TL;DR: Blended learning promotes student ownership and helps to address the needs of different styles of learners. A successful example of blended learning at Sangamon Valley Middle School offers the best of both worlds. The shortcomings vs. benefits of blended learning are explored. Envisioning a New Normal: Imagine the Possibilities The pandemic has created a great deal of angst for … Read More
Inspire Serendipity
TL;DR: Serendipity is the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Four personal stories point out the importance of making students feel liked, happy, empowered, and important. The small acts of love in our day have the power to make a permanent impression. The word serendipity is just plain fun to say. The meaning of the word is … Read More
3 Suggestions to Make Evaluation More Meaningful
TL;DR: Reduce the teacher evaluation pressure by investing in more conversations and more time in classrooms. See tips for how to make a pre-conference more meaningful. Praise heaping, rating justification, and point proving are three conference styles. The best solution is to give 2-3 key goals for improvement. If anything, last year seemed to be EVERYTHING. I like to say … Read More
3 Steps to Overcome Feeling Burned Out
TL;DR: Overcome feeling burned out by keeping it real, getting uncomfortable, and setting positive goals. Be an active participant in your mental and spiritual health. Spend some time to reflect. Dive deeper into the who, what, when, why, and how of your situation. Burnout requires a jump start. Consider whether you need to work on your mental, emotional, physical, or … Read More
3 Strategies to Support Student Understanding
TL;DR: Schools and districts need to think ahead to the future and prepare a strategy to meet the needs of each learner. The most effective strategy to support student understanding may be to combine the following: Through a deficit approach to provide additional support to fill in the gaps. Building on the strengths of learners through assessments, feedback, and academic … Read More