[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”] Everyone knows that magic is an illusion. And yet, from time to time, I am quite certain that it is magic—not chance or merely good fortune—making an appearance in my classroom. […]
Opinion
Posted inChild Development, Classroom Management, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
The Importance of Executive Function
[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”] Do you have a student who just can’t seem to follow a set of directions, no matter how simple they may seem? Or one who seems to drift from one assignment […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
Looking at the 'Small' Picture
My family and I attend Lifechurch.tv. Now don’t stop reading and get offended because I’ve thrown a church reference in there. This isn’t going to be churchy. Or preachy. Or holier-than-thou. This month’s series is over Small Things, Big Differences. And although Pastor Craig IS focusing on a more church-appropriate message, I have been thinking […]
Posted inFeatured, Fine Arts, Opinion
What If You Are Teaching the Next Picasso?
[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”] My wife and I just finished our honeymoon tour of Spain, and one place that put me in awe was the Museo Picasso in Barcelona. This collection showcased a completely different […]
Posted inOpinion
The Dog Won’t Eat Your Homework Now: Rethinking Homework in Elementary Classrooms
[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”] I am not a believer in homework. I am, however, a huge believer in learning. I am a huge believer in doing things with your children. I am a huge […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion, School Improvement, Uncategorized
Disproportionate Evaluative Rigor and The Three Laws of Data
[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”] I promised in a recent post called The Tyranny of the Datum to write about some guiding standards for appropriate data usage, in the spirit of Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of […]
Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, Literacy, Mathematics, Opinion, Social Studies
6 Ways To Teach Critical Thinking Skills
[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”] Critical thinking skills. What are they, anyway? How do teachers apply them in the classroom? There are just as many answers as there are questions. This article will attempt to simplify […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, New Teacher Bootcamp, Opinion, Parents
Give Them A Hero- Advocating for Students
My family and I spent New Year’s Eve together, which may not sound like much, except that my three kids are 19, 17 and 14. I know they could have gone with friends, but they chose to stay home and ring in 2014 with mom, dad and grandma. I was so excited that they made […]