“I know I’m not the only teacher who finds this time of year challenging at moments. The initial burst of back-to-school energy starts to wane, and the work ramps up. Some days, it can be tough to find the inspiration to try out new teaching practices. The irony there is that new strategies and small mindset tweaks are often the very things that give me energy in my teaching – sometimes even saving me time and creating efficiencies in my practice.

That’s the idea behind #TeachTogetherT2T. Each week, we’ll try a new teacher-recommended practice, choosing from a set of suggestions. With each new practice, we’ll get a boost of fresh energy and a reminder that we’re all doing this important work together. Will you join in?”

—Teacher Tyler Rablin

Join in #TeachTogetherT2T!

Every Sunday, T2T will share a new menu of low-lift, high-impact practices over email and social media.

You’ll pick one to try and then share on social media – with the hashtag #TeachTogetherT2T – to let your fellow teachers know what you tried and how it went! Click the links below to jump to that week’s practices.

Week 1: New Ways to Start or End Class

Week 2: New Ways to Invite Student Feedback

Week 3: New SEL Practices for You & Your Students

Week 4: Shake Up a Routine or Structure

Want to join in? Share your plan on social media! Download the graphic, and copy and paste this message (or write your own!)

Sample Social Media Message:

I’m joining in #TeachTogetherT2T! Each week for the next 4 weeks, I will try a new small teaching strategy or shift inspired by a fellow teacher. Join me! https://www.teacher2teacher.education/get-a-boost-of-fall-inspiration-join-in-teachtogethert2t/

The invitations start here! Each new week, we’ll add a new menu of practices.

Week 1: New Ways to Start or End Class

“I believe that in order to inspire students to grow, we have to personalize their learning experiences – and we also need to build collaborative, supportive classrooms. The ways we start and end our classes can be such a powerful part of that work. The ideas in this week’s #TeachTogetherT2T offer new ways to open and close your teaching, from dedicating 5 minutes to checking in with students at the start of class to designing authentic formative assessments for the end of class.”

—Educator Monique Mackay

Get Started

1. Pick one strategy to try this week. 2. Try it with your students. 3. Share how it went on social media, using the hashtag #TeachTogetherT2T! You can use our graphic or upload your own photo.

Sample Social Media Message:

This week, I accepted the #TeachTogetherT2T invitation and tried a fresh practice for starting or ending class. My students loved it! Will you join me and our fellow educators in “teaching together” next week? Check out more information here:

https://www.teacher2teacher.education/get-a-boost-of-fall-inspiration-join-in-teachtogethert2t/

Practice A: “Soft Start,” via teacher Haley Hochman

To take on this practice, carve out a bit of time (even just 5 minutes) at the start of class, and give students a menu of options for starting their day in a “slow” way. Use the time for individual student check-ins – even if you only have time for one.

Practice B: “Wrong Answers Only” attendance question, via teacher Erin McCarthy

To try this practice, start the day with a simple question that every student can answer with a “wrong answer.” You might ask students, “What did you have for dinner last night?” Or “What’s a favorite item you have at home?” Or, “What kind of pet do you have?” Give the students a moment to think of a creative or funny incorrect response, and start the day with a little humor.

Practice C: Smiles and Frowns, via teacher Monte Syrie

To try this practice, read through Monte’s blog post. Then set aside some time at the start or end of class for each studennt to share a smile or a frown (with the option to pass).

Practice D: “Dice Debrief,” via educator Stephanie Howell (Get the poster – or make your own – with instructions here!)

To try this practice, get some dice (or use a virtual dice roller). At the end of class, set aside a little time for students to roll the dice and share an answer, verbally or in writing.

Practice E: “Triangle, Circle, Square” Exit Ticket, via educator Erika Asquino

To try this practice, project this exit ticket slide at the end of class. Ask students to choose a shape for their reflection (or invite them to answer all three prompts)!

Practice F: Daily Affirmations, via teacher Ginger Aaron-Brush

To try this practice, invite your students to repeat after you as you say each of these affirmations at the start or end of class. Push through initial awkwardness and discomfort and try it for a few days. Then invite students to share their thoughts about the practice.

