As a former science teacher, I had the challenge to make science fun for middle schoolers. Having a creative, crafty, and artistic personality, I thought “this would be a breeze.” Man, was I mistaken. How can I make “the theory of tectonic plates” interesting? How will my students stay motivated when learning about rocks and minerals? Is that student sleeping as I informed the class about the subatomic particles of an atom?

I took my frustration to Pinterest, and throughout my journey, I realized this was going to be the way I connected with my students. I could find great classroom activities and tools here by following a community of teachers from all over the world. Using Pinterest’s “pinboards” helped me save time by providing quick and easy access to helpful blogs, photos, and articles, in one accessible place – MY PHONE.

Here are my top 3 reasons why you should begin using Pinterest in your classroom:

• Classroom Design and Organization

  • If you’re looking to change the decor of your classroom, organize your papers/books/desks/materials and more, or have students feel more comfortable and promote a safe, calm, and inviting environment, Pinterest has tons of photos to help liven up your classroom and display students’ work in more innovative ways.
    

• Bulletin Board

  • If you were anything like me, I dreaded Bulletin Board days. What work am I going to display? How many papers can fit? I have so many great pieces of work – how do I choose? Should I organize it more creatively? It would take me hours after school to create a sight-worthy bulletin board…and then I’d look across the hall and see masterpieces. Pinterest can help you create funny, informative, and exciting bulletin boards. Search for thousands of ideas in a variety of content areas!

• Lesson Plans

  • Stressing out because you have no time to plan for a group activity that must go into your lesson plan for your principal’s review? Pinterest is a great place to swap lessons! You can find lessons to use or adapt to fit your students’ needs. Show off your own lesson ideas by creating photos and pinning to your boards so others can follow! Since Pinterest is a great visual resource, your inspiration may strike from a simple scroll!

Need to search by grade? Specific content? Standards? You can do that! Go give it a try at Pinterest.com.

Know any helpful Pinterest boards for teachers? Share them in the comments section below!

For More

For more helpful articles like this, visit teq.com/blog.