Too often, self-assessment is treated as a capstone, rather than a catalyst, and portfolios as a scrapbook, rather than a learning tool. On this episode, we go beyond the mistakes we’ve made with self-assessment and portfolios to discover how they can help students tell the story of their learning. Katie White is a Canadian author, consultant, and leader, and she … Read More
Funny about Money | Tim Cavey | High School GPA
In Don’t @ Me (2:36), Tom opens with an observation about how people have a funny relationship with money. Then, Tom is joined by MS Assistant Principal and the host of the Teachers on Fire podcast, Tim Cavey (13:50) for a conversation about an array of educational topics. Finally, in Assessment Corner (49:08), Tom answers a listener question about High … Read More
Generation Wrong? | Defining Success | Emotional Side of Assessment
In Don’t @ Me (2:51), Tom opens with a question about why society defers to the younger generations to set societal norms and whether they ever get it wrong. Then, the podcast circles back (17:01) to previous guests and how they each defined success. Finally, in Assessment Corner (37:13), Tom begins a three-part exploration or think aloud about trauma-informed assessment … Read More
Disruption, Storytelling, and Values in a Thinking Classroom (w Peter Liljedahl)
Many of our institutional norms are causing “studenting” behavior that stifles thinking. Dr. Peter Liljedahl’s research aims to disrupt this behavior through “contrarian experimental methodology” and he has discovered 14 practices that liberate thinking in the classroom. Though his research took place in Mathematics, his findings are applicable for any educator that wants to tap into the emotional experience through … Read More
Testing Season: Multilingual Learners
TL;DR: October and February are months when staff morale tends to dip. February also often brings about the testing season. Multilingual students are often tested even more than the rest of the students. Try to make your class a creative, fun, and inspiring place to be during testing season. The Armpits of the School Year Every January, I tend to … Read More
