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
Making the First Day Last
TL;DR: Leverage first week get to know yous for long-term relationships. Mini challenges are a great way to observe group dynamics. Create seating charts and small groups based on collective strength. Bring transparency and group sharing to PLCs and admin teams. As teachers, we learn so much about our students in the first six weeks of the school year. We … 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
Summer Reflections: Best Practices
TL;DR: Relationships you build with your students go beyond the classroom. Research-based best practices are worth the extra effort. It is not enough to know your content, you have to know how to teach it. As I write this blog, it is mid July, and for me, that is the sweet spot during the summer. Enough time has passed to … Read More