Did you know that disorganization is ranked as one of the top reasons that students fail? Finding the best strategies to keep your students organized is a cornerstone in creating a successful learning environment. This month we are teaming up with School Specialty Planning & Student Development, the leading providers of student planners, to offer our “Little Steps Make Big Things Happen” microgrant to help you fund your best ideas for keeping your students organized and on track.

We have compiled a list of 27 ideas for reaching your disorganized students. We also thought you might be interested in this research-based white paper titled, “Why Plan?” We hope this gets your creative juices flowing and inspires you to take the five minutes to apply for the “Little Steps Make Big Things Happen” microgrant. Five teachers will be receiving $200 and a Flip video camera or iPod nano with video to put their plan into action. So, take a look at our list and then a take a minute to apply for the microgrant-you will be so glad you did!

1. Use social media to reach today’s digital learners-post calendars and due dates in an online blog or website.

2. Create a take home class calendar with all due dates filled in.

3. Do a monthly binder check, offer extra credit points for organized binders.

4. Have students create a “homework file” where all the assignments that need to be returned can go.

5. Send out email reminders to students.

6. Encourage students to exchange phone numbers and email addresses with their classmates, and to remind each other about up coming tests and papers.

7. Get parents involved! Ask them to follow you on Twitter and post reminders that assignments are due!

8. Use a color coding system.

9. Set aside time every month for students to clean out their binders and book bags during class.

10. Make sure they are getting enough rest at night.

11. Encourage parents to have a set place at home for students to do homework.

12. Teach students how to make an effective to-do list.

13. Create a “Organization Checklist” to give to students and parents with tips for things they can do at home to keep everyone on track.

14. Help students make the connect between being organized and reaching their goals by having them make a list of their long term goals and what they need to do to achieve them.

15. Emphasize time management by having students track what they do in a day and identify where they could better use their time.

16. Instead of fighting students’ reliance on their smart phones, encourage them to use the calendar or download a good calendar application and use it.

17. Have a list on your blackboard of what students are expected to bring to class with them tomorrow.

18. Have a “Cleanest Locker” contest and give the winner a special prize.

19. Have students fill out a monthly supply list to take home to parents so they don’t run out of paper, pencils, etc.

20. Use popular shows like “Hoarders” and “Clean House” to illustrate the importance of getting rid of clutter.

21. Have students write a “to-do list” at the end of each day to take home with them.

22. During brainstorming time, ask students to share their best organization tips.

23. Give out little treats when you see a student modeling good organization.

24. Have a “MTV Cribs” type video contest, asking students to put videos of their designated study areas at home on YouTube and then take a class vote to see who has the coolest place to study.

25. Have students brainstorm how your classroom could be better organized.

26. Encourage parents and students to have a place to set everything that they need to take to school the night before.

27. Get your students excited about your organization projects by rallying them and having their parents vote for your microgrant submission online. Voting begins March 9!

Of course, we know that you have your own ideas for how to get your students organized and we want to hear them! The deadline to apply is March 16, so don’t wait-apply now!

Teachers, what do you think of when you hear the word “intervention?” For some, it means a guessing game of trial and error, loads of record keeping and paper work, uneasy meetings with parents, and trying to find the right method to approach a potential learning disability. But we are hearing from many of you that navigating the RTI and  intervention process can be easier-it just takes a little outside-the-box thinking. This month WeAreTeachers is teaming with Pearson for our “Measurable Improvement, Meaningful Progress” microgrant, and asking you to tell us your best intervention ideas to win cash and a Flip or iPod Nano video camera. To commemorate this exciting new microgrant, we have compiled the three best tips we have heard from you on how to run a successful intervention.

Tip One: Assess with the Best

Whether you are seeking to find the best way to reach a student with some behavioral issues or one that may have exceptional educational needs, the first step is to locate the best assessment resources.

“I had the best counselor at my school,” said Gretchen S, from Tyler TX. “She really helped me figure out why a student I had was struggling. ..I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Some schools or districts have a whole team devoted to RTI and intervention, while others prefer you work with the special education teacher or school psychologist. Your school has probably provided you with the detailed information to assess a student, but sometimes it can be reassuring to talk with someone who knows the ropes. Talking with another teacher or even outlining the general situation in an online forum can be helpful in giving you the support you need to press on in the intervention process. WeAreTeachers has devised a microcommunity, sponsored by Pearson, on intervention and Response to Intervention to help you communicate areas that you may be stuck in or for you to share your best practices with others.

