Full Description
Having observed and coached in hundreds of K-12 classrooms since 1994, Ron Nash has come to a few conclusions about what makes teachers tick and classrooms click. The best teachers attend to those seemingly little things that cost nothing, even as they create classroom climates where students can't wait to walk through the door every day. The big little things that great teachers do have students up, moving, pairing, sharing, laughing, and learning in an atmosphere full of trust, respect, and high expectations. Great teachers are obsessed with continuous improvement. This second edition of Big Little Things highlights 50 tools for building better classrooms at all levels.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: Easy Doesn't Do It
Chapter 2: Providing Choice
Chapter 3: "But I told them!"
Chapter 4: Congruence
Chapter 5: The Fear Factor
Chapter 6: Reassuring Redundancies
Chapter 7: Everyone in the [Learning] Pool
Chapter 8: The Lighter Side
Chapter 9: "You in the yellow shirt!"
Chapter 10: Trigger the Calm
Chapter 11: Model and Teach Effective Listening Skills
Chapter 12: The Best is [Often] Silence
Chapter 13: Press and Release
Chapter 14: Kids Gotta Move
Chapter 15: Perma Pairs
Chapter 16: Choosing Partners
Chapter 17: Priming
Chapter 18: Whole-Class Discussions
Chapter 19: Have at It!
Chapter 20: Process-Related Dipstick Checks
Chapter 21: Reflective Learners
Chapter 22: Purposeful and Thoughtful Praise
Chapter 23: The Smooth Shifting of Transitional Gears
Chapter 24: Avoid Unnecessary Decisions
Chapter 25: Transfer Skills to the Collaborative Setting
Chapter 26: Provide Easy Access to Complex Tasks
Chapter 27: The First Few Minutes
Chapter 28: Last Impressions
Chapter 29: That's the Plan
Chapter 30: If the Font Fits, Share It
Chapter 31: Visuals Always Win (Make that work for you!)
Chapter 32: Attention to Voice
Chapter 33: Arms Control
Chapter 34: Hitting the Right Notes
Chapter 35: As You Were
Chapter 36: Bringing Them Back
Chapter 37: One-at-a-Time Directions
Chapter 38: Avoid Competing with the Lawnmower
Chapter 39: Teach Students to Paraphrase for Understanding
Chapter 40: Two-Minute Drill
Chapter 41: Connecting with Stories
Chapter 42: Getting Better at Getting Better
Chapter 43: Tolerate Ambiguity and Encourage Questions
Chapter 44: Harness the Power of Novelty
Chapter 45: Physical and Mental State Changes
Chapter 46: Avoid the Blame Game
Chapter 47: Those Too Busy to Complain
Chapter 48: The Extra Mile
Chapter 49: The Power of Collaboration
Chapter 50: Looking Back at People Who Are Always Looking Forward
Afterword
References
Index
