory? There are things that teachers can do to incorporate teaching students how to manage their time appropriately, and how to improve study habits.

Time Management:

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How To Teach Students Critical Thinking Skills

Susie254 — Thu, 25 May 2006 07:04:00 -0500

Education is more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic. In order for students to compete in the workforce of the future, they must be taught essential critical thinking skills. Technology continues to play an important role in the academic world, and it is imperative that students not only learn how to perform rote skills but to reach beyond the basics of information and learn how to propose, evaluate, research, and solve.

In order for students to become successful, they must learn critical thinking skills, and it is imperative that educators help them learn how to do so. Only then can these students' academic achievement be improved and enhanced. In order for educators to teach critical thinking skills to students, they must incorporate the following:

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How To Recognize At-Risk Students

Susie254 — Thu, 25 May 2006 06:33:00 -0500

At-risk students can be found in schools at every socioeconomic level. It is important that educators learn how to recognize the signs of at-risk students, but they must also know how to help these students succeed in academics. In many schools across the nation, there are support teams, often called Building Base Support Teams, which are created to track these students and to offer guidance throughout their academic career. These teams are typically comprised of several teachers and at least one administrator.

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How To Incorporate Teaching and Technology

Heather166 — Wed, 24 May 2006 13:40:00 -0500

As the world progresses toward a technology-based society, it is more and more important to incorporate technology into teaching lessons to students. Even if you aren't very tech savvy, there are easy and effective ways to get some technology into your lesson plans.

Use resources that come with your textbooks. Almost all current editions of textbooks include sections with technology ideas and some even have accompanying websites or CD-ROMs with ready-made lessons. Check your teacher's edition textbook to see what is available for your use.

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How To Find Physical Education Lesson Plans

Veronica160 — Tue, 23 May 2006 05:43:00 -0500

At a time when childhood obesity is on the rise, many school districts are unfortunately cutting their budgets for extracurricular programs, including physical education and after-school sports. Some physical education (PE) programs have been removed entirely from school programs while others depend on parent volunteers and regular classroom teachers to conduct physical education classes.

Luckily, there is a lot of support on the Web and in print publications for physical education teachers at all levels. The Web offers creative PE lesson plans, and more importantly, it provides ways to connect with other educators around the nation and world. The key is collaboration and support. As a member of the online PE community, you'll never need to ask, "What am I going to do today?" again.

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How To Get Training For Teachers

Heather166 — Sat, 20 May 2006 15:55:00 -0500

Learning for teachers does not end after you get your education degree. With today's No Child Left Behind standards to meet in order to renew your license, you need to take additional training and classes to fulfill those requirements. Where can you get this type of training? Here are a few tips to get you started.

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How To Determine Your Teaching Style

Heather166 — Sat, 20 May 2006 13:44:00 -0500

As a teacher, it is your job to be able to reach all of the students so they learn as much as possible. Sometimes it may seem like a struggle, but by determining and understanding your teaching style, you may figure out how to reach more of your students. There is no right or wrong way to teach and style is a subjective thing, but here are some ways to figure out which style most closely resembles what you prefer.

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How To Study For a Teacher Certificate

Heather166 — Sat, 20 May 2006 13:17:00 -0500

Teaching is a very noble and rewarding profession. Highly qualified and dedicated teachers are needed in every state across the nation. Getting your education degree and studying for a teacher certificate will give you the training necessary to become a teacher.

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How To Implement a Student Interest Survey

Beth141 — Tue, 16 May 2006 07:54:00 -0500

Students don't always know what they want, let alone, what they need, but sometimes, a teacher wants to get the pulse of his or her class for a specific reason that will ultimately benefit the students. It's good to get feedback sometimes. Implementing a student interest survey can help a teacher figure out what his or her students are thinking, what they may want or even need, and how they can best be helped. Here are some ideas for implementing a successful student interest survey:

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How To Find Primary Teaching Resources

Ashtyn198 — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 08:25:00 -0500

The Internet has made life easier for many people that are working in various professions. It has given teachers a way to connect their classrooms with the world around them in a way they never could before. While once teachers were restricted to certain types of research such as local area resources, books, and other area teachers, today teachers have the ability to find information and ideas from around the world to enhance their classrooms.

If you are teacher that is working on the primary school level, you may be looking for information on a wide variety of subjects. The more resources you have means the more ways you can entice your class to learn in new and interesting ways. You want to find the best primary resources available. With that in mind, here are the ways to find exactly what you are looking for.

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