TL;DR: Character and SEL are not an extra. They are the foundation that all other academic content rests on. Include targets for SEL in lessons. CASEL has an interactive framework wheel to use. When creating expectations for your students, you have to intentionally teach the concept of SEL and re-teach it. Include SEL in daily practice, lessons, and activities throughout … Read More
5 Tips to Reimagine School as a Verb
TL;DR: Reimagine school as a verb with these five tips. Start with defining the problem. We need to focus on more than preparing students for the next grade; we need to focus on the necessary human skills of success. Reflection: The pandemic has forced us to relook at the whole learner through a metacognitive lens. Establish a growth mindset to … Read More
4 Steps to Create and Market Your School’s Brand
TL;DR: Plan and execute a strategic process for creating and communicating your school’s brand. Create a brand you want people to hear, see, and feel when they interact with your school district. Your school’s brand is how you do things. It is your culture. It is the WHY that drives you. And it’s the WAY you achieve your goals. Create … Read More
Celebrate Poetry: What Will Your Verse Be?
TL;DR: Poetry offers students an access point into language. Spoken and written word have the power to foster conversation, liberation, and increase student voice. Poetry instruction that is multimodal (spoken word, video, and audio) increases engagement and can be a great way to delve into social justice topics in the classroom. It’s OK to just celebrate poetry without feeling intimidated … Read More
Engage Students with Magic Glasses & Table Dancing
TL;DR: Reimagine your lessons to make them more engaging for students. Some ways to engage students with your lessons include magic glasses and table dancing. Other ways to increase engagement in your lessons include finding ways to infuse movement, friendly competition, student conversations, and sometimes a little whimsy. Bueller? Bueller? Bueller…anyone? Anyone? Are you teaching to an ‘empty’ room? If … Read More