In This Post: The flexible seating movement has been going strong for a while now. There is a big misconception that the optimal learning environment requires kids to sit in desks with hard chairs. Flexible Seating Does Not Equal No Structure Not all teachers are the same Get out of your comfort zone. Even if flexible seating is too much, … Read More
Visiting Other Teachers’ Classrooms: Seeing Life on the Other Side
In this post: Often, teachers become experts at their respective age levels, with little to no experience at others. This leads to an unintended consequence of our profession. Stepping out of their daily work environments and seeing what teaching and learning looks like at another grade level can help change perceptions. Some teachers think of themselves as elementary, while others … Read More
It’s A Remix! Remixing Teaching to Give Learning More Life
In This Post: A remix is an adaptation of a song or piece of art. A remix can give a song more life. Could remixing in our classroom give education more life? Could remixing our teaching give learning more life? Last year, I was lucky enough to speak to the staff of SD113A during Opening Institute Day. Here is how … Read More
Level Up Your Classroom With Gamification
In This Post: Consider gamification to level-up your classroom. Gamification is simply adding game elements to something that is not a game. Students love games and may be more engaged, and more likely to retain the information when gamified. Several examples of tools to gamify any unit. Ready to make your school year memorable (in a good way)? Want to … Read More
Dear Desk, It’s Not You, It’s Me: Promoting Student Agency
In This Post: After removing a desk from our learning space, my students reacted with excitement. My realization was that I was too focused on how I saw things, and not on how THEY see them. This lead to 5 pedagogical shifts to promote student agency. In a lonely corner of an elementary classroom stood an oversized wooden desk. Its … Read More