TL;DR: Telling is the feeding of information without any real background of what students are doing or why. Teaching is giving context, explaining the “why” and “how” of what you want students to know. More learning happens through the process of teaching. An example of telling vs. teaching is explained. In a recent conversation with one of my teachers, I … Read More
What’s Your Superpower? Mine Is Teaching!
TL;DR: In 2020, educators had on their “superhero” outfits to bring about an educational revolution. Superpower traits that were discovered last year involve striking a balance, creating empowering lessons with student input, discovering your network, digital learning platforms, technology, learning what you don’t know, connecting, being yourself, gathering feedback, and embracing change. As 2021 starts, a new year with new … Read More
Post-Pandemic Mental Health: Is Stigma Staying in 2020?
TL;DR: To end the mental health stigma, we must provide space to talk about ALL mental health/mental illness without judgment. Mindfulness is only one of the many tools teachers and students can use as a way of fostering emotional regulation. We must recognize the various types of mental illness and normalize the treatment process. Since March 2020, anxiety has become … Read More
Building Better Rubrics
In This Post: An experience with a badly created rubric. What rubrics should measure… and what they shouldn’t. Ideas to include students in rubrics and assessment. Some time ago, I sat listening to presentations from my students. I paused at a student who obviously had not understood the concepts they were presenting on. The student spoke well, included the required components in … Read More
Teach Happier! Tips for Teaching Happier
In This Post: Introducing a new monthly piece: Teach Happier! An overview of what Suzanne will be sharing each month to help educators teach happier. We are all a part of the Teach Better Family because we want to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday and better tomorrow than we were today. We are ALL IN. Being a part … Read More