Teaching Strategies

Develop Relationships

The following strategies may be helpful in developing relationships with students and promoting a positive classroom atmosphere that is conducive to communication.

Who I Am Sheet

     
Who I Am  

Students fill out the sheet and return it to the teacher (the self portraits are usually the best!).  This sheet can then be a nice way to start conversations with students.  When there is time you can take out a students sheet and strike up a conversation about some of the items from their "Who I Am" handout. It is believed that this sheet originally came from Dan Meyer.  Please click the image to download a pdf version.

Five Things in a Bag

The idea behind "Five Things in a Bag" is that students will have a set day when they are to bring in a bag with five items that show something about themselves and their interests.  They will then show and explain these items to the class.  It often works well to have the teacher demonstrate first and then set a schedule with a few students presenting on the same day. Red Bag

Commonalities and Uniquities

Compile a list of 6 things that students in your group have in common. Then try to find at least 2 uniquities for each person.