tip time with Josh

Well teaching tips and strategies, I'll give two brief ones:

Tip: one that's saved my butt several times is having not only a back-up, but a back-up back-up part of my lesson plans. Having that extension in the case that they cover everything you have is great, but also having an alternate cover is helpful as well. For example if something really bombs, and they're not working with it today, switch to Plan B for the day, reassess plan A and try it again later.

Strategy: Finish each day with an assessment, for me mostly formative, of what was learned that day and ask students if they're comfortable with what was covered. Assessment drives instruction. One of my favorites is the thumbs up/thumbs down with eyes closed to show how comfortable students are with something, or eyes closed show a 1,2, or 3 amount of fingers for level of comfort.

To everyone: good luck out there, love what we're all doing because it's the greatest thing in the world, and happy holidays.