TL;DR: Settling in to our comfort zone leads to stagnation. When we get outside our comfort zone, we grow and become better. Origination of “The Comfort Zone” I have always had trouble taking risks or thinking outside the box, for as long as I can remember. I often think back to my college years when it was time to choose … Read More
Allow Cell Phones?!
TL;DR: The value we place on cell phones. Three steps toward allowing cell phones in your classroom… responsibly. I got my first cell phone in 1996 when I was in college. It looked like a brick– huge! You could only call programmed numbers from it, and I think I only had 3 numbers I could actually dial. After that, I … Read More
Partnering with YOUR School Counselor
TL;DR: An overview of school counselors. Tips to COORDINATE with your school counselor. Are you maximizing YOUR relationship with the school counselor? Do you utilize the counselor to support students in the best possible ways? Are you accessing this powerful resource on a regular basis? “We know where the real work of changing kids’ lives happens…it happens on the ground, … Read More
Gamification: Show Me The Evidence!
TL;DR: The difference between playing games and gamification. Elements of gamification… that are also best practices of pedagogy. Research & evidence that supports using gamification for student success. As a teacher of a fully-gamified class, I often hear phrases such as, “That’s really cool, but how do you know the system is working?” Most of the time this involves a … Read More