Universal design for learning, or UDL, is a common phrase that I’m sure you’ve been hearing tossed around at professional development workshops, team meetings, or just in general educational forums. Universally designing your classroom essentially means that you design your curriculum and delivery of that curriculum to meet the needs of all learners in your class. This means you should … Read More
Standards-Based Grading: The Basics
Standards-Based Grading is a HOT topic right now as educators evaluate what the term “grading” means in the classroom. As grades continue to dictate a student’s ability to be accepted into a university, qualify them for specific career paths, and award financial support, administrators, teachers, and parents have begun taking a special interest in the ideal equation for a “perfect … Read More
What Is Competency Based Learning?
Competency Based Learning (CBL) is gaining popularity and has been growing as more schools, districts, and educational systems realize the many benefits it offers. Called by many names and crossing over many initiatives, including: Mastery Learning, Personalized learning, Formative Assessment, and Differentiation, competency based learning can truly help educators meet the needs of all students. This also begs that we understand … Read More
Stop Saying You Don’t Have Enough Time! (Video)
Trust me, I get it. I’ve been there. Changing your instruction, or implementing something new into your classroom, is not easy. It takes time. But if it is valuable enough and is going to increase the impact on your students learning journey, don’t tell me there’s not enough time. Put the time in now, because the payoff you’ll get later … Read More
What Motivates Students?
There is a question that I’m getting more and more at workshops and trainings and that is “how do I motivate my students to work?” I hate to break it to you, but there is no “magic bullet” solution to this. Every student is going to have their own solution to getting motivated. However, there are some things you can ask … Read More
