In a single school day, teachers make approximately 1,500 decisions. If, in one 45-minute class period, a high school teacher makes roughly 218 decisions as they teach, then they have only a short window of time to create lesson plans, update grades, upload assignments, write emails, and perform other tasks that can distract attention from […]
differentiation
Posted inSpecial Education
Teaching with empathy to drive differentiation
Differentiation: For less than $20 an hour, I was regularly – to name a few – choked, bitten, spit on, and scratched, yet any time the words “Long-Term Substitute” were followed by “SPED” or “Emotionally Disturbed” (the diction used at the time), I accepted the position as quickly as the slowly-loading website would allow. As […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
5 Strategies to Help Shy Students Succeed in Classroom Discussions
In my early years of teaching, I spent much of my time and energy focused on classroom management. Included in this was teaching students how to have a productive classroom discussion. I would plan mini-lessons about appropriate interjections, how to respond to someone who disagrees with your viewpoint (without being aggressively loud and using profanity), […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The Argument for Multi-Grade Classrooms in Today’s Schools
The idea behind having a variety of ages, or grades, in one classroom, should not be a foreign concept. On any given day, most adults interact with individuals from an assortment of populations: family members, co-workers, neighbors, service personnel, teammates, etc… Rarely outside of schools do you see individuals grouped based on a specific age. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Differentiated Assessments in the Inclusion Classroom and Beyond
A great way to begin a discussion on differentiated assessments is to answer, “What does the word assessment mean to you?” This question holds a lot of meaning for a lot of different people. For some teachers, assessment means giving students quizzes and tests. For others, it means much more. In order to determine how […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Principals' Corner
Differentiation Isn't Dead
Differentiation is the one word in education that make the most subdued educators scream out in pain. Principals use it in evaluations like it’s going out of style, and content specialists talk about it like it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Meanwhile, educators maintain intense fear when the word “differentiation” is uttered in conversation because […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Principals' Corner
Differentiation Isn’t Dead
Differentiation is the one word in education that make the most subdued educators scream out in pain. Principals use it in evaluations like it’s going out of style, and content specialists talk about it like it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Meanwhile, educators maintain intense fear when the word “differentiation” is uttered in conversation because […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Special Education
Making it Interesting: 5 Easy Ways to Differentiate Processes
All students have different interests, and the fact remains that most students are not interested in worksheets about math, language arts, science, and social studies. Think back to when you were in school and the best lesson you’ve ever been taught by a teacher. What made that lesson stand out to you? Was it the […]