#or my social science and geography teacher who is so caring towards everyone

[mrsmaddiebobaddie]

MCYT High School Teacher AU

I don’t know if this has already been done but with student teaching on the brain this was invading my subconscious.

Phil: Principal

The most chill admin you’d ever find (He kind of has to be with the staff at the school)

Will let most things slide if you ask nicely

Has a quiet space in his office for students to take a moment to calm down after acting out. He’ll offer them candy and talk through the situation with them. 

Started out as a counselor at the school, so he still holds a similar mentality when it come to talking with students and staff. 

Always takes the side of his staff. The district is usually in the wrong anyway.

He knows the teachers are the experts, screw whatever requirements the state has, he lets them run their classrooms whichever way is best for the students’ learning

Technoblade:  Literature & Composition

One of the most engaging teachers at the school

Most students love him because he’s real and he’ll tell it like it is. 

Has a coffee machine in his room. It’s rare that he’s not holding a mug in his hand while he teaches

Has high expectations for his students

Rarely gets angry. Even when he’s upset he still comes across as calm.

Usually stays at the school late making sure to give the best possible feedback on papers and reports. He genuinely wants each kid to learn something from his class.

Tommy: Speech and Debate

It’s only his second year of teaching

The students would run the classroom if not for Tommy basically being a student himself

There’s a strong chance his class will be off topic at any given point. It’s always an adventure walking past his door, you never know what you’ll hear

Somehow still gets high scores on average from his students

Keeps students after class when he notices them struggling with school or life in general to talk with them. The conversations are always beneficial.

Will 100% fall asleep during professional development meetings.

Karl: Biology

Tries to act hip, fails most of the time.

Always has the most energy in his lessons, finds unique ways to teach the concepts other than slides and worksheets.

Usually the first one in the building each morning

Will give students different options for final projects so they can chose the best method of showing their evidence of learning. 

Gets lower scores than he should on observations because he doesn’t do well under the pressure. One year Phil didn’t announce when he’d be coming in and watched from the door to give a more accurate review. 

Wears a sweatshirt to class more often than he should

Quackity: Spanish 

Hands on learning whenever possible

Uses the home ec. room to make authentic Mexican dishes with his students when they cover the food and restaurant unit

Will just forget that the kids don’t speak Spanish fluently and ramble on until someone interrupts him.

Slow grader, you get your scores when you get them.

Known to be a bit chaotic with his teaching style, it works for some kids but he does need to reteach certain sections every now and then

One time a kid feel asleep in his class so he had all the other students leave and they had class outside to freak the kid out (They were right outside the classroom window, he could still see the sleeper, he told Phil)

Skeppy: Algebra

Like’s his job, pretty much your average teacher

Can’t stand freshmen, but tolerates them since that’s half the students he has. He prefers teaching advanced algebra to upper classmen

His lessons are always formatted the same, starting with a lesson on how to do that days math, with the remainder of the period being free work time

Holds math challenges with his class and gives out prizes. It’s usually candy, though one time he gave out cash. He made his kids promise not to say a word about it. 

Very good at teaching the same math concepts in different ways to help struggling learners

Always one minute away from being late for first period, but makes it just in time every morning.

Dream: Health/Football and Assistant Basketball Coach

Took the teaching job mainly to coach sports

Still cares about making connections with his students, he uses his class to teach life skills and promote positive social and mental health.

If any of his players are in his class he will pick on them. He has no mercy.

Dreads sex education because no one can be mature about it. He gets revenge by making the students film a “how to say no to sex” video with someone in the class.

His wheeze laugh is iconic. You can hear it from down the hall.

If you meet with him and are honest when you’re struggling, he’ll work with you to pass his class. He isn’t going to ruin your GPA over a project on the negative effects of smoking.

Wilbur: History & Geography/Theater 

The teacher who sits on his desk when he lectures

Is very sarcastic with his students, but knows who can take the teasing and makes sure not to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

Prefers class discussion over solo work time, he likes hearing student’s perspectives and ideas.

Turtlenecks

One of the teachers most likely to be the crush of teenage girls. 

