In This Post: Deciding when you should, and shouldn’t, discuss controversial topics with students. Is it ever the right time for test prep? Putting on your #GritBritches and sticking your neck out for awesomeness! When is the right time to…? Such an ever-present question, right? Have you ever found yourself wondering, “Is now a good time to discuss ____?” or … Read More
The First Moments of Instruction
In This Post The beginning to any classroom can be enhanced & elevated Opportunities for student voice can add additional layers to the success of starting a class off right Technology can add a new layer to the first moments of instruction. Try it out! Starting instruction for a student happens everyday, multiple times a day and the students and … Read More
Three Steps to Help Students Build Reading and Writing Lives
Are your students reading and writing just for compliance? In This Post: Too many students read and write simply because the rules say they have to. This should change. We need to transform schools: From students following rules that benefit adults, to students pursuing readerly and writerly lives. We need to create a space for open dialogue with our students. … Read More
Give Students a Voice and Teach Them to Build a Better World
In this post: We are crafting the future leaders of our world, what do we need them to be able to do? If we’re not asking our students what they need, we’re missing opportunities to be better. Feedback can be scary, but it can also be incredibly valuable. You can’t put every suggestion into practice, but you can listen, learn, … Read More
Humanizing School: 3 Ways to Make Students Feel Valid and Valued
We can try to humanize school with help from students. Students provided feedback through student-centered discussions on humanizing schools. Students were more interested in foundational changes than they were in educational technology or systems. The 3 major categories students’ responses fall into are trusting students, valuing their knowledge, and providing meaningful feedback. Recently, in a training with a local non-profit, … Read More