Listen Up! To keep students from losing interest during discussions or lectures, 10th-grade social studies teacher Michael Branch of Mineralwells, W.Va., has developed a listening-point contest. While lecturing, he will suddenly stop and throw out a quick question (to see who's been paying attention), giving the first two or three students who raise their hands a chance to answer. Students who answer correctly earn a "listening point," and the discussion or lecture proceeds. At the end of class, the student with the most points gets an incentive of some kind. If Branch has a big incentive, like a gift card or other donated item, he keeps the contest going throughout an entire unit. "I also have a 're-listening quiz' later to see if the students can apply what they have learned," he says. (March 2008) 

"Teacher's on the phone" During his 35 years in the classroom, retired high school science teacher Thomas Hoolihan of New York learned the value of positive reinforcement—for parents as well as students. Each week, he would make "sunshine calls" in the evening to parents. They expected bad news about their child, but his purpose was to pass on good news from that day or week. He reports that when the student came to class the next day, he or she always said something about their parents' positive reaction to the phone call. When other students heard about the calls, they asked how they could earn such a "reward." (Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007)

Paper or plastic? Rather than buy bulletin board paper, which is expensive and prone to fading, Chicago elementary school teacher Michelle Knight uses inexpensive plastic table cloths from a discount store instead. The table cloths are more durable, don’t fade and look great, she says. Big enough to cover even large bulletin boards, the cloths still cost much less than paper. (Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007)

Welcome Map New students can come from lots of different countries these days. So, to make her high school students in Orlando, Fla., feel welcome, guidance counselor Terrie Scott uses a map of the world. One of the first things new students see is the map, which shows how many international students the high school has. The new students add their own pin to the map, marking their name and place of origin. She says it is a good conversation starter and helps assure nervous students that they're in a kind environment. (Nov. 2006)

Pick a Stick To prevent herself from always calling on the same students, fifth-grade teacher Annette Gervase uses craft sticks (or tongue depressors). Each student in her class in Williamsville, N.Y., gets a stick to write down his or her name. The sticks go into a cup, and when it's time to pick a student during a lesson, she pulls out a stick. She says it keeps students on their toes because they never know when they'll be selected. Color coding can help with students who have the same name. (Nov. 2006)

What's The Date? Instead of just writing the date on the chalkboard, high school math teacher Robert Bradman of Chelmsford, Mass., turns it into a math calculation for his students. For example, Nov. [square root of (3 squared + 4 squared)] would be Nov. 5, and Dec. (8 divided by 1/2) would be Dec. 16. He also encourages students to design their own math/date calculations to post in class. (Nov. 2006)

Index of Excuses When children in Philadelphia teacher Diane Gimpel's class do not have their homework, they must write their excuse on an index card. Gimpel then puts the dated cards in the student's portfolio, ready for the next parent-teacher conference. It is a powerful tool and teaches a powerful lesson. (May/June 2005)

Stunt Doubles Borrowing a trick used by science fiction writer Lyda Morehouse to avoid mispronunciations in her public readings, Chicago high school special education teacher David Stone asks for volunteer "stunt doubles" to back up students reading aloud. Students who encounter a difficult word can ask their "stunt double" to say the word for them. This gives poor readers more confidence about reading aloud and keeps better readers focused on the text. (May/June 2005)

Potted Pens Keep track of the pens students borrow in class by turning pens into "flowers," suggests Denise Pearson, a high school earth science teacher in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. She takes a regular pen and then uses green florist tape to attach an artificial flower (the bigger and more garish, the better) to the pen. She puts these "flower pens" in a clay pot on her desk for students to borrow as needed. The extra pens are unlikely to walk out of the room by mistake, she notes. (Dec. 2004/Jan. 2005)

Corrections Memo Sometimes students will "lose" their graded math tests after getting them back, notes Chelmsford, Mass., high school teacher Robert Bradman. Try passing out a "Corrections and Mistakes" memo sheet on colored paper when the test is returned to students. Ask them to record correct answers and procedures and to write out what their mistakes were. Collect the tests and memo sheet and keep a file for each student's tests. It's useful to have these on hand for future reference. (Dec. 2004/Jan. 2005)