Not afraid to mark you down for sloppy work. You use a black ink pen and draw precise lines when turning in maps and graphs or you redo it.

Speaks in musical references 

George: Physics

The chillest teacher by far

Due dates? Don’t worry, he’ll accept an assignment literally months after it was supposed to be turned in

Makes difficult topics seems simple when he describes them

He doesn’t really care if you have your phone out in class as long as you’re paying attention and learning the material

The students straight up call him George, he doesn’t seem to care

Placing near the top for the most crushed on teacher

King of multiple choice questions

Eret: Economics & Government

Makes any student in his class feel welcome

One of few teachers who can lecture the entire period without students falling asleep. He always has interesting stories

Let’s kids chose where they sit

Freshmen are always caught off guard by his voice when they hear him for the first time

Spends too much of his own money on supplies for his students and classroom (Honestly most teachers have to spend their own money on necessary supplies, he just goes about and beyond.)

There’s always a group of students who eat lunch in his classroom 

The Union Rep at their school, will fight tooth and nail for the staff members

Tubbo: Band Director

Super cheerful whenever he’s teaching

He rarely has any free time before or after school because he has so many one-on-one lessons and meetings with students

Likes to have practice outside when the weather is nice

Does his best to make his students feel comfortable and relaxed whenever he does performance based assessments. 

He’s also a new teacher, but you honestly wouldn’t be able to tell

He will be in tik toks if you ask him to, and he’s familiar with all the pop culture trends

Let’s the students chose a song to play at the last band concert. Some years have been less chaotic than others, the worst (or best, depending on who you ask) being when the students voted to play Deja Vu from Initial D.

Fundy: Computer Science/Coding 

Begins each class with a cheesy computer joke. Every class.

Everyone knows you can’t get anything past him technology wise. He can see that headphone in your ear from across the room.

Isn’t afraid to assign extra work when students are disrupting class

Once took up an entire class period showing his students how he coded different difficulties in Minecraft. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he plays the game in his spare time. 

About half the students in his class aren’t really interested in computers, they just want to have him as a teacher since everyone says he’s cool.

Known to hack school computers to bypass restrictions

Sucker for pizza parties. Has at least one per semester  

Sapnap: PE/Basketball Coach

Hella competitive 

Abuses his power of having a whistle. Someone should really take it away from him

Gyms shorts every day. Even in the winter. Sometimes he wears sweats, but never jeans.

Doesn’t let anyone sit out of activities

Tries to set up fun tournaments for each activity they do, makes sure to balance the teams so no one has too much of an upper hand.

He’s usually the teacher who mans detention, he tries to make it as positive as it can be though.

Keeps extra sets of gym clothes to give to students who forgot or can’t afford to buy them

Schlatt: Calculus and Stats/Business  

You either love him or are terrified of him

One of the only teachers who can have an “aggressive” teaching style and still connect with students

You will learn something from his class, he makes sure of it. 

Doesn’t accept late work unless you have a really good reason why you couldn’t turn it in

Wears a tie every day

If another teacher needs a last minute sub during his prep period he’ll cover them. Doesn’t matter what subject, he can wing it

He was the reason the school started offering business studies as an elective due to some vague threats towards the district

Niki: Art/German

Teaching voice is so soft

You can’t tell whether or not she’s giving you constructive criticism because everything she says sounds so positive 

Let’s her students lead learning for the most part, she will cover topics that most interest them while still trying to hit the district required standards (luckily teaching electives gives her a bit more freedom with her curriculum)

Her classroom always smells lovely

Will bring in homemade goodies each Friday for the staff room

Holds art galleries at the end of each semester to show off the arts since they often go unappreciated. It has turned out to be a super popular event for students and staff.

Bad: Special Education

This man has endless patience. It’s crazy

Even after the longest days when none of the students are cooperating, he still has a smile on his face

If he hears cursing in the halls he will call you out in front of everyone. Teachers included. 

Makes sure to keep a list of all his students favorites so he can surprise them with gifts on their birthdays or around holidays

He works closely with the other teachers to make sure his kids can be as involved in general education as possible.

