[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 I get older, I see the value in the adage, “There is wisdom in numbers.” I catch myself more often than not running ideas and proposals by colleagues and friends […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School, Technology
Using Technology in the English/Language Arts Classroom for "Sophisticated Responses"
The headline in The New York Times (6/13/2013) was a little misleading: “Study Gauges Value of Technology in Schools.” The topic of gauging the value of technology is particularly significant given the investment by school districts everywhere in laptops, tablets, computer labs, Smartboards, whiteboards and projectors; but the article only referred to the use of technology in math […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Dear Common Core: Science Supports Reading Fiction
[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”] English teachers are seduced by literature. We fell in love with an author’s language, a fascinating plot turn, or a well-developed character, and we are bold in our love. While students may roll […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Technology
Computer Programming in the Elementary Classroom, Part 2: The Reality
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 […]
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. […]