I’m finishing this first full quarter with the 1:1 iPad classroom but apps do not hold attention spans this time of year. With April, love springs to life in all of its awkward forms. Attention spans are diverted towards prom invitations and long looks out windows; lacrosse, melting snows on the softball diamond hold great appeal. Thus […]
School Improvement
Posted inOpinion, School Improvement, Uncategorized
Children Are Not Widgets
In an effort to improve education, many reformers suggest that we use a business approach to evaluate teachers. To do this they suggest that teachers must be rated based on what they “do” for the children that they teach. For many, this means judging the quality of a teacher based on the improvements students make […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, School Improvement
Gaming as the Future of Learning: The Truly Epic Win [Part 1]
What if the future of learning is not measuring student achievement in high stakes standardized testing? What if, instead, the future of learning is in the magic of a great game? Ever since the 1983 “A Nation at Risk” report on the American education system, policymakers have consistently insisted that more and more high stakes […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, School Improvement
Gamify your Class without Electricity
Class Dojo, Socrative, Nearpod, Zondle and Play Brighter dominate most conversations about gamification in education. This focus on technology and apps automatically alienates some teachers: “I don’t have any computers in my room, so that leaves me out!” However, it is possible to gamify your class in the absence of any technology . . . […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, School Improvement, Social Studies, Technology
The Absent Educator in a 1:1 iGen Classroom
Every once in a while, I have to take a sick day as a result of my own human frailty. A foot surgery scheduled for April was suddenly bumped up to last week, leaving me three days to prepare. As an educator, I hate missing school and I despise writing sub plans. Even with the […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, How to Fix Education, Interviews, Middle School, Principals' Corner, School Improvement
Inspirational Educator: Deborah R. Gerhardt
We at The Educator’s Room have a quest to locate and speak with any and every Inspirational Educator we can find. For this segment, we turn to North Carolina – currently a hotbed of pro-teacher – and much needed – educational reform. [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” […]
Posted inOpinion, School Improvement, Uncategorized
Why Smaller is Better: Class Sizes Matter
When I was in first grade, way back in the early 1960’s, there were 52 students in my class. It was the baby boom. It was a Catholic school. It still was an astonishing number of children. There were three reading groups named Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Those poor Joseph’s! How can you learn to […]
Posted inFeatured, Interviews, School Improvement
Inspirational Educators: Jeff Charbonneau, 2013 National Teacher of the Year
[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”] Jake Miller, writer for The Educator’s Room, recently sat down for his 2nd installment of his Inspirational Educator series. This month’s honoree was 2013 National Teacher of the Year Jeff Charbonneau (@JeffCharboneau), […]