3 Ways to Focus on the “Why” Instead of the “What” – Building Deeper Meaning in Learning

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In this post: How to move from “What” to “Why” Dive into DoK to deepen the learning Just ask! The power of asking your students “Why” Don’t rob students of the chance to discover and go deeper Ban “What” From Your Classroom Education has long been far too focused on the acquisition of information and learning how to follow algorithms … Read More

It’s About Why, Not What – Getting Beyond the Facts and into the Meaning Behind the Learning

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In this post: What really matters in learning – and why we so often miss it Please, don’t use the butterfly method or impose death-by-grammar-worksheets How to move from “What” to “Why” 3 ways you can make the shift right now Picture this – you are sitting in your next staff meeting and the district has brought in someone to … Read More

When is the Right Time in Teaching to…?

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In This Post: Deciding when you should, and shouldn’t, discuss controversial topics with students. Is it ever the right time for test prep? Putting on your #GritBritches and sticking your neck out for awesomeness! When is the right time to…? Such an ever-present question, right? Have you ever found yourself wondering, “Is now a good time to discuss ____?” or … Read More

16: You are enough. – Chuck Poole shares stories from his 19 years of experience as a teacher, coach, and mentor.

Teach Better TeamTeach Better Talk Podcast

Episode 16 - Teach Better Talk Podcast

Middle school language arts teach, and founder of Teachonomy, Chuck poole, shares stories from his 19 years of experience. Chuck talks about how a failure as a coach lead him to make invaluable changes in his classroom, instilling a mindset of family and allowing his students to take ownership of their learning. Most importantly, Chuck reminds us all that we … Read More

Let Spoken Word Transform Your Poetry Unit!

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Let Spoken Word Transform Your Poetry Unit

Don’t Fear the Poetry Unit. I don’t know about you, but the loudest collective groan to ricochet off the four walls of my classroom occurs the moment I announce the start of our poetry unit. Without fail, students go into panic mode. They offer to do double the homework for a month if we could just read another novel. I … Read More