Using Tech to Connect

Darcy BakkegardBlog, Innovation, Personalized Learning, Student Engagement

TL;DR: It’s so great to be together in person with students. How can we use tech to support in-person learning? Consider using audio journals. Turn research papers into podcasts! Back to School It’s great to be back to school in person. There’s magic in a classroom, an excitement that grows when students and teachers are in the same place at … Read More

Unplug to Recharge

Betsy SpringerBlog, Classroom Management, Innovation, Leadership, Reflect Better, Self-Care

TL;DR: When you work from home, it’s hard to stop working. The boundary between work and home blurs. The world will not fall apart if you wait until the morning to answer an email. Determine what you can change to purposely give yourself time to unplug on a regular basis. Working from Home Perhaps one of the biggest challenges of … Read More

The Secret of Building Resilient Kids: Growth Mindset

Pamela HallBlog, Classroom Management, Innovation, Leadership, Lesson Planning, Reflect Better, Self-Care, Student Engagement

TL;DR: Learn to teach kids that failure is a process and never a final state. Mistakes are opportunities to learn, to fail forward, and keep growing. Use picture books to teach resilience and grit. Growth Mindset: No More Giving Up! So often, kids say, “I can’t” or “It’s too hard.” So how do we instill the notion that failure is … Read More

One Simple Strategy to Teach Better: Ask for Feedback

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

TL;DR: Teenagers are not bored, disengaged, and unhappy by nature. Teachers can improve rapidly if we ask students to give us feedback. It can be scary to ask; we need to train ourselves to depersonalize the feedback. A healthy feedback loop produces happier students AND a happier teacher. One Simple Strategy to Teach Better: Ask for Feedback One of our … Read More

What Does It Take To Lead?

PJ and Jamie CreekBlog, Innovation, Leadership

TL;DR: To inspire the next generation of leaders, there are a number of skills that we must foster in the classroom. Have convictions, live with integrity, work on your communication skills, be self-aware, make adjustments when needed, encourage innovation, and be civic-minded. What makes a leader a good leader? It’s easy to point out an ineffective leader, along with exactly … Read More