Posted inFeatured, Instructional Strategies, Social Justice

5 Ways Teachers Can Fight the Power

Reflections from the annual conference of New York Collective of Radical Educators Before I even sat down for my first workshop at the 2016 New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE) conference, I knew I would be leaving reinvigorated. The keynote speaker of the seventh annual NYCoRE conference, themed “Fight the Power” was Dr. Bettina […]

Posted inClassroom Management, Special Education

Special Education Assistants – How to Make the Most of an Important Resource (Part 3)

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Teachers usually welcome all the help they can get.  Unfortunately, teachers are not always prepared to best work with Educational Assistants.  Even the most experienced teacher can improve their management skills […]

Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy

5 Ways to Incorporate Literacy in the Non-ELA Classroom

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] According to the Australian Curriculum Website, the definition of literacy in the Australian Curriculum is informed by a social view of language that considers how language works to construct meaning in different […]

Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Uncategorized

What Interdisciplinary Writing Assessments Can Learn from Saturday Night Live

This post completes a trilogy of reflections on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) which will be terminated once the new Smarter Balance Assessments tied to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are implemented. There will be at least one more year of the same CAPT assessments, specifically the Interdisciplinary Writing Prompt (IW) where 10th […]

Posted inCommon Core, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Uncategorized

The Irony of Not Teaching the Importance of Teaching

Every May, one week is designated as Teacher Appreciation Week. There will be the customary newspaper coverage of favorite teacher stories,  the hashtag #thankateacher will trend on Twitter, and celebrities will post videos thanking teachers as the most important influences in their lives. These are all wonderful and appropriate tributes to the profession that prepares our nation’s […]