by bmelsby | Mar 20, 2026 | classroom management, instruction, Uncategorized
Are Reward Systems Killing Student Motivation? by Brad Melsby – March 22, 2026 Main points: External reward systems are popular methods for increasing student motivation. In the short term, these types of rewards can be effective. The drawbacks of external...
by bmelsby | Jan 13, 2026 | classroom management, instruction
Why Students Zone Out: How to Boost Attention, Cognitive Load, and Working Memory by Amanda Melsby – January 11, 2026 Have you ever been really excited about a lesson and glance up at your sure-to-be-riveted students, only to see…heads down, gazes averted, and...
by bmelsby | Dec 8, 2025 | classroom management, instruction
How Teenagers Learn: A New Teacher’s Guide to the Adolescent Brain by Amanda Melsby – December 6, 2025 Ahh, the adolescent brain…I recently started a faculty meeting with this prompt: Recall a time when a student did something that made you ask, “Hmmm, I...
by bmelsby | Dec 3, 2025 | classroom management
A New Teacher’s Primer on Giving Crystal-Clear Assignment Directions by Brad Melsby – December 3, 2025 You give what you think are crystal-clear directions, only to see students respond with confused looks rather than confident nods. Or worse, a dozen...
by bmelsby | Sep 30, 2025 | classroom management
When Are Student-Created Consequences Better Than Teacher-Issued? by Brad Melsby – September 30, 2025 Main points: Teacher-issued behavior consequences are when the teacher creates and issues as needed. A second approach is to create consequences in...
by bmelsby | Sep 22, 2025 | classroom management
How to Use Logical Consequences in Middle and High School by Brad Melsby – September 22, 2025 Main points: Traditional punishments like detention tend to isolate and embarrass the student without correcting behavior. Logical consequences are more closely tied to...
