Posted inFormative Assessments, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Social Studies, Technology

Breaking out of the Norm with Breakout Edu

It has been a long time since I started my high school class with this opening, “Today I’m going to tell you a story… and only you have the power to save the world…” My gaming team of devoted educators advised me to take a plunge into an all-out game experience with Breakout EDU.  While […]

Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum

Summer Reading Challenge, Read More Than Books

Change that paradigm!  Reading should not be books alone. Summer reading time is my true professional development, experimenting with genres and digital literacy tools set aside during the busier terms of the year. I organize my reading hours similar to the organization of my running workouts. Workouts are separated into distance, easy, tempo, interval, and races while reading is […]

Posted inClassroom Management, Instructional Strategies, Middle School, Social Studies, Technology, Uncategorized

21st Century Classroom Management is… Fun?

Recently a veteran colleague and a teacher in training posed questions concerning classroom management and power struggles with students. Years ago the approach to dealing with students who test the boundaries of rules was quick and strict reprimand.  Students were graded on neatness, orderly and timely manners, for being quiet unless called upon. While there […]

Posted inAdult Learning, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, School Improvement

Gaming as the Future of Learning: The Truly Epic Win [Part 1]

What if the future of learning is not measuring student achievement in high stakes standardized testing?  What if, instead, the future of learning is in the magic of a great game?  Ever since the 1983 “A Nation at Risk” report on the American education system, policymakers have consistently insisted that more and more high stakes […]

Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Middle School, School Improvement

Gamify your Class without Electricity

Class Dojo, Socrative, Nearpod, Zondle and Play Brighter dominate most conversations about gamification in education. This focus on technology and apps automatically alienates some teachers: “I don’t have any computers in my room, so that leaves me out!” However, it is possible to gamify your class in the absence of any technology . . . […]