I was in attendance at a social studies department meeting reviewing how current curricula addresses Proficiency Based Graduation Requirements (PBGR). A disagreement occurred over the requirement of mental mapping as a performance indicator.  Teachers accustomed to multiple choice and essay writing for common assessment could not discern what constituted a mental map. The recall of Venn diagrams, illustrated maps with inset boxes and character […]
assessment
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Instructional Strategies, Opinion
The Counter-Productivity of the Testing Mentality
The other day, I came to team planning with some really great exploration activities and math tasks for students to use to deepen their understanding of the concepts we were learning in class. As the person who writes the formal lesson plans for our department and a graduate student, I take my job seriously, and […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies
Stop Grading Everything! On Grading What Matters
What should teachers include in their grade book? Coming from several school cultures where there is a category for everything and almost everything is graded, I notice a recurring theme. Students who typically do well continue to do so, but the students who struggle rarely find success. The fact that homework, classwork, quizzes, and tests […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Opinion, Teacher Burnout, Uncategorized
Teacher Burnout: A Series of Fresh Starts
I hate finals. There. I said it. I really and truly hate finals. I’m pretty sure it’s my least favorite time as a teacher. Two weeks before the end of each semester, all real teaching stops, and students move into review, prep and panic mode. They stress over facts not mentioned since September and scramble […]
Posted inElementary School, Instruction & Curriculum, Social Studies
Cafe Walk: Review of Learning
In my past 20 years as an educator teaching has changed.  I love seeing the active involvement of students in their learning.  Gone are the days of lecture, record, regurgitate.  Students jump into learning and show what they know in a variety of ways.  With that, there are a variety of ways to review what has […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, Uncategorized
Why Data is Important
There were eight of us gathered together early Wednesday morning: 8th grade teachers of History, English, PE, Math, Science, Spanish, a para educator and a counselor. Our task? Analyzing data from last year’s SBAC scores. To three in the group, this was an impossible task. Immediately the environment became toxic. “Maybe you like data, Jennifer, […]
Posted inEducational Apps, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Technology
Clear Out Your App Collection And Build Student Mastery
The education technology industry is one of the most quickly growing industries in the United States. Billions of dollars are spent annually by tech juggernauts such as Pearson, Kaplan, and Apollo Group as they develop Learning Management Systems (LMSs), mobile apps, tutoring services, online course offerings, and digital textbooks. In terms of sheer dollar amounts […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies
Ways to Review after the Test
The test is over. There are looks of relief in your students’ eyes, but the panic begins in your chest. Did they do well? Did they understand the concept? You grade as quickly as you can and hand back papers. The questions begin and the students chat comparing answers. There is never enough time for […]