Ever wonder why group work doesn’t always work? Or why students are reticent to share ideas during class discussion?
Often we expect students to magically have the interpersonal skills necessary for higher-level cooperative learning activities. But part of our job is to teach, model, and reinforce these skills so that students with various learning styles can be successful. Study after study shows that employers want workers who can think critically, problem-solve, and collaborate with a team. TCI’s active social studies lessons help build these skills, but you’ll have so much more success if you first create the proper classroom environment!
Learn how to create a cooperative and productive classroom environment!
This 30-minute training walks you through a simple 10-step process that you should use during the first few weeks of school: Creating a Cooperative, Tolerant Classroom (video).
In the training, Deanna references some great handouts from Bring Learning Alive!, TCI’s methods book. You may want to download the document below and follow along during the video. And even if you don’t have time to watch the whole training, definitely pull out some of the student handouts to use!
Written Instructions and Handouts: 10 Steps for a Cooperative, Tolerant Classroom (PDF)
Be on the lookout for other trainings coming soon under “Professional Development” on TeacherGenius. TeacherGenius contains tons of great teaching tips, videos, enrichment resources, and links to useful websites. Have a wonderful year!
