Posted inCommon Core, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, Literacy, Opinion, Science, Social Studies, Uncategorized

Teacher Collaboration: Scaffolding by Grade Levels

Is your department communicating? It seems like common sense, however, too many times teachers in the same subjects are not communicating from one level to the next. Students shouldn’t have to fill in gaps when they progress within a subject.  Teachers need to move beyond the possessive view of students and begin to collaborate across […]

Posted inAsk a Teacher, Current Events in Education, Educational Apps, From the Front Lines, High School, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, New Teacher Bootcamp, Recruitment & Retention, Teacher Branding

#SATCHAT’s Coalition of the Willing Should Be in Teacher Ed Programs

Rather than sleep in, hundreds of educators spend Saturday mornings (7:30 EST) tweeting away on Twitter in discussions with other educators worldwide about current issues in education. The hashtag #satchat takes educators to the discussion selected for that morning. The topics are usually posted by one of the coordinators so that educators can prepare in advance for […]

Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, Featured, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Middle School, Technology

The Instructional Techie: Interview with James Sanders of the Ed Tech Team

This article was edited for length from the original interview. To see the whole interview, please view the video embedded at the end of the article. [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”] On February 16th, I sat […]

Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Literacy

Prepare for Next Week's Forecast: Snowy, with a Chance of School

It’s snowing again in New England. It’s February. No surprise. In fact, snow days are not a surprise for thousands of school districts across the US. Snow days interrupt instruction. Again, No surprise. It’s a fact that schools have requirements for school instruction days and for instruction hours or seat time. So if snow days and […]

Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Technology

Differentiating your Formative Assessments

The point of teaching is to learn.  Each student comes to us with different experiences and this impacts how and when they master the various concepts and skills presented in the classroom.  Part of teaching is understanding where students are in a lesson, skill, and unit.  Exit tickets have become the buzz, but there are many […]

Posted inClassroom Management, Instructional Strategies, Middle School, Social Studies, Technology, Uncategorized

21st Century Classroom Management is… Fun?

Recently a veteran colleague and a teacher in training posed questions concerning classroom management and power struggles with students. Years ago the approach to dealing with students who test the boundaries of rules was quick and strict reprimand.  Students were graded on neatness, orderly and timely manners, for being quiet unless called upon. While there […]

Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Professional Development

Sparking Class Discussions with One Simple Question

Guest Writer: Arpine Ovsepyan, M.A. “What did you learn in class today?” This is a simple question that helps open the door for thought-provoking classroom discussions, serves as a formative assessment, and provides closure to a lesson. For a little over two years, I have made the commitment to never end a class without asking […]