The Alberta Teachers’ Association

We asked teachers: what teaching technique have you used since your very first year and still swear by?

Among the most popular answers: positive reinforcement, daily greetings and a sense of humour.

Manda Koulouris

Take their shoes whenever possible. Picking groups? Try a shoe draw. Compare and contrast assignment? Do an example with two people’s shoes. If you have their shoes, you have their attention.

Travis Bevan

Well-Dressed Wednesday once per month. Don’t let the day you learn how to dress nicely be the day before your graduation or before your job interview.

Michelle Baragar

Positively reinforce what you want to see more of. A positive phone call home will yield 10 times more value in your classroom than a negative one. Every time you place a positive phone call home, you have a new student ally in your classroom.

Melissa Megan

We end each day with a “family meeting” where we sit in a circle and go around and share our happy heart moment from the day.

Andrew Clapperton

Use songs as classroom management.
See more at facebook.com/ABteachers.

David Martin

Finding out what rank they are in Call of Duty, what their K/D ratio is in Fortnite, their favourite YouTuber, how many pokemon they have caught, and, most importantly, what  their biggest fears and dreams  are ... then integrating all of this into upcoming lessons, conversations and assessments.

Devon Joel
Donahue Sumka

Ever since my first year, I’ve made the effort to apologize and acknowledge I made a mistake to the class or individual students. I want to model taking ownership and making things right.

Beth Allan

Welcoming students into school and into the classroom each and every day, no matter what they did or said the day before. It’s a fresh start each and every day.

Dan Grassick

Thinking out loud is a technique that I used to do unconsciously but now do because I know it’s backed by metacognitive research. Essentially you say what you’re thinking when working through a math/science problem; what you notice, what you’re looking for, what you think you should do next.

Corey Walyuchow

In physical education,
the feeling method. When you’re doing something correctly, it makes you feel good. Incorrectly, not so good. Repeat the good feeling and remember it.

Andrew John

I have had a lot of success with giving students some degree of freedom in how they complete assignments. Want to tell me how a cell is like a prison? Go for it. Want to do an ecosystem report on the fictional country of Wakanda? Hit the criteria and we are good. Choice = buy-in and buy-in means I am less likely to have to chase kids for work completion.

Danger Dan

I have my students “check in” with the zones of regulation when they come into the room first thing in the morning. It allows me to gauge if they are sleepy, and I need to wake them up; feeling good and ready to learn; or if I need to have a chat and see what’s going on in their head. It prevents a lot of problems before they begin.

Grace Gadon

Have a “secret password” to enter class. Whatever musical concept we are learning turns into our word of the week and students must enter by secretly whispering the password to our music room “gatekeeper.”

Ashley Fowler

Giving a high five, hug or hand shake at the end of the day to each student.