Professional development is only as good as the level of understanding, application, and synthesis accomplished by the participants. You can learn an amazing amount of information, but if you do not apply this information, and internalize it to restructure your teaching, then it is time lost. The hour and a half spent monthly with my […]
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Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Social Studies
Learning With Our Inner-Gamer: Using Board Games in the Social Studies Classroom
The idea of using games in the classroom has been a popular practice for teachers across varying disciplines for years. Board games have offered meaningful ways for teachers to easily captive students in learning experiences; scenario based games have offered teachers means to encourage students to think more deeply about topics; card games have offered […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Opinion, Teacher Branding, The Unemployed Teacher
Education is Changing, and We Must be Ready. An Unemployed Teacher Offers a Place to Start for the New Year.
To buy Cari’s book that details her sudden unemployment, “How to Finish the Test When Your Pencil Breaks” please click here. As a teacher who has been out of work for almost two years now, I find the holidays bring an interesting sense of out-of-sync timing. I can clearly remember the visceral relief at the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Let's Just Sit Down and Talk! The Socratic Discussion: Creative Implementation of Common Core Assessment
One of the most misunderstood aspects of implementing Common Core standards is that they are about learning goals, not methods. This opens up lots of possibilities for including the standards in assessments across the curriculum. The standards currently include core skills and knowledge in Reading, Writing, and Math.  However, the idea is not to limit […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Instruction & Curriculum, Technology
"No," Cico said, "it’s just a game." Bringing Gaming to Education
The spear whistled through the air, but the aim was low. The huge tail swished and contemptuously flipped it aside. Then the black form dropped into the foaming waters. “Missed,” Cico groaned. He retrieved his line slowly… “Are you sorry you missed?” I asked as we slid our feet into the cool water. “No,” Cico […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Gathering Data in a Standards-Based Literacy Classroom
When was the United States founded? What elements are combined to make Nitrous Oxide? What is the slope of 6x + 7? Which word is spelled correctly in this sentence? These questions may seem awfully familiar as these are the type of base level questions we experienced in our formative years in education. Some may […]