Tip Two: Do Your Own Research

Don’t rely on anyone else to tell you what is going on with your student-go out and find the materials to help you understand. There is a wealth of RTI information on the internet and through published works. Taking time to find out as much as you can about the process will make it easier for everyone. Your student will feel like he/she has an advocate in you, you will be better able to communicate with everyone involved, and you can feel a sense of  ownership in helping your student get the resources he/she needs.

Tip Three: Get Creative!

Once your student has been assessed, it is time to deliver an intervention that is specific to his/her needs. Those helping you with the assessment may have already given you some ideas, but given that you know the student personally and have a feel for what he/she may best respond to, you might have some great ideas of your own.

“I didn’t care for the way our district handled approaching the parents for evaluation,” said Lauren G, of Oviedo FL. “It was so flat and there were so many confusing terms. RTI? How do I explain that to parents who are scared to death? So I created some aids to help and changed the dialogue to find words that they could relate to. It made the process so much easier.”

What do you love about your RTI process? Do you have a “best practice” for approaching parents to tell them you want to evaluate their child for a learning disability? Or do you have an idea you’d love to try to but you might need a little extra funding first? Why not apply for the “Measurable Improvement, Meaningful Progress” microgrant and share your idea?

Intervention can be difficult, be it can also be one of the most rewarding parts of teaching. Finding the best way to reach a struggling student can make a difference not only in your classroom, but in that student’s future as well. We want to help you make that impact with your students. Take a minute to apply for the microgrant, then shoot an email out to your colleagues, friends and family and tell them to vote for you! The ten ideas that garner the most votes will win $200 in cash and Flip Video camera.

Regardless of what subject or grade they teach, the goal of teachers is basically the same: to put their students on the road to being successful adults. But in the world of the special education teacher, that road can be paved with potholes, speed bumps and outright road blocks. Everyday, special education teachers around the world strive to peel the ”disabled” sticker that society can sometimes place on their students and reprogram them to see themselves not as “disabled” but “differently-abled.”

WeAreTeachers and our partner, PCI Education, a leader in special education learning, see the groundbreaking work taking place in classrooms all over the world and we want to inspire more of it.

We are now accepting submissions for our “Individual Attention, Collective Impact” microgrant, which enables special education teachers to share their best practices for reaching individual students. Additionally, all of the ideas will be posted in an online gallery to educate and inspire other teachers.

Kim G., a special education teacher in Arlington, TX feels her heart swell with pride every time she shops at her local grocery store where David, a former student with Downs Syndrome, works as a bagger. Friendly and affable, David is well known and liked amongst store patrons as well as one of the store’s most valued employees for his reliability and positive attitude. Kim remembers when David was one of her students, he was sweet and gentle, but frightened and sometimes picked on by the mainstream students.  “David was scared to talk to anyone because he wasn’t sure how he would be treated,” Kim explained, “it was heartbreaking because you knew he wanted to engage people, but he had some bad experiences and now was very leery and withdrawn.”

David’s parents were also afraid to encourage their son to shine, they themselves were so traumatized from hearing David tearfully, desperately recount the day a boy had frightened him in the school cafeteria with a lit match that they had curbed their urging that David participate in regular school functions.

Kim and her special education colleagues worked hard with David and his parents to draw him out and make him more assertive and self-determined and lo and behold, after years of gentle pushing and inspiring, David applied at the grocery store where he has worked since he finished school.

Special education teachers everywhere can relate to David’s story. Along with their special learning needs, students often come in with a special set of concerns: ridicule, fear, and uncertainty about the future. But special education teachers face these needs each day with a bold determination to help students, and sometimes parents, get to a place where they can be appreciated for their individual skills and talents.

The following video talks about how teachers at the O’Hearn School of Massachusetts are working towards this goal through the technique of full inclusion teaching.

Just as the O’Hearn School is using innovative techniques, teachers all over the world are finding and tailoring special solutions to their students individual needs.

