Student learning is no accident!
“The ones that are doing the talking are doing the learning.” I know that. But, no matter how many times I say it, the impact on student learning in front of me is profound and somehow surprising. There is no example stronger than that of talking about fractions in math class. I’ve spent most of my career spending part of… Read More
I used to cringe watching students stuff papers into their folders to be lost in the locker abyss… after I had spent so much time thoughtfully providing feedback on their work!! I spend so much time writing thoughtful questions about their math thinking and comments aimed at pushing their scientific curiosity… It was killing me to know that none of… Read More
Jump to improve counting with Mental Math Bingo or Base Ten Games. We have been counting in second grade all year: waiting in line, backwards and forwards, by 2s, 3s, 5s, 10s. Sometimes we start in the hundreds, other times the teens… So, why am I observing students struggle to cross decades when counting in the midst of double digit… Read More
One of my biggest take aways from a New Teacher Center Mentor Academy last year was, “the ones who are doing the talking are doing the learning.” The focus of that academy was Coaching for Equity, and we spent time thinking about Conditions that Support Students with Exceptionalities. Early on in that academy, one of my amazing colleagues suggested that… Read More
Whether you teach math, social studies or general music, I know you want to facilitate amazing classroom discussions! You may want to give Alexis Wiggins’ version of the SPIDER Web Discussion strategy a try. She has been refining this strategy for seven years and shares her experiences and her rubrics! While students are the ones discussing, the teacher is still… Read More
So, your school department actually has a manual for you and it’s full of printables… They were designed by educators and statisticians… and people that must know more about teaching this content than you do… so why aren’t you students engaged? Well, I am writing this post to make sure you don’t “throw out the baby with the bath water!”… Read More
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Millions of kids can't read well. Scientists have known for decades how children learn to read but many schools are ignoring the research. They buy teacher training and books that are rooted in a disp...