The Math Classroom Management and Leadership Tool Kit Part I

Students can be a tough audience.  Most students are in Math class because it is a requirement so what can teachers do to keep students focused and engaged?  I know I cannot always delight and engage my Precalculus students for 75 minutes at a time.  It is hard to remember the "tool kit" in the moment.  Please send suggestions via email or post comments if you have any other suggestions to add or modify this "tool kit"

This partial list includes modalities of learning and teaching as well as physical items that may help in the Math classroom.

Using a timer (displaying it sometimes)
Switching between using technology and not
Calculator use vs not
Voting systems like remote clickers or if cell phones are allowed www.polleverywhere.com (this worked well for one section but the other section posted up inappropriate comments that displayed in real time on the screen in front of the classroom -- yikes!)
Independent work including exit slips/tickets, checkpoints and quizzes
Group work with groups they choose or groups you choose

Part II will include more Tool Kit items so please stay tuned

Checking Up on Student Understanding

http://www.denverpost.com/education/ci_14350149

In this the article, the reference is to POP (Proof of Purchase) -- some call them exit slips. Sometimes I call them checkpoints. A short quiz at the end of class or at the end of a lesson (within a class) can help both students and teachers assess what they know and what they still need to learn.