One day, I walked into my classroom to discover I had less pencils than the day before. I hadn’t given any out, so this made no sense. Then I found a broken white-out tape dispenser hidden among my things. I sighed and put things in my desk that I didn’t want taken. A few days […]
classroom strategies
Posted inFeatured, Instructional Strategies, Mathematics
Make Leading Productive Math Discussions a Cinch!
Can you remember a time when you asked a question during math class, intending to start a productive math discussion on a topic you went over as a class, and noticed that you only saw the hands of your frequent contributors? What do you do when only 15% of your class actually contributes to the […]
Posted inCommon Core, Mathematics, Middle School
10 Great Resources for Engaging Middle School Math Students
It seems like it takes more and more to get students motivated now. Throw math work at them, and they will act like you’ve just asked them to scrub toilets. Fortunately, you can do a lot to get kids more “into” what’s going on in the classroom. Finding really good activities can go a long […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher, From the Front Lines
20 Tips for Surviving Your First Year Teaching and Beyond
You just started teaching and you have great plans for changing the lives of the young people you will teach in the coming years. Full of energy, positive-thinking, a little fear, and a lot of determination, you will go into this school year pumped up! So what do you need to know if you’re just starting […]
Posted inInstructional Strategies, Special Education
20+ Ways to Check for Understanding in a Special Education Classroom
You’re a special education teacher, so you know that not all students are created equal. In fact, you know that even within a disability category, you cannot count on students behaving in a “typical” way. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “If you’ve met one child with autism, you’ve met one child with autism.” You […]
Posted inFeatured, How to Fix Education, Opinion, Uncategorized
Drive: Debunking Standardized Tests & Merit Pay In One Book & Video
I’m going to admit – I’ve been a bit flummoxed lately. Perplexed. Bemused. Set back. I tussle with many of life’s questions, but one of the greatest is — How do I help my students achieve more? As a 9-year teacher, I stand in front of the classroom with a wide variety of tools on […]
Posted inInstructional Strategies, Special Education
How to Implement Successful Differentiation Strategies
As a special education teacher, I see differentiation going on all the time, but that doesn’t mean that teachers always know that they’re doing it or what differentiation means. I hope that with this infographic, teachers not only will see how to implement successful differentiation strategies, but understand what the word means. So, for all […]
Posted inFeatured, How to Fix Education, Opinion
Want to Fix Schools? Give Teachers More TIME!
A few weeks ago, fellow columnist Jeremy Adams posted an article called “The Magical Solution Illusion,” illustrating how schools, students, and teachers are being pounded by an array of self-proclaimed “saviors” of the education system. I loved the article. He examined our proclivity to move toward change, from increasing class sizes to shrinking them; from […]