Last week I wrote an article about teaching computer programming in elementary classrooms. I know, there are things you have to cover that seem to override computer programming. It seems like something extra to do at the end of the school year, after testing, when your curriculum has been covered. And administrators like to see results […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Principals' Corner
How To Increase Your Education Salary by $40K in 5 Years
By Anthony Lawson Note: Not every teacher wants to go into administration. This article is for the ones who do. When I first began my teaching career in 2008, I earned somewhere between $50,000-$55,000. I already had a master’s degree, so I was making a little more than many of my fellow colleagues whose salaries […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School
Part 2: How I Created a Professional Development Program and Lived to Tell About It
[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”] Many schools experience a gap in the scores of state assessments between regular education students and special education students. The “gap” is the spread in scores of regular education students compared […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Technology
Computer Programming in the Elementary Classroom (Part 1)
[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”] We teach our students to prepare them for their futures. Elementary educators know it goes beyond our classroom walls and what our students learn inside these walls. We see the path […]
Posted inFine Arts, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
97% Reading Accuracy Now, Problems Later
I hear the chatter from elementary school teachers: -They can’t wait for reading! -Oh, they love to read! -When we have to cancel reading, they are so disappointed. Yet, what happens when I get the ninth graders in my class? I hear: -Reading is so boring. -I hate to read. -I don’t like reading. […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum
Habits of Mind: Questioning and Posing Problems Through Summer Reflection
“To be or not to be, that is the question” — William Shakespeare. [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”] As the school year ends and we move into summer there are things we do as educators and […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Principals' Corner, School Improvement
The Necessity of Failure: The Challenge of Assessments
I have just finished grading final exams for high school sophomores, and I can’t help but wonder if I am guilty of cheating. Balancing high standards with opportunities for retakes shapes my approach to developing assessments. In my view, a student who fails one section of multiple choice should have the opportunity to write more […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Parents
Working with Struggling Readers at Home
For most of us, summer is already here. Your child has survived the school year and is ready to move onto other things – video games, camp outs, vacation, sleeping in late, etc. However, if your child struggles with reading, your child cannot afford to completely take the summer off. Following are tips I have […]