Do you have a great special education idea that you would love to share? It’s not too late! The deadline for submissions is November 13th, so apply now! You could win $200 in cash and a flip video camera to capture the implementation of your idea and share with the WeAreTeachers community. And don’t forget to sign up to be a part of our Special Education microcommunity to stay connected with important news, blogs, and people in the special education field.

It’s no secret that teachers are resourceful and have great ideas. With the right funding and the right idea, a teacher can start a revolution in the classroom, the community and the student. The only setback: funding isn’t always easy to obtain.  At WeAreTeachers, it is our constant goal to provide you with the support you need to be the best teacher you can be, and that is how our microgrant program was born. You give us your best ideas on an assigned topic, and we give you funding to make them happen, to the tune of $200 and a flip video camera for each of our ten grant recipients. Quantum Learning Technologies is sponsoring the current microgrant to support Student Engagement.

This summer, we partnered with Dell for a microgrant on Digital Learning and the results were fantastic. We received an overwhelming 220 submissions for the grant! You voted and picked the top ten submissions, and they became our Digital Learning Microgrant winners.

Each of these educators had interesting, unique ideas for using digital learning as an educational tool. Greg Barclay, an English teacher from South Fulton, TN won for his project “Blogging as Writing; Podcasting as Presenting.” He is very enthusiastic about how the microgrant will help his students.

“I think the act of producing podcasts will be greatly beneficial to my students,” Mr. Barclay stated via email, “Many of them do not even know what a podcast is. In addition to learning about a different kind of technology, they will also be learning about public speaking.”

For some of the recipients, the journey to winning the microgrant was as exciting as actually receiving the grant. Dallas, TX teacher and yearbook sponsor Michael Moran, whose project “We Are Woodrow” garnered the most online votes, said that the entire process was as beneficial as the grant itself.

“When something goes ‘viral,’ there is usually an element of luck, but the paths to popularity can be utilized to educate and inform. I hoped that I could use these tools to give people an opportunity to help kids. I’ll use this experience as much as I’ll use the award,” commented Mr. Moran.

Diane Davis, an Art teacher in Reading, MA and winner for her “Growing As An Artist” project, said there was added value and inspiration in looking at the other submissions.

“I loved the Shapes All Around Us project by Leigh Kraemer,” Ms. Davis explained,   “Although a preschool project, this is also a perfect art project. Rather than pointing out shapes in pictures, they are actively searching for shapes in the world around them. I could see this adapted in middle school art classes by having students search for elements and principles of art, or making color collages with monochromatic, complimentary, and analogous color schemes.”

The benefits of the microgrants have gone beyond the doors of the classroom, reaching into the entire community for winner Tanya Jacobucci, a Kindergarten teacher from Clearwater, KS. Ms. Jacobucci’s project, titled “Retired at Five- Traveling with Grandma,” connects her kindergartners with retired teachers.

“Since our project was announced as one of the winners, we’ve also had parents of our students show interest in taking the camera with them as they travel, so it’s starting to involve even more community members,” Ms. Jacobucci reported.

We are thrilled to see that the microgrants are not only helping to fund teachers’ ideas, but are reaching out to change students, unite communities and inspire teachers as well! We’ve now announced our new microgrant, a Student Engagement project sponsored by Quantum Learning Technologies, and it’s not too late to apply!

In an era when the President of the United States uses a Blackberry and computers are  becoming as necessary as number two pencils, digital technology is changing the way we live and learn.  The digital age has created an exciting new environment for us all, and innovative teachers like you are embracing and harnessing the power of digital learning to blow the walls off their schools and open up their classrooms to other educators all over the world. But sifting through all of the information about digital learning can take more time than a busy teacher has to spend, so we’ve found some great resources on the web to help you find new ways to incorporate digital technology into your classroom.

The case for digital learning is simple: your students live in a time of wikis, webinars and iChat. But how could this help them in the classroom?  This video shows what your digital learners expect of you in a Web 2.0 age.

