Student apathy can be a frustrating drag in any classroom. What might be going on beneath the surface of a student’s “don’t-care” attitude? For some, it might signal a fear of failure or a wrong view of education. For others, it might indicate disordered priorities and desires. Whatever the case, John Mark calls teachers to the daily work of forming students into passionate lovers of goodness and truth, of God and neighbor. Download the video or download audio only Read transcript Transcript Don’t you love a good project? Take some time to develop the thing, but once you roll it out to the st ..read more

Students today have instant access to more information than previous generations could have imagined. For some, this begs a question: “Why should I bother learning it in school if I can just Google it?” John Mark challenges the skewed understanding of knowledge behind this question and calls teachers to cultivate intellectual humility—in themselves, first of all, and then in their students. Humility, he believes, is the path to true knowledge and insight in a world glutted with information. Download the video or download audio only Read transcript Transcript We get our students asking us this ..read more

What type of teacher are you? The “Trying to Be Cool” teacher? The “Important Authority Figure”? In this light-hearted yet thought-provoking talk, Jeff Swanson caricatures some common teacher types and encourages teachers to grow toward personal and professional maturity. Download the video or download audio only Read transcript Transcript Transcript pending ..read more

Download the video or download audio only Read transcript Transcript ADHD is the abbreviation for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The term ADHD flies around in our society a lot today, and it can raise a lot of questions about, “what does this mean and what are its implications?” And so I would like to try to bring a little bit of clarity or understanding to what ADHD is. Defining ADHD ADHD is not this feeling of restlessness that you get after you’ve sat for too long or the reason why you feel like you need to fidget with your pencil or why you forget what you were intending to get ..read more

The best kind of student motivation is intrinsic to the process of learning, but sometimes students need an additional incentive to inspire that extra push toward excellence. What if you could offer hardworking students a rewarding experience that is both educational and fun? In this video, Deana Swanson explains how she uses achievement parties to motivate her students to invest some extra effort in their work. In addition to sharing ideas for party themes, food, costumes, and activities, Deana describes how to structure the criteria so that all students have a reasonable chance at participat ..read more

Good singing habits start early, but they need to be maintained with regular practice. In this video, Jeff Swanson draws on his years of music teaching experience to highlight some practices, tips, and tools proven to yield “music gold” at any grade level. By regularly practicing good posture, pitch-matching, rhythm, and vowel formation, music teachers can push all students toward excellence in singing. Download the video or download audio only Read transcript Transcript Hello. My name is Jeff Swanson, and I am the music teacher at Shalom Mennonite School, which is a K-8 school. And I teach a ..read more

Download the video Read transcript Transcript Edward Edward is a normal boy in fifth grade. He likes being with his friends, playing soccer, and building elaborate Lego structures. But there’s one way that Edward doesn’t feel normal. Edward struggles with reading. Ever since his class learned to read in grade one, Edward has been the slowest reader in the class. He doesn’t quite understand how everyone else does it so easily. Why is it so much harder for him? Edward decides he must be stupid. Why else would something that’s so easy for everyone else be so difficult for him? Feeling Like Edwar ..read more

A typical school day might end mid-afternoon, but the teacher’s workday is far from over. In this video, Caleb Martin shares some practical tips for staying focused, efficient, and productive after the final bell rings. Rather than feeling overwhelmed and getting distracted after a full day of teaching, teachers can turn the after-school hours into a productive time of preparation for the next day’s lessons. Download the video or download audio only Read transcript Transcript The bell rings and the students rush off home and the teacher is left with his desk and sometimes a literal mountain o ..read more

The second of a five-part video series by Becky Bollinger on diverse learners and learning disabilities, this video focuses on dyslexia. Becky explains what dyslexia is and is not, how it affects the learner, ways to diagnose it, and what a teacher can do to overcome the disadvantages it brings. The information in this video should be helpful for all teachers, since any teacher could encounter a dyslexic student without knowing it, and also because it relates to the mental processes of language and reading more generally. Download the video or download audio only Read transcript Transcript I ..read more

audio recording of talk by Luke Bennetch at Faith Builders Teacher’s Week 2010 https://media.publit.io/file/audiofiles/habits-of-an-effective-teacher-luke-bennetch.mp3 ..read more