Week 2: New Ways to Invite Student Feedback

“I believe learning should always begin with connection, and my top priority every fall is to build community with my students. At this point in the year, our students have had a chance to experience our classrooms and experience us as teachers. Now is a great time to check in with them about how that experience feels. By asking for feedback, we deepen our connections with our students. Pick one of the strategies below for inviting student voices to shape your practice.”

—Teacher Monte Syrie

Get Started

1. Pick one strategy to try this week. 2. Try it with your students. 3. Share how it went on social media, using the hashtag #TeachTogetherT2T! You can use our graphic or upload your own photo.

Practice A: 5-Minute Discussion with Whiteboard Prompt, via teacher Monte Syrie

To try this strategy, share the discussion prompt, “Describe the ideal classroom experience” when students enter class, along with the brief discussion agenda: Write your response, turn and talk and then discuss with the class. If you want to try additional prompts, check out Monte’s Twitter account for more ideas.

Practice B: Teacher To-Do List, via teacher Michael Pingel

To try this strategy, post an invitation like Michael’s on your whiteboard or on a chart. His invitation reads: Teacher To-Do List: “Dear Students, Please leave a note to let me know if you need me to do something, answer a question, or fulfill a request. I’ll read it and complete it as soon as I can.” Give students time to leave you feedback, or just let them know the invitation is there.

Practice C: Ask for Feedback on Your Feedback, via teacher Tyler Rablin

Teacher Tyler Rablin invites students to give input on the types of feedback they’d like from him. To try this strategy, add a question like Tyler’s to your next learning activity: “What previous feedback was most helpful to you?”

Practice D: Invite Your Students to Share “Everything they know,” via teacher Julia Arsenault

This practice invites you to make a small assessment tweak that serves two purposes: It gives students a chance to share some knowledge you didn’t initially ask for on an assessment, and it gives you feedback on your assessment itself! To try it, add a blank page to the end of your next assessment with a question like Julie’s: “What else do you know about the topic that I didn’t ask you about?”

Practice E: Offer an End-of-Week Reflection, via teacher Stephanie Howell

Ready to make a little room for reflection? Follow Stephanie’s lead by sharing an end-of-week reflection. You can get more voiceover on how Stephanie uses the reflection on YouTube here (preview: she invites students to email it to their families)!

Practice F: Try a Feedback Gallery Walk, via teacher Chey Cheney

With a gallery walk, inviting students to offer feedback can also be a way to get them off their seats. Chey Cheney used prompts from Jennifer Findlay to learn about students’ experiences with math. To try this strategy, post questions around your classroom on which you’d like student feedback. Ask them to silently post their replies on sticky notes, then invite them to do a gallery walk and share what they notice.

Week 3: New SEL Practices for You & Your Students

“As educators, I think we all want to establish classroom communities that feel interconnected and rich with belonging. I believe building a sustaining, nurturing learning environment means taking care of the wellness of our students and ourselves. That’s what this week’s invitation is all about. Do you want to incorporate a new habit to protect your own wellness during the teaching day? Do you want to ground your lessons in consideration for students’ emotional well-being? Pick the practice below that fits with your priorities this fall. ”

—Educator Dawn Harris

Get Started

1. Pick one strategy to try this week. 2. Try it with your students. 3. Share how it went on social media, using the hashtag #TeachTogetherT2T! You can use our graphic or upload your own photo.

Practice A: Try a Weather Report Check-In, via teacher @jbaggs

Give students a fresh way to express how they’re feeling by asking them to share a “weather report.” Set aside a few minutes at the start of class and ask students to share their reports aloud, or invite them to write or draw their reflections. Later, you can find ways to check in with students whose skies are stormy.

Practice B: Create an Empowerment Jar – for Yourself or with Students, via educator Tina Centineo

If you or your students need to reconnect with what lifts you up, try this “empowerment jar” reflection. To try this practice, draw the outline of a jar or search for a printable jar template online. Set aside 10 minutes to fill the jar with things that make you feel powerful, and invite students to do the same. Your class could even make a group empowerment jar on a chart.

