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In my position as an Instructional Technology Specialist I have the unique opportunity to visit the classrooms and see the other side of teaching. Many of the teachers have concern about their students misbehaving in class from time to time. Most of them do not understand that the misbehavior, most of the time, is due to boring, outdated and not interactive lessons. The teachers do not realize that they have the tools to keep the classes under control if they would just tap into it. The tools that I am talking about are interactivity and technology. Teachers of today need to keep their students active and drivers of the learning process. Here is a list of some of the ways to keep the students involved instead of in trouble:

Make the lesson connect to real life

Keep the students involved

Let the student drive the learning process

Understand the learning needs of the children

Make the children feel like their ideas matter

Assess in different ways

Meet all the learning needs of all the students

Keep the lessons interesting

Get to know your students personally

Take interest inventories

Use the computer lab

Have the students use the web

Be inventive

This is just a small list that is by no means the complete list of how to keep your students involved and excited about learning. The best way I can sum it up is teach how you would like to be taught. Treat the students in a way that empowers them to learn and want to be the best they can possibly be.