Is It Homework or Busy Work?

Chad OstrowskiBlog, Innovation, Leadership

Is it homework or busy work in your classroom?

It’s The Age Old Debate. Depending on which camp you belong to, you are either starting to get fired up about students needing practice at home, OR you are thinking “down with homework!” To be honest, I see the merit of both arguments and there is a lot of research out there that supports practice and also says additional work … Read More

Why PBL’s Fail, And What You Can Do About It.

Chad OstrowskiBlog, Classroom Management, Innovation

Why problem based learning fails - and what you can do about it

The Power and Pitfalls of PBL’s Alright, lets just get this part out of the way first: I realize there are drastic differences between project based learning and problem based learning experiences, but for the purpose of this post I am going to hybridize the two concepts because the content of what you are about to read is relevant for … Read More

Teacher Evaluations and Why They Don’t Matter in Your Classroom

Chad OstrowskiClassroom Management, Innovation, Leadership

Teacher Evaluations and Why They Don't Matter In Your Classroom

Is your classroom evaluation the “Greatest Show On Earth?” While working with many schools and districts I often discuss the evaluation process with both principals and their administration, as well as their teachers.  It’s always a somewhat touchy subject, but I’ve never been able to figure out why. Why the current system is lacking. While I fully understand that you … Read More