The new year comes in with a new energy. There is definitely a sense of revitalization. Those two weeks away from your classroom are pretty powerful. We can so easily become so entrenched and engrossed in our room that we lose sight of the big picture, long term goals, and what truly is important. Those two weeks give us some a much needed mental health break. We can come back fresh, re-energized, and ready to take on the rest of the year.
If the first half of your was a massive mess, it’s okay. You’re still here. Your kids are still lucky to have you. You still got this. Learn from what went wrong and make changes. If the first half of your year was freaken awesome (and you are still holding your breath waiting for the other shoe to drop), keep on rocking it. Up the ante. Challenge your kids.
So in this spirit of renewed focus and energy, let’s get back to the basics. Let’s focus on what actually is important – the teaching. Not paperwork and lesson plans and bulletin boards but teaching our students a new skill. So this month we will have a mini-crash course on best practices for a range of teaching strategies. Let’s answer that burning question – but how do I teach this skill? This month we will review Discrete Trial, prompting, error correction, generalization, and more. If you have specific questions and comments – please speak up and share! If you are confused about something, chances are other people are too. And if you have an amazing suggestion or technique that works for your kids, chances are it will work for other kids too.
Make if your personal goal this month to get better at your craft of teaching.
Continued learning is important in every profession at every stage of your career. I am constantly reviewing my old ABA textbooks, searching new podcasts, and reading current research. The more we know and the more strategies we have at our disposal, the more successful we will be in our classrooms!
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