Having observed and coached in hundreds of K-12 classrooms since 1994, Ron Nash has come to a few conclusions about what makes teachers tick and classrooms click. The best teachers attend to those seemingly little things that cost nothing, even as they create classroom climates where students can't wait to walk through the door every day. The big little things that great teachers do have students up, moving, pairing, sharing, laughing, and learning in an atmosphere full of trust, respect, and high expectations. Great teachers are obsessed with continuous improvement. This second edition of Big Little Things highlights 50 tools for building better classrooms at all levels.
Ron Nash is a former teacher, curriculum coordinator, and organizational development specialist. He has spent the last 17 years authoring 18 books for teachers, and he has observed and coached teachers in hundreds of classrooms over the past 30 years.
Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Easy Doesn't Do It Chapter 2: Providing Choice Chapter 3: "But I told them!" Chapter 4: Congruence Chapter 5: The Fear Factor Chapter 6: Reassuring Redundancies Chapter 7: Everyone in the [Learning] Pool Chapter 8: The Lighter Side Chapter 9: "You in the yellow shirt!" Chapter 10: Trigger the Calm Chapter 11: Model and Teach Effective Listening Skills Chapter 12: The Best is [Often] Silence Chapter 13: Press and Release Chapter 14: Kids Gotta Move Chapter 15: Perma Pairs Chapter 16: Choosing Partners Chapter 17: Priming Chapter 18: Whole-Class Discussions Chapter 19: Have at It! Chapter 20: Process-Related Dipstick Checks Chapter 21: Reflective Learners Chapter 22: Purposeful and Thoughtful Praise Chapter 23: The Smooth Shifting of Transitional Gears Chapter 24: Avoid Unnecessary Decisions Chapter 25: Transfer Skills to the Collaborative Setting Chapter 26: Provide Easy Access to Complex Tasks Chapter 27: The First Few Minutes Chapter 28: Last Impressions Chapter 29: That's the Plan Chapter 30: If the Font Fits, Share It Chapter 31: Visuals Always Win (Make that work for you!) Chapter 32: Attention to Voice Chapter 33: Arms Control Chapter 34: Hitting the Right Notes Chapter 35: As You Were Chapter 36: Bringing Them Back Chapter 37: One-at-a-Time Directions Chapter 38: Avoid Competing with the Lawnmower Chapter 39: Teach Students to Paraphrase for Understanding Chapter 40: Two-Minute Drill Chapter 41: Connecting with Stories Chapter 42: Getting Better at Getting Better Chapter 43: Tolerate Ambiguity and Encourage Questions Chapter 44: Harness the Power of Novelty Chapter 45: Physical and Mental State Changes Chapter 46: Avoid the Blame Game Chapter 47: Those Too Busy to Complain Chapter 48: The Extra Mile Chapter 49: The Power of Collaboration Chapter 50: Looking Back at People Who Are Always Looking Forward Afterword References Index