Always wears something fun, be it a tie, socks, shirt, or even a full outfit. His students love seeing what new wacky garment he’ll be wearing that day. 

More Head Cannons

If someone brings food for the staff room Tommy WILL take it. Sometimes he’ll come back for seconds, there will be none left by the end of the day. He’s not as bad as Skeppy though, who will literally pack it up to take home for later.

For the past few months the staff members have been receiving anonymous email chains with photoshopped pictures of each other. Everyone was sure Fundy was behind it, Eret thought he saw him teaching his students how to use the program by editing their favorite teachers into stupid situations (they’ve all been school appropriate of course). Fundy did in fact start it, but now so many other teachers have joined in that it can’t be traced back to one person anymore.

All the teachers love going to sporting events. They’ll join in with the student section to cheer on the teams. If they know there’s a kid who doesn’t have family that will come to watch them they’ll make shirts with that players number to show support for them.

Wilbur, Niki, and Tubbo work together on musicals. Niki does the sets and costuming, Wilbur directs, and Tubbo leads the pit. There are plenty of long nights during tech week that devolve into chaos (especially when Niki isn’t there)

Spirit week is very intense, to say the least. The teachers are assigned a grade to be advisors to, and they get into it. For the duration of the week they practically become rivals with whoever isn’t in their assigned grade. They’ll pull pranks on each other constantly, especially when the students can see. It’s all playful of course, but it gets the kids more excited about spirit week when they can support their teachers and watch the amicable rivalries carry out.

Technoblade once joked that he knew every detail about every classic novel. His students took this as a challenge, and tried to find the most obscure and specific trivia questions they could ask him. He has yet to be stumped.

Dream and Sapnap had a running streak of about four weeks where they made everything into a competition. Who could enter their grades into the computer fastest? How many cups of coffee did they drink that day? Who got to school first that morning? There was a tally board in the staff room and the teachers had a betting pool going. Phil finally ended it when they accidently broke the school’s copier trying to see who could scan the most documents in five minutes. Dream was ahead by three points, Sapnap never lived it down.

In service days are incredibly boring, so the staff tries to make those days a bit more entertaining. They order in pizza or sandwiches for lunch. Since there aren’t any kids in the school they’ll do everything they’re no supposed to, like racing office chairs down the hallways and blasting non-school-appropriate music in their classrooms.

Wilbur accidentally started a black market of sorts when he took all the new whiteboard pens from the supply closest. He used this to his advantage, getting people to do him favors in return for the good supplies. When Dream found out he not-so-jokingly threatened to slowly steal everything from Wilbur’s classroom until he released the pens. The next day the closet was replenished once more

Quackity and Tommy are co-emcees for the school assemblies. They hold class competitions between the grades, including spirit chants and ridiculous games. Think minute to win it style, but way crazier. Everyone gets super into it, the upperclassmen usually win. The two have good chemistry and a fun energy.

George has a unit where students make bottle rockets and launch them outside on the soccer field. And every year Karl brings his class out to watch claiming that “it’s science, I teach science, I’ll have them write a paragraph about what they learned”. Really he just wants to watch rockets go brrr

For Schlatt’s birthday one year, Wilbur and Techno printed off shirts with his face on it for all the staff to wear. Schlatt was super confused when he came into work and all his colleagues were walking around with his face plastered across their chest. He got back at Wilbur for it by putting salt in his coffee for a week straight, but Techno never got his comeuppance. It’s debatable whether Schlatt just didn’t know he was in on it, or if he knew better than to mess with Techno.

Lesson planning and curriculum building is quite the process. Some departments can stay on task better than others. Schlatt and Skeppy get in, plan out the term, and get out. The math department has everything on lock. Social studies are also pretty good at getting pre-planning done. They tend to spend most of their time having discussions that aren’t necessarily related to the tasks at hand though. The English department is a mess. It’s really Tommy who’s a mess, he just projects that onto everyone else. Karl and George work well together to map out science curriculum. Even though teachers who teach electives aren’t required to collaborate with each other, they still get together and bounce ideas off each other and get feedback.

