For those who did not sign up for the ELL elective, this video is a little introduction to some effective ways of teaching ESL students. The video identifies some struggles students have through testimonials from actual ESL students and then shows some strategies to use in the classroom. It shows clips from classrooms using these strategies. The following games are previewed in the video: grammar races, "What is it?", mock newscasts, misordered sentences, "What am I?", simulating real world conversations, and sing-a-longs (with hand gestures). The video is only 7 minutes long and worth the watch.

Since many of us may be venturing in to the substitute teaching role at the beginning of our careers, I thought this was a great site that organized classroom management strategies based on grade levels for substitute teachers. There is everything from effective tips to strategies for gaining attention. There are also great links in the left hand column for books that kids love, curriculum activities and games, discipline techniques as well as interview tips and questions.

This site has a list of 41 links that are topics relating to classroom management. It is put together by The Teacher Development Network. The site is organized similar to our Diigo group but more concise. There are small descriptions of most of the links. Some examples of topics are: Classroom management plans; Bullying in school and what to do about it; Conflict Resolution; Managing classroom behaviour; Discipline techniques that backfire; Classroom leadership and Engaged learning. This would be a great site to check out for a wide range of classroom management ideas, as well as behaviour and discipline plans.

This site has a great explanation for this week's topic - restorative justice. It offers key questions to ask when using a restorative approach, explains the aim and identifies potential advantages of restorative approaches in a school setting. The site also provides excellent charts that outline which type of restorative approach to use in a particular situation and identifies the roles of the members involved.