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Occasionally, I repost this article so that new readers can find it more easily.  Based on some very enthusiastic feedback, it has since morphed into a book proposal called The Top Secret New Teachers Handbook.  I'll share more as it ...

So I just got the January MindWare catalogue and I realize that here we have a toy catalogue that is solely for metacognitive purchases.  So this got me thinking: how can schools market metacognition?  I realized, of course, that until ...

I was reading this great article from Slate Magazine about the cheese that is Billy Joel.  And I thought back to many a car trip singing his "Themes from an Italian Restaurant."  I also remembered just how many times I'd ...

Here's a great metacognitive lesson that integrates poetry.  Or is it a poetry lesson that is metacognitive?  (Shrug)  I believe that good writing and great structure can be taught through mimicking great authors.  Using this philosophy as my guide, my ...

The Illinois News-Gazette recently reported an increase in second career teachers.  But, really, aren't we all second-career teachers?  I mean, unless we bopped from high school to a BA to an education program and landed directly into the teaching field, ...

Every year, I do this activity when teaching Narrative Plot.  I've used it from 3rd grade to 12th grade.  I learned a version of it first in 1993 at a UCLA Extension class on "Teaching Reading to Secondary Students" and ...

Just a brief post of victory to share: At the beginning of Sept 2007, I gave a pre-assessment to my class in order to learn their levels and begin the process of differentiation.  I looked through the results and my gaze ...

So you know when you get your group of kids on the first day, there are those who immediately set off your alarms?  Well, that definitely happened to me on my first day. I have a student who clearly needs help. ...

So, in a move reminiscent of a 12-year old girl caught up in the riot mentality of rumors, I believed the whisper I heard about not getting my Whiteboard for 2 months.  But I tell you now: it was false, ...

Is the tale of the recent surge of Interactive Whiteboards a grade-B horror flick or a Cinderella story?  Are they the villain or the belle of the ball?  They've begun creeping into trendsetting classrooms, taking over precious wall space and ...