I have plenty more if people want a second part. I also only listed the MCYTs that I’ve watched enough to know their personalities at least a little bit, but if you wanted to see another person I may expand the staff list!

#minecraft youtubers #dream team #sleepy bois inc #dream smp #high school teacher au #teacher au

[hellomst]

.

#aaaaahhhh im graduating in 5 days and im just 😔 #anyways prepare for POSITIVE venting #im so overwhelmed with happiness its insane #like i legit love my school; classmates; and teachers #idk how to describe it but i feel so damn lucky for ending up att such a good college #imagine being in that one class that every teacher brags abt bc they love them THAT much... thats my class and im so sad it’s all ending #my classmates are extremely creative and just all around cool af #my teachers are different in their own ways but all of them are amazing bc of that #like my crazy swedish teacher who is also the theater teacher #or my social science and geography teacher who is so caring towards everyone #or my ethics teacher who helps wind everyone down for the last class of the day #honestly i hate bragging but still i just feel so mf lucky to have gone to such a good school #so many people hate their schools. maybe bc of mean classmates or rude teachers and it breaks my heart to see ppl in that situation #just goddddd i have learned so many cool things from my teachers and i honestly love it so much #rt im gonna miss this.. today it dawned on us that this is the last time we’ll say ’have a good weekend’ to each other #im cryiiiing... on the inside #to delete #maybe

[vanesastudies]

Academics

In terms of difficulty, high school is a step up from elementary school, but in my opinion, not that harder. Show up to class, take down notes, and do homework (you don’t necessarily have to finish it) and you should do fine. A lot of people are incredibly lazy in high school. Just put in some effort and you will get good grades.

You won’t always have a well-structured class with a good teacher and resources. Adapt around it using the Internet and other resources given to you.

English Class: You’re going to have to take this all four years, so you should get used to writing essays and analyzing literature. If you’re applying to a university in Canada, you will need grade 12 English and it will always count toward your average. Whether you love it or hate it, do your best in the class, because you can’t get away with being lazy. Here are some links that you may find useful:

Use proper grammar.

Master the five-paragraph essay.

Learn how to analyze literature.

SparkNotes is a lifesaver for literature. Do not rely on it too much since your teacher is likely going to know it exists. It’s very useful, especially with analyzing Shakespeare.

Purdue OWL is an amazing writing resource that you can use all throughout your academic years. It teaches you how to write in different formats, notoriously MLA format.

University of Toronto writing advice explains every writing concept you would need academically.

Science Class: Read your textbook. Draw out diagrams (even if they’re ugly-looking), because a lot of science is visual. And do practice questions from the textbook. If you’re in a good class, your homework will be enough studying, and all you should be doing the day before a test is reviewing concepts. This class is fun so enjoy it.

List of science resources

Math Class: Do. Your. Homework. Your homework should consist of numerous practice questions. Do as much as you can. The key to being good at math is practice. 

MathIsFun explains math concepts.

Master algebra. A good foundation in algebra is necessary to do well in math. 

My rule of thumb: I spend at maximum of 15 - 20 minutes on a math problem. If I don’t get it, I save it as a question for class or my peers. Don’t spend hours on a single math problem.

Geography & History: You will be taking grade 9 geography and grade 10 history. There is a lot of memorization in these classes, so learn how to memorize. 

Religion Class: Grade 9, 10, and 12 religion is easy, but don’t slack off because of it. They can be very easy marks and average-boosters. Grade 11 religion is world religion, and it will require a lot of memorization.

Focus on what the teacher wants. Unlike elementary school, high school tests and assignments are stricter. Check the list of everything required in the assignment and do it well. They will often give you a rubric or outline. Use it as your bible.   

Learn how to research and cite. This will be more relevant as years in high school go by and prepare you for university. You want to know how to recognize a source is reliable, not plagiarize it, and cite it (both in-text and as a list of references). 

