TL;DR: Everyone wants to be engaged. What are some hooks you use in lessons to capture kids’ attention? Use the ATLAS strategy to think about engagement—attention, transition, lesson, activity, and summation. Engagement Engagement! We can’t get away from it. This is only the 3rd post of my new series—Kids Do Better When…and I’m already talking about engagement again. Do you … Read More
How Do You Differentiate Up?
TL;DR: When you differentiate, what are you doing for students who need more of a challenge? You must differentiate up as well. When we hear the term differentiate, we often think this means differentiating to support kids who are struggling. It might mean taking a complex task and chunking it into more easy-to-digest pieces. It could be scaffolding a lesson … Read More
Equity & Inclusion: Diving Deep Into Understanding Classism
TL;DR: Create opportunities to “level the playing field” for your students. Address classism; it benefits everyone by us doing so. Educators hold the key to making a difference when it comes to addressing classism. Deep Diving Into Understanding Classism: Equity & Inclusion Out of all the blogs I have ever yet written, this topic holds the closest spot to my … Read More
The Secret of Building Resilient Kids: Growth Mindset
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
Developing Agency in Students
TL;DR: As educators and parents, we need to develop agency in our kids. Help them set goals to work towards. Give them opportunities for independence. Build their self-confidence. The start of a new school year is a very exciting time for students, teachers, and parents. For many, it’s a bustling time for last-minute summer fun activities. In addition, preparations are … Read More