As NBC used to say, if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s new to you. I’m sure there are teachers who have had their students applaud themselves. But at an in-service day held recently at the middle school where I teach 8th grade U.S. History, we had an outside consultant who taught us a whole bunch of new research-based strategies. Among them are: applaud. It brings oxygen to the brain and releases glucose that assists in memory activities. Also, eight hands up. No one gets to answer until there are least eight hands raised. Pause every few minutes and have an activity in which students consolidate what they’ve learned. These things probably seem simple, but they are good ideas I am struggling to implement.

Also, I’ve decided to try to offer a carrot as well as a stick for behavior. There’s a lottery for the students who never once arrive late or unprepared, who never speak out in class. I’ll give all of them brownies and the lottery winner gets a gift certificate.