This post is the one-stop shop for the series of short posts offering solutions to teacher problems. I will add each post to this master post as they appear. The initial set of ideas for problems were drawn from responses to this tweet – thanks to everyone for your suggestions. You might want to come back to this post every so often to see the latest additions.
The solutions are not an attempt at a definitive response, just some ideas from my experience, so if you’ve got other ideas, please add them to the relevant post in the comments.
TPS1: Knowledge Gaps.
#1 in the Teaching Problem –> Solution Series. The Problem: How do I deal with knowledge gaps? This problem has been posed in two categories: a) Where students are absent: here they may have all the general background knowledge and learning skills needed but just missed parts of the course. b) Where students have gaps…
TPS2: Covering a class (substitute teacher)
#2 in the Teaching Problem –> Solution Series The Problem: How do I manage a class I don’t know that I am covering for just one lesson? The classic substitute teacher scenario. It ought to be a well understood process, but it’s often still a challenge. Solutions: The main considerations are a) maintaining positive learning…
TPS3: Wide Ability Range!
#3 in the Teaching Problem –> Solution Series The Problem: How do I teach a class with a very wide range of ability? This challenge is expressed in multiple ways, for teachers in a range of contexts. To some extent every class is a ‘mixed ability’ class and we also need to be very careful…
TPS4: How can parents help with learning and revision?
#4 in the Teaching Problem –> Solution Series. The Problem: What do I tell parents so they can support students with learning and revision at home? As teachers, we want parents to help our students with their learning – supporting them without trying to do it for them! But what can they actually do? A…
TPS5: How do I adapt material for a wider ability range ?
#5 in the Teaching Problem –> Solution Series. The Problem: This is a variation on the question posed in TP3: If I have some material and I now need to teach students with a lower attainment range – or lower ability, confidence, prior knowledge etc – how can I adapt my material? This could be…
TPS6: How do I engage passive learners?
#6 in the Teaching Problem –> Solution Series. The Problem: This problem was expressed as: How do I engage students who seem passive, repeatedly say ‘I don’t know’ or are persistently reluctant to participate? There are numerous interlinked issues here so part of the solution lies in diagnosing the specific combination of problems: Solutions: There…
TPS7: How do I handle a misogynistic group of boys… ?
#7 in the Teaching Problem –> Solution Series. The Problem: This problem was expressed as: How do I handle a misogynistic group of boys, who ignore all instructions are purposefully disruptive and defiant, even becoming harassing? Solutions: This clearly comes from a specific situation but here I’ll offer suggestions based on a general interpretation of…
TPS8: How do I manage a congested curriculum?
#8 in the Teaching Problem –> Solution Series. The Problem: This problem was presented as: How do I manage a congested curriculum which seems to leave little time for retrieval practice and consolidation? Solutions: The main solutions to this issue, as I see them, are in four categories: 1. Build around a spine of key…
TPS9: How can I work most effectively with a teaching assistant in my lessons?
#9 in the Teaching Problem –> Solution Series. The Problem: The question asked was: How can I work most effectively with a teaching assistant in my lessons? Solutions: There are lots of elements to this with big differences between primary -where a TA might work in the same class all the time – and secondary…
TPS10: How do I manage the class when a bee enters the room?
#10 in the Teaching Problem –> Solution Series. The Problem: The question asked in various forms including: Everything is going fine. And then a bee flies in! I don’t know how common an issue this is but let”s explore it… Solutions: I can only give a personal perspective on this rather than any kind of…
Other similar collections:
The Pedagogy Postcard Series: All in one place.
A series of short posts about specific elements of teaching practice that I think are effective and make life interesting. Some are based on my own lessons and others are borrowed from lessons I’ve observed.…
Five Ways To.. The Collection
This post is a one-stop shop for my Five Ways To series and the superb one-page summaries produced by the wonderful David Goodwin. Download and share freely.
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