How to cite using MLA format

BibMe creates citations for you

How to paraphrase

Never plagiarize. There are no shortcuts to learning. In the short-term, you might not get caught and get high grades, but you won’t know the information properly. It’s better to get an 80 trying your best than a 100 plagiarizing. Don’t ever cheat on tests, either. You may, however, study in groups, look at other peoples’ homework, look at previous years’ work, etc. for help. In the end, you’re being tested on your knowledge, and it will show in your future career. 

Learn how to memorize. A lot of your high school classes are going to entail memorization. You should first and foremost understand the concept/idea, and then you should memorize information that you will regurgitate on tests.

Memory tips and techniques

Advanced memorization techniques

Read. Read something that may not necessarily be related to your classes. Take out books from the library or read things online about things you’re interested in. You will be more well-rounded and sane because of it. Try to build up your vocabulary.

Basically, learn how to study now. Build your study skills here and they will come in handy when it comes to university. 

Exams

Exams are a review of everything you’ve learned in the class. If you make a small review for each unit/section of the class, then all you have to do is put those reviews together and study from that. (You could always study everything at the last minute, but I recommend you try not to do that.)

Your teacher may give you an exam review outline. Create a study guide based off of it. Answer the practice questions, define all of the terms you need to know, etc. and study off of it before the exam.

Get good sleep and eat breakfast before an exam. I cannot emphasize how important it is that you’re well-rested. You want to do your best, so you should be at your best.

You will do fine! If you do consistent work for a class all throughout the school year, studying for an exam should be easy, especially if your teacher gives you a review.

Organization & Time Management

School Supplies:

Have a binder for each class. Put the course outline in the front. Keep stacks of lined paper in each binder. Keep binders in your locker and pull them out for classes.

Consider getting binder dividers for each unit for each binder. Hole punch unit tests and put them at the end of every section for exam review.

Put dates and titles on all your notes. Keep your binder organized chronologically.

Have a separate folder to hold loose papers and put them away appropriately. 

Get a separate graph paper notebook for math class for homework/practice.

Write in pencil so you can erase mistakes.

Highlighters are great to emphasize certain information. Use them wisely.

Get a good scientific calculator. You can use it all throughout high school if you take good care of it.

Use sticky notes in your textbooks and in your class notes. Use it to write down mnemonics, notes to yourself, extra information, highlight important information, bookmark pages, etc.

Get a hole punch and stapler for organization.

Use your agenda! Write down homework at the end of each class and make a habit of looking at it whenever you need to do homework.

You should spend no more than 1 hour per class on homework every day, though maybe some more time is necessary for math. Yes, high school takes up a lot of work. Try to finish your homework in given free time during classes so you have more time after school for clubs, hobbies, etc.

Don’t procrastinate. Don’t put off what could be done now, because doing everything last minute often sucks. 

Figure out why you’re procrastinating. Is the work hard? Or is the work boring? Address the problem appropriately.

If it’s hard, try to get help for it, whether the Internet, a teacher, or a friend.

Is it boring? Find something you find interesting in it, or work on it in chunks (ex. 30 minutes, 15 minutes) and every so often take a break in between so it’s manageable. 

Sometimes you have to shoulder through work. Visualize being finished with it and finish it! This is a highly important high school skill and I suggest you master it quickly. 

Look at the end goal. In the short term, it might be a high grade on the test. In the long term, it might be getting into a good university. Try to stay motivated.

Social Life

High school isn’t like the movies. There are no cliques, no jocks and nerds. Just friend groups. Try to find a group that you can relate to but won’t encourage bad habits (not studying, skipping class, smoking, underage drinking, illicit drugs, etc.) or form your own.

Be nice to everyone. Even if they hate you. It’s really not worth it to make enemies. If someone asks you for help, give it to them. If someone bullies you, ignore them. High school drama is meaningless.

Get involved. This is the most cliche and yet the most important piece of social advice I can give you. You are guaranteed a friend group just by joining a club. And you’ll have something to do. 

Join a club that gives you volunteer hours and get those done as soon as you possibly can. You don’t want to end up in senior year, applying for universities, trying to get good grades, and having to volunteer on top of that. Try to get all 40 hours during 9th grade, and continue to get them because volunteering is fun and gives you something to put on your resume. 

