Inspired Teaching Made Easy

Children's magazines are excellent teaching tools that be used to integrate literacy across the curriculum. In this episode, I discuss the advantages of using magazines in the classroom, as well as where to find them and how to use them to supplement your regular instruction. Show Notes for Teaching with Children's Magazines If you’d like to discuss this episode with other educators, you're invited to join the Inspired Teaching Podcast Conversations group on Facebook.

When students have trouble working together, it's often because they lack the social skills to interact effectively with others. Fortunately, social skills can be taught just like academic skills. In this episode, I share a 6-step process for teaching social skills that will help your students get along better with their classmates and learn to work more productively in cooperative learning teams. If you’d like to discuss this episode with other educators, you're invited to join the Inspired Teaching Podcast Conversations Facebook group. Click on Unit 7 in the sidebar and join the discussion on teaching social skills.

Attention signals are essential tools for classroom management, and learning to use them effectively might be one of the most important keys to inspired teaching! In this episode, I explain why attention signals are so essential and share examples of signals that teachers love. I also discuss how to evaluate attention signals to ensure that you choose the right one for your classroom. The episode wraps up with a simple, step-by-step lesson plan that includes tips for teaching any new quiet signal to your students. If you’d like to discuss this topic with other educators, you're invited to join the Inspired Teaching Podcast Conversations Facebook group. Click on Unit 6 in the sidebar and look for the discussion questions about attention signals. We'd love to learn about your favorite attention signals and how you implement them in your classroom!

Did you know that Scholastic Book Clubs has a fabulous back-to-school deal that makes it possible to get thousands of bonus points with your first order? You can use these points to get dozens of free books and other resources for your classroom. In episode 5, I describe a goal-setting strategy that resulted in my class earning over 10,000 points with the first book order, year after year. Visit the show notes page to download a free packet of information with step-by-step directions and printables to make this plan easy to implement. Episode 5 Show Notes and Resources    If you would like to discuss this episode with other educators, join Laura’s private Facebook group, Inspired Teaching Podcast Conversations.

“I Wish My Teacher Knew” is a simple activity developed by 3rd grade teacher Kyle Schwartz that transformed her classroom. In episode 4, I share how this simple strategy has helped thousands of teachers build relationships with their students, including the story of a 4th grade teacher who put a unique spin on the activity to make it even more effective. I wrap up by sharing tips for using this strategy in your own classroom and offering ways to adapt it to meet the needs of your students. If you’d like to discuss this episode with other educators, please join the Inspired Teaching Podcast Conversations Facebook group! I look forward to connecting with you there!

Have you ever thought of creating a handbook just for your own classroom? In episode 3, I explain how creating a class handbook can help you kick off a great school year and how it can prevent problems due to miscommunication. I also share loads of ideas about what to include in your handbook, plus helpful tips for introducing it to your class. Download free sample handbook pages to help you get started! If you would like to discuss this episode with other educators, join my private Facebook group, Inspired Teaching Podcast Conversations! I look forward to connecting with you there!

Do you get the back-to-school blues when you think about starting a new school year? In episode 2 of Inspired Teaching Made Easy, I share several actionable tips and strategies you can use to get yourself excited and energized for the coming school year! If you would like to discuss this episode with other educators, join my private Facebook group, Inspired Teaching Podcast Conversations. I look forward to connecting with you there!

What is "inspired teaching," and how can we find inspiration in our teaching practice? In this introductory episode, I dive into these topics and explain why I started this podcast. I also explain what you can expect from future episodes of Inspired Teaching Made Easy. If you'd like to discuss this podcast with other educators, please join my private Facebook group, Inspired Teaching Podcast Conversations. I look forward to connecting with you there!