Reconsider Your Expectations

Jillian DuBoisBlog, Differentiation, Grading & Assessment, Lesson Planning, Student Engagement

TL;DR: Believing in students and setting high expectations for them can help them be successful. Find ways to get your students interested. Make sure the lessons and activities you are teaching are relevant. Know what your end goal is and makes sure it is clear to your students, too. Provide opportunities for your students to reflect on their own work. … Read More

ISJ and ISNB Introduction

Teach Better TeamBlog, Differentiation, Innovation, Lesson Planning, Mastery Learning, Personalized Learning, Student Engagement, Teach Further

 TL;DR: Science is a messy process that leads to understanding. Students need to learn and appreciate the messy process in addition to the end result. Interactive science journals (ISJ) and interactive science notebooks (ISNB) are tools that will help students understand the difference between the process and the end result. “Take chances, make mistakes, get MESSY!” – Ms. Frizzle, The … Read More

Unmasking the Fears of Communicating with EL Parents

Andrea BitnerBlog, Classroom Management, Differentiation, Student Engagement

TL;DR: أهلا بك…欢迎…bienvenido….welcome! We can empower ourselves and improve relationships by taking action to empower our EL parents. Learn the preferred language spoken at home for EL parents. Below are three great translation resources you can access to help communicate with EL parents rather than asking a family friend or sibling to help communicate. “Andrea, you HAVE to be at … Read More

One Size Does Not Fit All

Kristen KoppersBlog, Differentiation, Lesson Planning

TL;DR: Just like it’s impossible for one size of pants to fit all students, one way of teaching will not reach all students. In addition, teachers come from a variety of backgrounds themselves and naturally have different styles. Learn how to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of each student. The Perfect Pants The movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants … Read More

What Educators Can Learn from Choose Your Own Adventure Books

Teach Better TeamBlog, Differentiation, Innovation, Leadership, Lesson Planning, Student Engagement

Originally published at ASCD.com: https://www.ascd.org/blogs/what-educators-can-learn-from-choose-your-own-adventure-books This post was co-authored by Greg Bagby. TL;DR: Choose Your Own Adventure books provide lessons we can apply to the educational world. Learning and trying new things can be complicated and messy, but it is worth the journey. Everything doesn’t always go the way you intend, but you learn from all of your experiences. Having … Read More