Highlights of 2022: In Case You Missed It This post shares highlights of Teach Better blog posts in 2022. Categories for posts include SEL, Management, Instructional practices, Connections & Collaboration, Development & Improvement, Leadership, Self-Care, Reflection, and monthly series. SEL Carrying Heavy Things: Support Our Students by Matthew J. Bowerman The Secret of Building Resilient Kids by Pamela Hall Random Acts … Read More
Making The Abstract Concrete
TL;DR: Students sometimes struggle with abstract concepts and need concrete examples. Write stories to help teach them these concepts. As educators, we strive to meet the needs of all of our students and build in as much differentiation as possible. While our students dive deeper into the Depth of Knowledge levels and more secondary curricular content, students may need scaffolds … Read More
Leaders, Here’s How To Support Interdisciplinary Unit Planning
TL;DR: Interdisciplinary units deepen students’ learning experiences. Have teachers decide what they want to focus on for an interdisciplinary unit. Hold a planning meeting to talk about the unit and co-plan. Plan on meeting throughout the unit with other teachers to see how it’s going and tweak things. Allow teachers to teach what they’re excited about. Celebrate your successes! Interdisciplinary … Read More
Buy-In vs Collective Commitments
TL;DR: Sometimes school leadership teams wait to get buy-in before completing an action. Waiting for buy-in can cause delays in implementation. Collective commitment means putting the kids first rather than forming an adult-centric school. Waiting for Buy-In When principals or school improvement teams attempt to implement a new program or initiative, it is common to hear the phrase, “We will … Read More
The Power of a Pen
TL;DR: A pen teaches students that mistakes are learning opportunities. It gives students time to pause and think before they write. It empowers students by providing them with skills they can use throughout their lives. Every December, I gave a present to my students. Yes, I taught middle school. Yes, I had over 100 students each year. And yes, it … Read More