I really enjoyed watching how this teacher began the day by making the children feel comfortable.  They were given time to rate their feelings and greet each other. During the lesson they learned how to work independently and as partners.  Periodically she pointed out by name who was doing well and following the rules and reminding those who needed to be reminded to focus on the lesson.  Her teaching strategy kept the children engaged and interested in learning and giving feedback as she asked questions and challenged them.

Before class started the students rated themselves on their feelings, they greeted each other with a handshake and returned to their seats to begin a lesson a lesson on suffixes. Their teacher kept them engaged throughout the lesson as they showed ready to learn positions.  There was plenty practice and also a handout was used for continued practice. At the end of the class, they rated themselves on how well they understood suffixes. Overall, the class was a good example of making learning fun.

Very good video that shows how to engage with students and teaches new instructors ways to make students feel comfortable. This video also shows that using your individual creativity is important in developing new ways of making learning fun and keeping kids interested. 

  I loved the way she got the kids to say how they were feeling at the beginning of the lesson. Kids who feel that they have a caring teacher and classroom succeed. She gave them so many ways to participate and share what they have learned colaboratively and independently. Asking them to show ready to learn positions and to rate themselves at the end was a good technique. She had made many positive connections with her students throughout the lesson and they did their best, even though it was a challenge for some. They hung in their and did not give up! Good job teaching suffixes in a fun way!

Mary Bartz