Go to events. They may cost a small fee but it’s worth it. Peoples’ best memories in high school are not the long hours of classes; it’s what they did. Enjoy it here. 

If you don’t like high school, that’s okay. A lot of people don’t. It’s 4 years of your life (5 if you take a “gap year”) and it goes by quickly. Keep the big picture in mind and push through it. 

Health

Sleep! You will be waking up early five days a week so get to bed at a decent time. I suggest no later than midnight or 1 am. Sleep deprivation wrecks havoc on your health. 

Eat well. Try to sneak in breakfast in the mornings (even if it’s just an apple or a granola bar) and pack a good lunch. Some teachers may let you snack in classes so pack food. You do not want to go hungry. It’s hard to concentrate in class when you’re tired and hungry.

High school is one of the most stressful times of your adolescence. You will be pressured by your parents, your teachers, your relatives, and sometimes it will feel like too much. You are still growing and still figuring out who you are. It’s an easy time for mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, to arise. You will be pushed to your limits sometimes. It’s a good thing, but don’t ever let the stress get to you. Your cousin was sent to the hospital several times because of the stress. It is not worth it. Your health is more important than anything else.

Don’t be afraid to talk to your parents about issues. 

If you really don’t want to, there should be a school child and youth worker, or a guidance counselor, or some sort of trusted adult in your life.

Friends are lifesavers and often a main source of support. Find a good friend or two that you can trust with your secrets. 

#mine #studying #tips #resource #high school #studyblr

[perfectzablog]

How to Help Older Kids Develop a Sense of Imagination

Celebrated American author Ursula K. Le Guin — dubbed by the Library of Congress  in 2000 as a “living legend” for her contributions to science fiction, who died in January at the age of 88 — had strong feelings about the imagination.

“In America the imagination is generally looked on as something that might be useful when the TV is out of order,” she wrote in Words Are My Matter. But the ability to imagine is what drives all creativity, enables clear thinking and inspires a sense of humanity. “I think the imagination is the single most useful tool mankind possesses,” she wrote.

Imaginative play comes naturally to children, but it’s a habit of mind that needs to be taught and reinforced throughout life: “Young human beings need exercises in imagination as they need exercise in all the basic skills of life, bodily and mental: for growth, for health, for competence, for joy,” Le Guin wrote. “This need continues as long as the mind is alive.”

Imagination might be vital to a clear mind, but it’s not something that’s widely taught or understood, especially among older students. In a 2007 study of prospective teachers, 68 percent said they believed students needed to focus on memorizing the right answer rather than thinking imaginatively. In his improbably popular TED talk on creativity and schools, Sir Ken Robinson said that humans are born with creativity and “we get educated out of it.” Jenny Smith, who graduated from Millburn High School in 2013, said that her secondary school focused singularly on academic benchmarks. “No one really cared about trying to develop our imaginations,” she said. “There was a curriculum, and they stuck to it.”

Researcher Wendy Ostroff, author of Cultivating Curiosity in K-12 Classrooms, is a student of imagination and curiosity. Like Robinson, Ostroff believes many schools are set up in such a way as to wring out kids’ natural imaginativeness. “School is very oriented towards concepts,” she said, with walls between the creative classes like art and drama and “real” subjects where students have to perform. Lacking flexibility and time, teachers are required to hit “learning outcomes” and hew closely to lesson plans. Students respond by trying to please the teacher and get A’s, often losing any intrinsic interest in the subject along the way. “This is the opposite of imagination and creativity,” she said.

Because imaginative thinking hones creativity and improves students’ social and emotional skills, it’s something that teachers and schools should fold into their planning. Ostroff identified several strategies teachers can adopt to encourage older students to activate their dormant imaginations.

Give students more control. Loosening the classroom structure and allowing students more power over their work can activate their curiosity. Ostroff encourages teachers to “flip the system,” so that students understand that the learning is for them, and not the teachers. As a practical matter, this might mean assigning essays and allowing the students to determine their length, or telling kids to turn the papers in when they’re done rather than on a particular day, or simply offering a free-write period, where students write what they please for their eyes only. Teachers also can invite students to decide for themselves how a paper or assignment is assessed, and to encourage kids to reflect on and evaluate their own work. “They start to crack open when they feel like they’re in charge,” Ostroff said.

