Ready or not, my rural high school is preparing to deliver 1:1 iPads to our entire middle and high school populations next fall. Furtive conversations abound in halls and at lunch gatherings as we debate the possibilities and traditional needs of classroom learning. There has always been a fine line between reliance on products that facilitate […]
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Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Wikipedia Steps on Women Writers in Stepping Towards the Scholarly
A short-lived category sub-set in a Wikipedia entry set off a feminist firestorm at the end of April. In an editorial for the New York Times titled “Wikipedia’s Sexism,” the writer Amanda Filipacchi noted the removal of women writers from the Wikipedia web page category “American Novelists;” women writers had been regrouped under a new web page, […]
Posted inBook Review, Opinion
“World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements” A Book Review
World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements, by John Hunter Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2013 As teachers we need inspiration and support. If you are feeling a need to think about your purpose in the classroom and the meaning you have on those in your path, pick up a copy of World Peace and […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion, School Improvement
32 Qualities of Effective Educators
I revisited my roots a bit this week by putting myself in a new teacher’s shoes and looking at the “Pennsylvania Standard Teaching Application.” On the very last page of the application, there are 3 essay choices. I was immediately drawn to one that asked, “What are the qualities of an effective educator?” I challenged […]
Posted inFeatured, School Improvement
40 Quotes for Exceptional Educators
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” -William Arthur Ward “The truth of it is – the first rudiments of education are given very indiscreetly by most parents.” -Sir Richard Steele “The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.” -US Army […]
Posted inFeatured, Fine Arts, From the Front Lines
Drama in the Classroom
Everyone likes drama. No, not the kind of drama that happens on Monday nights during “The Bachelor” (I know I have better things to do, it’s just that or “Hoarders” at the gym). People enjoy the kind of drama that holds your attention – the kind that makes you gasp, laugh, cry and smile. Students […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Uncategorized
What Interdisciplinary Writing Assessments Can Learn from Saturday Night Live
This post completes a trilogy of reflections on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) which will be terminated once the new Smarter Balance Assessments tied to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are implemented. There will be at least one more year of the same CAPT assessments, specifically the Interdisciplinary Writing Prompt (IW) where 10th […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Digital Learning and You: How Online Tools Prepare Students for Citizenship
Facing History and Ourselves is an international educational and professional development organization whose mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice and anti-Semitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. In the article below, Facing History’s Director of Online Community, Practice, and Research […]