As you read this you probably have a lot of ideas floating through your head about the amazing learning activities you’re going to experience with your students. Whether it is an idea you read about in an article, something a colleague of yours has tried, or an awesome PD session you’ve attended, it’s time to put those concepts into action! Regardless of … Read More
The Power of Formative Assessment (Video)
Chad discusses the power of using formative assessment in your classroom to improve student success.
The Why of Curriculum Compacting
Why use curriculum compacting, or…why should you be like a trash compactor? If you read the first part of this series on curriculum compacting, you know that the basic premise behind the instructional practice is allowing students to skip content that they have already shown mastery of, thereby moving them further through the material in less time. So where does … Read More
Meaningful Assignments and Grading (Video)
TRANSCRIPT BELOW Hey guys, it’s Chad and I want to take a minute to talk about something that’s been bothering me. It has to do with grading. I was talking to a parent the other day and they were talking about how their child brings home these stacks of homework but the teacher only gives them a participation grade. So … Read More
5 Reasons to STOP Using Textbooks in Your Lesson Planning
As I continue working with more and more teachers I’m often surprised at how many I still see “page turning” to plan instruction. “Page turning” is a form of lesson planning that a teacher uses, that is simply opening a textbook and continuing where they left off during the last lesson. Now don’t get me wrong, textbooks have their place … Read More