Blended Learning without Mastery Learning: The Failure of A New Initiative Without Proper Scaffolding

Rae HughartBlog, Innovate Better, Lesson Plan Better, Manage Better, Mastery Done Better

Blended Learning without Mastery Learning

Post Highlights Blended Learning is an idea and new district initiative taking over many areas around the country. Blended learning is any formal education program in which a student learns, at least in part, through online mediums. A mastery learning classroom is a commitment to students’ ability to master content before moving on to more challenging information. It is possible … Read More

Student Reflection: How to Ensure It’s Done, Done Well, and Done With Grit

Rae HughartBlog, Engage Better, Innovate Better, Lesson Plan Better, Manage Better, Reflect Better

Student Reflection - How to ensure it's done, done well, and done with grit

Research shows daily student reflection and goal setting has positive effects on students. The missing piece of implementing reflection and goal setting in many classrooms is student ownership. Allowing students to choose the medium used, providing open-ended questions, sharing (some) of that reflection with stakeholders, embedding it into routine to make it a habit, reflection checks, and reflection on the … Read More

Create Your Own Breakout EDU or Escape Room Challenge

Erin HealeyBlog, Innovate Better, Lesson Plan Better

Create Your Own Breakout or Escape Room Challenge

I love the concept of Escape Rooms and Breakout EDU challenges! I think escape rooms and breakout EDU challenges are great ways to encourage teamwork, build a strong and positive classroom culture, and engage students with challenging ideas in a low-stress (but high-fun!) way. Over the last year, I’ve created my own version of a hybrid-Escape/Breakout Challenge that is very … Read More

Let Spoken Word Transform Your Poetry Unit!

Teach Better TeamBlog, Lead Better, Lesson Plan Better

Let Spoken Word Transform Your Poetry Unit

Don’t Fear the Poetry Unit. I don’t know about you, but the loudest collective groan to ricochet off the four walls of my classroom occurs the moment I announce the start of our poetry unit. Without fail, students go into panic mode. They offer to do double the homework for a month if we could just read another novel. I … Read More

Creating a Mastery Grid in Google Docs (video)

Teach Better TeamBlog, Lesson Plan Better, Manage Better, Mastery Done Better, Tech Better, Video(s)

Creating a mastery grid in google docs - video

Working on your next Mastery Grid?  Video Highlights Editing a Mastery Grid template can get a little tricky when you don’t have the same numbers of learning opportunities at each level as the template does. Have no fear! This video will show you how to build your own Mastery Grids in Google Docs using tables and merging cells. Build … Read More