At WeAreTeachers, we want to encourage you in your efforts to be a part of this digital revolution, both by providing you with the tools you need to keep up and through the teacher’s magic word: funding.  Through WAT microgrants, we are helping teachers get their big ideas out into the digital world-and the response has been phenomenal. Our current “Digital Learning “ microgrant sponsored by Dell, had over 200 submissions! From those 200 applicants, the community will vote to determine the top ten who will receive $200 and a flip video camera to share their project with the entire WeAreTeachers community. Have you had a chance to take a look at the microgrant applications?  It’s a great way to see what your peers are doing to bring their students into the Web 2.0 age. You are sure to be inspired!  What is so exciting about each of these teacher-submitted ideas is that they all demonstrate how digital learning empowers teachers to share their passion for reaching students in a fresh new way.

We are so proud of the astonishing response to this microgrant. What this tells us at WeAreTeachers is that you are excited about being on the forefront of using this technology, and we are thrilled to support you!

And we aren’t the only ones, many companies are hopping aboard the digital bandwagon. Everywhere you look, companies and organizations are standing up and taking notice of the need for digital content. NASA has a wonderful Digital Learning Network that was designed to help educators bring the wonder of space into the classroom.  PBS will be launching a fantastic digital learning library this fall, geared especially towards educators. The Digital Learning Commons is a nonprofit organization created with the sole intention of helping teachers find the best digital learning techniques to give their students an edge. Additionally, exciting programs are being developed like the Digital Learning Lab at UC Irvine, which is currently looking for educators to collaborate in a host of digital learning projects.

How do you use digital learning? Do you keep a blog? Have your students used wikis to research information? Have you thought about using a flip video camera like the ones we are including with our microgrants to collaborate and idea share with other teachers?  Is there an area that you’d love to see supported by a microgrant? We want to hear about it! Have you been inspired by an idea from our 200 applicants?  Your feedback is crucial, so please take a minute to leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.  We cannot wait to infuse your ideas and bring you more valuable teacher-generated content that will inspire, enlighten and empower you in the days to come!

Image by rosefirerising via Flickr

We’ve just started a new program at WeAreTeachers — MicroGrants.

We designed this program to be consistent with our philosophy and commitment to this important community:  Namely, we want to put teachers at the center of the Web 2.0 world, AND we want to work hard to be sure EVERYTHING we do has some value to the community and its members.

We were inspired by the idea of Micro-Loans. . . and the notion of what magic can happen when even small resources are placed in the hands of people who are in a position to make an immediate impact.  You may have heard of Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, the current Nobel laureate.  Yunus said the tiny loans distributed in the developing world, most of them to women, have already lifted 100 million people out of direst poverty and brought them the dignity of running small businesses, many of which eventually create jobs for others. These simple, sustainable businesses – weaving, raising chickens, selling groceries in small shops – are proven development vessels that can be launched with loans as small as $100.

SO — we considered — What might happen if we — through our relationships with businesses in our network — could secure corporate sponsors to help provide small grants directly to teachers, then track what they are able to do with this direct resource.  What happens when a real TEACHER — with a super idea, has enough money to, say take kids on a field trip, or buy some microscopes for a classroom, or a musical instrument for a Mariachi band?  And what if we also provide a simple Flip-video camera and ask him/her to let us know what happens with a video story?

We are pleased that our first such MicroGrant (sponsored by Alchemy Systems in Austin, Texas), is providing resources to promote Creativity.  We want to know what great ideas teachers have to keep creativity alive in the classroom — especially given the current focus on basic skills and testing that is crowding out the arts and other creative curriculum.

Here’s how it works.  Unlike other education grants that take an advanced degree and hundreds of hours to seek, our grant form is a single page form.  We don’t want big documents, just big ideas.  Once your idea is submitted, we’ll post all the entrants, and ask the WeAreTeachers community to vote — in true Web 2.0 form.  The best ideas will be selected, and winners will receive $200 to make a difference for kids, as well as a flip-camera to record their success.  We’ll ask teachers to submit their videos back to the community, so that great ideas can be shared.  Cool, eh?

We are looking for other MicroGrant areas you’d like to see us fund. If you are into creativity, submit for this grant.  Or send us a note and let us know what other areas you would like to see funded.  We’ll find a corporate sponsor, and keep this program going.

Small resources can make a huge difference IF applied where the ‘rubber meets the road’, and we think that’s right in the hands of our best teachers.