TL;DR: Teaching and learning should be framed around a desired set of learning targets. Identify how teachers will measure student understanding. The classroom should be a safe place where students are receiving feedback from their teacher, peers, and own reflections. 4 key reflection questions to consider before and after a unit are shared. Find ways to celebrate small wins in … Read More
Tips & Tricks Blog Series Overview
Tips & Tricks Blog Series Overview The COVID-19 / Coronavirus Pandemic has changed so much about how we live our lives, socialize, and especially how we run our schools and classrooms. As we begin the next school year, things are different – but we can be better. As you continue to navigate the details for next school year, we need … Read More
3 Suggestions to Make Evaluation More Meaningful
TL;DR: Reduce the teacher evaluation pressure by investing in more conversations and more time in classrooms. See tips for how to make a pre-conference more meaningful. Praise heaping, rating justification, and point proving are three conference styles. The best solution is to give 2-3 key goals for improvement. If anything, last year seemed to be EVERYTHING. I like to say … Read More
4 Tips to Reimagine Assessment
TL;DR: Assessment should be a series of events, each leading to the next moment of improvement. Reimagine assessment by determining what you value and seeking assessment that leads to instruction. Understand that “one and done” is not enough and consider consistency and recency when assessing. As I am writing this, March Madness is ramping up. It is my favorite time … Read More
3 Tips for High Quality Student Conferences
TL;DR: Make student conferences a part of your unit arc. Give high quality feedback outside of your conferences. Invite students to lead and give them ownership in conversations about their grade. These tips can support the regularity, efficiency and effectiveness, and student ownership of conferences. For the last half of my teaching career, weekly student conferencing has been a staple … Read More