Track Homework To make it easier and faster to keep track of students' completed homework or class assignments, Thomasine Kennedy of Beverly Hills, Fla., prints out her class list using her computer grade book program. She then copies the list onto a transparency. As she walks around the room, Kennedy checks off the students' names using an overhead marker and records them later. The transparency can be wiped clean for the next use. (Nov. 2004)

Second Chance Chelmsford, Mass., high school math teacher Robert Bradman gives struggling students a second chance by offering them a contract for improvement. The students agree to show him their daily homework efforts (or another area that needs attention), and in exchange Bradman doubles the weight of all the remaining grades for the term. "This puts more emphasis on future opportunities and can substantially raise their grades," he notes. (Oct. 2004)

Serving Size? Let your students investigate the number of servings listed on a cereal box, suggests Paul Blundin of Wallingford, Pa. Provide the whole class or small groups with boxes of cereal, resealable sandwich bags and measuring cups. Compare the number of servings listed on the box with actual servings, measured into individual bags, and record the findings. (Oct. 2004)

Party Time Let your students plan and give the next class party, suggests third-grade teacher Diane Axtell of Dimmitt, Texas. She appoints two committees—food and entertainment. The first takes responsibility for food, drinks and tableware; the second chooses games for the whole class and is responsible for teaching and leading the games, as well as providing materials. (Oct. 2004)

Makeup Help Appoint a student "secretary for attendance" to write the names of absentees on the board each morning, suggests retired Miami-Dade, Fla., teacher Janice Cox Jones. As worksheets or school fliers are distributed, the secretary writes the name and date on the absentees' papers and places them in a "makeup folder," along with any answer keys if applicable. "The silent and seamless method" maintains continuity in the classroom and "promotes accountability," she notes. (May/June 2004)

Quick Chart Fourth-grade teacher Holly Butler of Santa Cruz, Calif., creates classroom seating charts by using thin magnets (available in office supply stores) to which business cards can be attached. She then buys blank cards and attaches them to the magnets, one for each student. When it's time to rearrange students' seats, she just moves the magnets around on her metal wall. Because they're all the same size, she can arrange them like real desks and easily view what her new arrangement will look like. (May/June 2004)

Helping Hands Label your bulletin board "Helping Hands" to list which children have classroom jobs in a given month, suggests Josephine Dai of Brooklyn, N.Y. Have students make their handprints out of construction paper, write their names on the handprints and place them under the job title they will have that month. As you alternate jobs, change the handprints on the board. (April 2004)

Time on Task Use a digital cooking timer to remind you when to end an activity, suggests Michele Bonet-Grund, a middle school teacher from Elmira, N.Y. It’s easy to lose track of time while walking around and helping students, she notes, so the beeping serves as a great audio reminder. (March 2004)

Mystery Ticket Deb Cousino of Petersburg, Mich., discreetly gives a ticket to one or more students at the beginning of the day. That student(s) is then challenged to make the other students’ day by demonstrating acts of kindness. At the end of the day, the class guesses the identity of the ticket holder(s). It's a fun activity that builds positive relationships, she notes. (Feb. 2004)

Extra Cards Do you have daily attendance cards that need to be sent to the office? Elaine Bacsa of Miami suggests that you make photocopies of the cards as soon as you receive them. Put the copies in your substitute folder so that subs don't have to look for yours. The extra set also comes in handy if you misplace a card. (Dec. 2003/Jan. 2004)

Easy Border Decorative borders for bulletin boards can get expensive, so Bronx, N.Y., fifth-grade teacher Ruth Lyons uses adding machine tape to do the job. The tape comes in long rolls, is inexpensive and is perfect for decorating. Lyons has students measure the boards and decorate the tape throughout the month in their art center. (Dec. 2003/Jan. 2004)

In the Red When displaying a number line that includes negative numbers, mark the negative number with a red line to indicate numbers "in the red," suggests Irma Sturgell, a building resource teacher in Highlands Ranch, Colo. This will help younger students distinguish between the positions of positive and negative numbers. (Dec. 2003/Jan. 2004)