Surviving the Week before Winter Break

We’re in the final days before Winter Break. Students and teachers both have worked hard all semester and are eager for time off and a break from routine. However, we still have a week of school before that break begins. Students are excited, and teachers, while also excited, may also be exhausted from extra activities, programs, and over-excited students. For many teachers, this may be the most difficult time of the year. How do we keep our students - and ourselves - motivated? One way to keep everyone engaged is the use of thematic lessons. Ben Johnson, author of Engage and Motivate Your Students Before the Holiday Break, believes that designing learning around a theme provides additional incentive for students to stay interested and engaged in learning. According to Johnson, “Projects designed to embrace holiday and seasonal themes -- and timed to coincide with the holiday schedule -- can relieve pressure on the teacher, enthuse students, and keep them learning and engaged up to the last moment.”

Good lesson plans and structure can help teachers make it through this trying week. There are other ways to make this week easier on students and teachers. Angela Watson, of The Cornerstone, gives 7 Teacher Tips for Surviving the Week Before Holiday Break, citing that the final stretch of the semester can be the one of the most difficult times to maintain order. Here are her tips:

1. Don’t build anticipation.
2. Resist the urge to ease up on your behavioral expectations.
3. Review your procedures and expectations.
4. Integrate high-interest projects and group work into your regular routines.
5. Don’t feel pressure to do all of the elaborate holiday stuff that other teachers do.
6. Keep the last day before break low-key.
7. Get prepared for January before you leave.

Your Pepper Learning Community can be a great resource for surviving the week before Winter Break. Utilizing the experience and skills of teachers from around the country can provide unique opportunities for networking and sharing lesson ideas and classroom management tips. Also be sure to check out your Pepper Resource Library for great tools and resources.

Sign up to receive "The Big Idea" directly to your email each time it's updated. To do this, simply add your email under "Follow PepperPCG Posts by E-mail!" to the right.

Brain-Based Learning: Understanding How Students Learn

According to the Glossary of Education Reform, Brain-based learning refers to “teaching methods, lesson designs, and school programs that are based on the latest scientific research about how the brain learns, including such factors as cognitive development—how students learn differently as they age, grow, and mature socially, emotionally, and cognitively.” 

Edutopia’s publication, “Six Tips for Brain-Based Learning” gives educators a place to start understanding brain-based teaching and learning in classrooms. When educators understand how the brain works, they are better prepared to assist students with learning in the classroom. Brain-based learning, which is based on knowledge of neurology, psychology, and technology, promises to help students “with everything from focusing attention to increasing retention.” An educator with an understanding of this information can engage learners and create deeper learning opportunities in the classroom. 

Many teachers know - and are using - brain-based learning even if they don’t realize it. When using activating strategies to stimulate prior knowledge, they are strengthening connections in the brain. Tools such as graphic organizers, songs, and rhymes, which appeal to different learning styles, also fall into the category of brain-based learning.

The “six tips” that Edutopia offers are provided to give teachers a jumping off point for utilizing brain-based learning in the classroom.

• Tip #1 - Create a Safe Climate for Learning - Making a classroom environment warm and inviting allows a child to feel safe and may relieve anxiety. This type climate encourages social and emotional learning. 
• Tip #2 - Encourage a Growth Mind-Set - Many liken the brain to a muscle that gets stronger with use. The act of ongoing learning can build brainpower. A growth mind-set means that knowledge, or IQ, isn’t set at a young age, but can be developed. Understanding this can motivate and encourage students. 
• Tip #3 - Emphasize Feedback - The use of a variety of formative assessments helps to keep student learning on track. Many consider ongoing, consistent feedback to be essential to brain-based learning.
• Tip #4 - Get Bodies and Brains in Gear - ”Exercise boosts brainpower. Cardio activity increases oxygen-rich blood flow to the brain and increases students’ ability to concentrate.”
• Tip #5 - Start Early - Early childhood education gets a student's brain active at a younger age, thus making them more ready to learn by the time they enter kindergarten. 
• Tip #6 - Embrace the Power of Novelty - “Surprise and novelty are the attention-grabbers. In the classroom, this means that changing routines, asking students to consider similarities and differences, field trips, and guest visitors all help to keep learning fresh.”

Brain-based learning isn’t a new concept, but it does help us understand how students learn. If we better understand how students learn, we can teach in a way that will help them gain new knowledge and understanding.
Our wide variety of Pepper course offerings give plenty of opportunity for teachers to apply brain-based learning concepts to their classrooms. Check out our Pepper Courses today!
Sign up to receive "The Big Idea" directly to your email each time it's updated. To do this, simply add your email under "Follow PepperPCG Posts by E-mail!" to the right.

LET’S COLLABORATE!

We’re excited to give you even more opportunity to communicate, be social, and stay informed with our new notification alerts!

Log into your Pepper Dashboard and look for the conversation bubble on the top right.  The number indicated in the bubble will alert you that a peer or a coach is reaching out.

Receive and View Notifications About:

·        Any new personal messages

·        A new post to one of your discussion topics

·        Collaborative activity in your coursework portfolio

·        You’ve been added to a personal Pepper network 

Receive and Send Messages in Pepper:

·        Communicate and collaborate directly with other Pepper participants!

·        Within the People search, click on the message bubble icon to open up an individual dialogue with an instructional coach or peer.

·        You will receive a notification when they respond and can continue collaborating.

ALSO – please don’t forget that Google Hangouts are included in each course, and a great place to collaborate live!

Please contact Pepper Support with any questions, we hope you find these new tools helpful in your Pepper teaching and learning adventure.