Practice C: Initiate Classroom Passwords, via teacher Patti Sprague

Practice D: Make a Digital or Physical “Smile File,” via T2T and educator Ciji Thurman

Teachers like you have shared that setting aside a space to collect notes from students and families, alongside keepsakes or photos, can serve as a real pick-me-up during a challenging moment. Try creating your own “Smile File” this week. It might just mean creating a folder in your email inbox and moving any uplifting emails you’ve received into the folder for safekeeping. It could also mean creating a paper folder in a file cabinet. As a third option, use the Teacher2Teacher generator to create a digital Smile File that pulls in motivational words from your fellow educators.

Practice E: Start with 5 Minutes of Mindful Movement, via educator Barbara Gruener

Practice F: Leave a “Positive Post-it” for a Fellow Teacher, via teacher Lisa Milisa

Sometimes the most powerful way to lift your own mood is to do something for someone else. A simple move is writing a positive note on a sticky note for a fellow educator and leaving it for them. In Lisa Milisa’s school community, teachers exchange “happy mail” like this in staff meetings. She says: “I got two today and they made me so happy. Little things can mean so much!”

Practice G: Start a Weekly or Daily “Super Student” Celebration, via educator Anne Emmons

Could your students use an opportunity to form deeper connections? Try introducing “Super Student” celebrations. When educator Anne Emmons introduced this, her students closed out every day by sharing compliments for one student until everyone had had a turn.

Week 4: Shake Up a Routine or Structure

“I find that a little perspective change can make all the difference in my energy level. Sometimes it’s a mental shift in my own planning – like when I stopped planning out Monday to Friday and instead plan out Tuesday to Monday, inspired by teacher Nicholas Emmanuele. Other times, it’s pausing before I start assessing student work to make time for peer feedback. It can even be as simple as taking a learning activity outside. That’s the idea behind this week’s menu of practice shifts. Check out what other educators are doing, and shake something up!”

—Teacher Tyler Rablin

Get Started

1. Pick one strategy to try this week. 2. Try it with your students. 3. Share how it went on social media, using the hashtag #TeachTogetherT2T! You can use our graphic or upload your own photo.

Practice A: Hold a Learning Activity in a New Place, via educator Pamela Stepko

Just moving into a new environment can shift mindsets in amazing ways. That’s part of why educator Pamela Stepko has created “collaboration spaces” in the school hallways with these whiteboards. To try this practice, make a quick inventory of available spaces in your school community, and pick one that works for one of your upcoming learning activities. You might post chart paper in the hall or an exterior wall for a silent gallery walk, or take your students outside for a “think time” walk or a discussion.

Practice B: Try Planning “Tuesday to Monday,” via teacher Nicholas Emmanuele

By making sure the first day of the week is planned before he leaves for the weekend, teacher Nicholas Emmanuele frees up more space in his weekend. To try this practice, consider the planning cadence that would free up space when you most crave downtime, and try it out this week.

Practice C: Offer the Tell-Ask-Give Peer Feedback Strategy, via educator Erma Luis

Students have given each other feedback, but have they given each other TAGs? This chart invites students to give feedback using the following process: (T)ell something about their work. (A)sk them a thoughtful question. (G)ive an actionable suggestion. To try this practice, print or project this image from educator Erma Luis for your next peer feedback session. Make it even more novel by printing or cutting out paper that looks like luggage tags.

Practice D: Turn Your Lesson Plan into a Menu, via educator Susan Solomon

If your students seem hungry for something new, try building student choice into each part of your next lesson, and present it as a three-course menu! You could print the menu like Susan, project the menu digitally or hand out personal menus that students can use to order.

Practice E: Try Tabletop Twitter, via teacher Greta Sandler

In this “Tabletop Twitter” activity, students shared their takeaways from a class reading and affirmed their peers’ ideas by “retweeting.” To try this activity, project this slide from Greta Sandler, or create one that aligns with your current learning activities. You might pass out paper with “tweet” imagery for students to use. You can access Greta’s slide here.

Practice F: Add Peer Feedback before You Assess, via teacher Tyler Rablin

This student reflection suggestion from teacher Tyler Rablin is designed with both teacher ease and student value in mind. If your students have recently turned in a significant assignment, follow Tyler’s steps for a meaningful, low-lift lesson: 1) Pick an exemplary piece of student work (consider removing the name). 2) Create a reflection tool that would allow students to learn from this work (this might be the assignment rubric you’ve already made). 3) Invite students to reflect on their peer’s work, and/or their own, and share their reflections with you before you begin assessing the work yourself.