Incentives inspire learning because incentives drive choices. I learn this every time I buy a Starbucks coffee and receive a free app or song download. My app can guide me by GPS to any coffee shop where I use free wifi and earn stars that eventually gain me a free coffee. This has me wondering […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inCommon Core, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Step Up and Teach- Part 3: ELA Speaking and Listening Standards
Read Part 1 of this series about Reading Standards here. Read Part 2 of this series about Writing Standards here. [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”] With the push of state testing and No Child Left […]
Posted inChild Development, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum
Moving Into Young Adulthood – The Development of Our 14-16 Year-Olds
Those of us who are fortunate enough to watch our fourteen-, fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds develop into young men and women sit with bated breath as they begin making choices in life that will stick with them for some time. Let’s see where these kiddos are in their five areas of development. Cognitive Development: These kids […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Step Up and Teach – Part 2: ELA Writing Standards
Read Part 1 of this series about Reading Standards here. [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”] Princess, my first grader, writes all of the time. One day in kindergarten, after getting into trouble at home, I […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Why Not Teach to the Advanced Placement Test?
The recent invitation to respond to the statement “Don’t Teach the Test” was under discussion in the New York Times: Invitation to a Dialogue series. The question was posed by Peter Schmidt, the director of studies at Gill St. Bernard’s School, and he singled out two tests in particular: the SAT and the Advanced Placement Tests. Schmidt suggested that the SAT […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Classroom Management, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum
Differentiate When Students Dance to a Different Beat
[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”] You are different from anyone else, and you are defined by those differences. So are students. Each student will learn and perform differently in any classroom. A classroom of a hypothetical […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Step Up and Teach – Part 1: ELA Reading Standards
The year is 1996. I take a huge shaky breath and walk into the classroom. Smiling a welcome, the experienced teacher directs me to a small table. Ten small pairs of eyes gather around me, anxious and just as unsure as I am. I open up the teacher manual and read from the script. We […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Let's Talk About Sex, Baby
So, let’s talk about the unmentionable, which should be mentioned before kids start giggling and sneaking around experimenting: SEX. We teach all other three-letter-words when kids are young, so why is this one neglected? Sure, it’s the parents’ responsibility to cover this subject. But the fact of the matter is: most parents aren’t doing this, […]