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Free Tweenteacher Webinar: Moving Beyond the Bubble: 21st Century Assessments
On Monday, Oct 17, I will be presenting a free webinar for my publisher, Eye On Education. You can register here. In it, I’ll be sharing what I have learned about the upcoming Common Core standards and how they will
Huffington Post: “Student Tributes to Steve Jobs”
I just posted “Student Tributes to Steve Jobs” at The Huffington Post. His passing will be a “Where were you when?” moment that I felt my students needed to pause and acknowledge. Wonka has left us with questions about his
Teaching the Executive Summary: Applying Real Life to School Life
OK, so there they are: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They are in your audience and have their checkbooks out looking for a new cause to fund. Will it be yours? So began my schpeel on writing an Executive Summary
Edutopia post: 20 Ways to Model Technology
My latest post on Edutopia is not just about using technology, but about modeling it as a means to teach it. After all, students need to be immersed in an environment of usage. So don’t feel bad if you don’t
DARPA project con’t: Research and Questioning
As my readers may know, my students are planning for the future of the human species. This year, as I have described in an earlier post, I am dedicating much of the year to Project-Based Learning and trying to make
The Power of Teaching Something You Know Nothing About
This year, I have decided to teach solely in Project-Based Writing. I’m defining Project-Based Writing as a series of constructed units built around authentic assessment, authentic audience, and authentic learning that incorporates the multiple writing genres. That is, it’s all
Prayer to My Child’s First Teacher
I had almost forgotten what it felt like to wait with anticipation for the name of my teacher to be posted on a school window. This year, however, I waited for the first time by the side of my entering
Edutopia post: Open Letter to a New Principal
For those of you who don’t read my Edutopia blog, I just wanted to put this particular post on your radar. As a teacher in a school that has seen tremendous administrative turnover in the last few years, I thought
Changing The Teacher Reputation
I was at a wedding two weeks ago where someone asked me what I did for a living. “I’m a teacher,” I replied. “Ohhhhh, teeeeeching,” he said knowingly. “Must be nice to have so much time off. Out at 3:00,
Start of the Year Nuts and Bolts: Checklist for the First Day
Introduction Handout with expectations and grading procedures. Check. Publishing Release Form. Check. PG-13 Video/Clip Release Form to cover me for the whole school year. Check. Set up YouTube Channel even though I have no idea how to use it yet.
Frontloading for the school year: Setting up my classroom website
One of the things that many people don’t know about me is that, while I wear the costume of a tech savvy teacher, I’m really tech tentative at heart. In other words, I so recently became a convert to using
Carmageddon: The 405 Closure and Education
Just a few thoughts before all hell breaks loose over here in Los Angeles. First of all, I woke up this morning wondering if the closure of the 405 freeway was going to be like the staged Anthrax scare in
The Power of the Backchannel Discussion: Todaysmeet.com
Sometime ago, I began experimenting with Twitter in the classroom as a means to create a B-storyline of Think Alouds, questions, and Advice from students in different classrooms. The point was to create an academic-level note-passing environment that could function
Eye On Education Webinar: The Skills of Tomorrow for the Students of Today
I recently presented a webinar for my publisher, Eye on Education, about some of the topics in my new book, ‘Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers. It all started with a survey I conducted of my readers
Sexy Data Analysis: Google Motion Charts
My district has started up a great summer professional development workshop series this summer. They asked teachers all over the district if they would like to teach a skill to other teachers, and in so doing, we have a heck
Breaking What Works
My school is a very large facility. Upgraded with bond money passed by our local community, it is made up of a new big building here, an even bigger new building there, older wings of classrooms fitting in between, etc….
The Top 5 Skills Students Need For Their Future: The Results Are In!
Thank you to everyone who responded to my survey calling for the Top 5 Skills students need for their future. The list to choose from initially came from one included in my book, ‘Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle
Essential Skills Survey: Your Input is Needed!
In my book, ‘Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers,” I explore strategies to make school more meaningful to students. I examined the newest draft of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in its goals for college and
The Hunger Games of Education
I sat in the room of saddened and anxious teachers, some of whom had dedicated up to 10 years with my district, waiting to hear about some RIF settlement that our district and union had negotiated on our behalf. As
Teachers are the Supplemental Material: Storytelling to Teach Deeper Thinking
The following is an excerpt from my new book, ‘Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers.” In the unabridged chapter, I explore specific cross-curricular lessons and activities that teachers can use to help encourage metacognition, think aloud, and
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