I frequent a Sunday night Twitter chat, #edchatri, where amazing educators from all over the US help me approach the coming school week with the right attitude. During these chats, I discover amazing resources shared by fellow educators, who I now consider to be my colleagues, despite the geography that separates us. There are some Sunday nights that the quantity… Read More
Week 4 Challenge: Assessment in Instruction
Dear Teachers, Thanks for wanting to jump back in with us as we dig into Assessment in Instruction! This is the last of the 4 challenges- and I know you’ll finish strong! To get started, think about which level you feel most accurately describes your daily teaching experiences… Level 1: There is little or no assessment or monitoring of student… Read More
Week 3 Challenge: Creating an Environment of Respect & Rapport
‘An Environment of Respect & Rapport’… This is an area I find myself discussing quite often with teachers. At least once a week, I have conversations with teachers about how tricky they find this particular domain/ standard to assess. Recently, I attended a presentation about how some teachers and mentors are tackling this very topic. Before we think about how… Read More
Dittos & Worksheets & Packets, Oh my!!
So, your school department actually has a manual for you and it’s full of printables… They were designed by educators and statisticians… and people that must know more about teaching this content than you do… so why aren’t you students engaged? Well, I am writing this post to make sure you don’t “throw out the baby with the bath water!”… Read More
Student Engagement… Buzz Words Demystified
According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), the 4Cs: Critical thinking and problem solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity and Innovation are infused in learning. Watch and listen to how ASCD describes 21st Century Skills. In the video P21’s video library, the section titled “In Practice,” features sample lessons incorporating 21st Century Skills for any grade level/ content area…. Read More
Improving Questioning & Discussion Techniques- 1 week Challenge
Let’s think about where we are starting! If you missed the rubrics I posted yesterday, you may want to check them out. Level 1: Questions are rapid-fire,and convergent,with single correct answers. All discussion is between teacher and students; students are not invited to speak directly to one another. -> Level 2: The teacher frames some questions designed to promote student… Read More