Progressive. A term often used, and equally often, misunderstood. The term might seem nebulous at times, but the vagueness surrounding it does not mean it lacks definition. Over a century ago, Helen Parkhurst actually did just that – defined that which Dewey himself said couldn’t be.
Read MoreRigor is the most misunderstood word in education. Fortunately, it’s not terribly hard to define. According to Norman Webb, rigor is about climbing the conceptual ladder, pushing our students to delve deeper, question more, and connect the dots between the known and the unknown.
Read MoreParent-Teacher Conferences present us with a prime opportunity to harness and amplify the home-school partnership. To bridge and fortify this partnership during conferences, we must create an environment of mutual respect and understanding, empowering parents as equal partners in their child’s education.
Read MoreResearch has consistently highlighted the importance of learning targets for students. A study by Hattie (2009) found that clear learning intentions and success criteria are among the most impactful teaching strategies, with an effect size significantly higher than many other educational interventions.
Read MoreThere are many things we can do in a classroom to improve learning, but some of these interventions cost quite a bit of time and preparation. However, the beauty of entry and exit routines is their simplicity and efficiency; they demand minimal time and have no associated cost.
Read MoreResearch repeatedly demonstrates the inefficacy of end-of-year student-teacher evaluations. This is why I love the Wellington Engagement Index. The WEI captures students' in-the-moment reactions to their classes, providing genuine and immediate insight that stands in contrast to feedback collected after a longer period.
Read MoreInstead of pushing back against new technologies, what are you doing in your classroom to introduce, embrace, and integrate technologies that will actually prepare students for this brave and largely unknown world that lies ahead for them?
Read MoreIt takes tremendous courage to take risks in the classroom. I mean, we don’t want to fail the students in front of us. We want to ensure that we are giving them our best. What I want to remind you of is that our best is rarely synonymous with the way we’ve done things before.
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