Have students track their Google searches. Internet search engines can seem to provide all the answers, blocking students from thinking expansively. For Ostroff, “Google is the beginning of the learning, not the end.” She recommends the following assignment: Ask students to Google something that they find intensely interesting. Then, suggest that they click the hyperlink that’s most appealing, and then the one after that. They should keep track of what interested them in each link, so they develop an awareness of their own process. A student might start by searching “Mayans,” then move to “jewelry they wore,” then “precious metals,” then to “mining.” The point is to understand that learning is not simply finding an answer; it’s going deeper to figure out the next question. The first Google search should be the start of a larger inquiry. “Learning is about letting yourself get carried away,” Ostroff said.

Tell collaborative stories. Reading and telling stories is an effective way to learn. To spark imagination, the teacher might start by writing the first few lines of a story or poem on a piece of paper. She then passes the paper to a student, who adds more to the story. Every student receives the paper in turn, but reads only the written contribution of the student before her. (The paper should be folded to conceal all but the most recent addition.) This kind of impromptu storytelling, with its unpredictable outcome, keeps students engaged and thinking creatively.

Try improv. Once the domain of jazz musicians and comedians, improvisation has found its way into businesses and schools. Improv is the practice of telling stories, or playing music, without scripts. One person begins the story with a few lines, and turns to the person next to her to continue it, and so on, until everyone in the group has contributed. The inviolate rule of improv is “yes, and”—meaning every contribution is accepted, regardless of its randomness, and woven into the story. Improv sparks creativity and spontaneity, and its nonjudgmental tone frees up the introverted or fearful. Because improv tends toward playfulness, it also allows some lightness into the classroom, and to learning.

Introduce real-life experiences whenever possible. What might seem bloodless or irrelevant in the classroom can come alive if students see the subject play out before them. To bring energy to science and math, for example, a teacher might take her class to a Maker Faire, where kids (and sometimes adults) use their imaginations and minds to create new things. Ostroff suggests something as simple as taking a walk in pursuit of objects that can be used to build sculptures; or, if a manufacturer is nearby, asking for their remnants to build machines. Another interesting project for teenagers is building a “box city,” in which students construct their own buildings and work to combine them into a model city. Done right, the box city will take into account economics, geography, history and culture, and give children hands-on experience with design and urban planning.

Encourage doodling. Drawing pictures or coloring while listening is both common and useful: it enables the doodler to stay focused and heightens intellectual arousal. Teachers can capitalize on that benefit by including doodling in class work. For example, students can be given notebooks to doodle in when listening, and asked to do a “doodle content analysis” of their scribbles. As well, teachers might ask students to select one or more drawings to modify for an art project, or to combine several doodles into a mural. The point is to be mindful of the value of doodling—how it enhances imagination and improves focus—and to invite students to continue the practice.

Imagine a classroom “creative council.” The council is an imaginary body of visionaries and experts that the students could “create” and then look to for answers to problems. A teacher might ask students to recommend people from the past or present who could “sit” on this council and serve as sources of wisdom. Ostroff writes, “We can tap into their knowledge virtually, by imagining and researching their potential responses and actions.” If students selected Marie Curie, for example, they would speculate about how she would respond to a particular issue. How would she approach the problem? What would she say we’re forgetting? This kind of made-up collective compels students to better understand how another thinks and even provides a kind of “imaginary mentorship.”

Lighten up. “The message kids are getting in school is that learning isn’t fun,” Ostroff said. High school kids especially, who are reminded regularly to get serious about their studies, lose their sense of playfulness and replace it with a grim determination to do well. For their part, teachers feel the weight of lesson plans and standardized testing, all of it compressed into shorter days. Ostroff appreciates the challenge for students and teachers who are caught up in an efficiency model of education. By relaxing lesson plans, trying improv and giving students more voice in their education, teachers can shed some of the burden and restore the joy in learning.

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