TL;DR: Teenagers are not bored, disengaged, and unhappy by nature. Teachers can improve rapidly if we ask students to give us feedback. It can be scary to ask; we need to train ourselves to depersonalize the feedback. A healthy feedback loop produces happier students AND a happier teacher. One Simple Strategy to Teach Better: Ask for Feedback One of our … Read More
One Thing Leads to Another
TL;DR: In order for students to be college and career ready, they need to have soft skills. Like all learning, this does not happen overnight. It builds over time. Incorporate soft skills into your teaching at all levels. One Thing Leads to Another Recently, the job website CareerBuilder did a survey of employers on what they are looking for in … Read More
Learning Through Exploration
TL;DR: Exploration taps into a student’s natural curiosity. It provides a way to use the content vocabulary authentically. Exploration encourages sharing and further discovery. It’s a great way to intentionally structure your instruction for your students. Beginning of the Year It is the beginning of the school year and students are returning to classrooms full of hope, excitement, and nervousness. … Read More
Teaching Through the Circles: Previewing the Standards
TL;DR: A great idea can be transferred to many different applications. Don’t be afraid to put your spin on a great idea. Give credit where credit is due. Teach Better Team I am honored to be part of an incredible community of teachers through the Teach Better team, my own district, and several teaching groups via social media. A little … Read More
In Praise of Split Classes
TL;DR: A split class is a class created with students from two different age groups. Split classes allow you to form deeper relationships with students. Students are seen as individual learners in a split classroom. A split classroom allows students the opportunity to lead younger students. split class: a class grouping that includes students at two adjacent grade levels (for … Read More