Viewing: Curriculum
PBL Secret Sauce #1: The Entry Level Event
I know that when teachers learn about Project Based Learning, many times they walk away with the rationale, the research, and the overview of what a unit might look like. But sometimes teachers still have questions about the day-to-day implementation.
Lessons to Share: 3D Printing and Design to Learn Reading & Writing
So I just finished my first week with my Make Writing class. This class, as I’ve written about in the past, is intended to help those long-term EL students who have become disengaged with school and with learning. These kids
When Life Turns on a Dime, You Discover Your Family
I want to tell you a little about what happened to me this summer, but I promise that it will come around and relate to school. Cruddy hook, I know, but I wanted you to know there was a method
How to Battle Epic Paragraphing – updated
I originally wrote this post some time ago, but because it is such a problem that a teacher can detect so early on, I thought I would repost it for those who may have missed it on the last go-round.
Curriculum Segregation and Teacher Turfiness
High school teachers can be so turfy. Which was one of the reasons why I received an email earlier today concerned about my curriculum for the class I’m teaching at summer school camp. In a nutshell, I’ve been given leave
Pen Tricks and Differentiation
OK, for those of you not in the pen spinning loop, I’m talking about a craze that’s preoccupying tween fingers all over the known universe, or at least in my district. Of pen spinning, or object manipulation, as a sport,
The Courtesy Contract: Building Community ‘Til the Bitter End
As the school year comes to an end, I wanted to share one of my favorite activities: something I call, The Courtesy Contract. In my book for EyeOnEducation Publishing, due out in early 2011, called Tips for Tween teachers by
Part 3 of 3: The Future of Teacher Prep Programs
Well, what began as mere musings, seems to have become a fully fleshed fantasy for what a teacher prep program of the future may look like. It all began in Part 1 of this series of posts. It continued in
I’ll Take that Education to Go: Individualization vs. Standardization
We live in a world of double-decaf-non-fat-lattes-with-room. We live in a world that is slowly beginning to customize everything from our coffee orders to our spa treatments. But it won’t just stop with luxury items. Some teachers complain about the
The Inconsistency of School Administrations
There are just so many elements that contribute to education’s struggles, much of which many civilians never even think about. I write a lot about these elements to try to give insight from a teacher’s point of view, and to
Why I’m Jealous of Teach For America or Collaboration on the Can
I don’t mean to whine, but I’m feeling neglected. For all my questions about the eventual impact on education with TFA, I find myself a little pouty that they get all this professional development and I don’t.
Advice for a Future Department Head
So generally I write a post giving advice to all you new educators out there, but this time I need the advice. I’m the new English Department Chair for my middle school, and I’ve been set to lead a group
Standards Conversation #1: Should Education Take a Tip from Starbucks?
Starbucks is the ultimate in differentiation. In fact, it’s built an empire on providing individualized, one-on-one product to any member of its clientele, no questions asked. Cute, young baristas (some with piercings, some without) hand out drinks with a smile,
Book Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
You know the old commercial: “You got your chocolate in my peanut butter! Well, you got your peanut butter in my chocolate!” And just like a Peanut Butter cup, it seems that Jane Austin and Zombies go great together. Pride
The Myth of Summers Off
“So you’re a teacher, huh?” says the umpteenth Joe know-it-all. I know the tone, and I know what’s coming. “Must be nice having summer’s off,” he sneers. I don’t know what mythical job this guy thinks I have, but I
Carnival of Education is in town!
The latest Carnival of Education is in town. I always check out Larry Ferlazzo’s posts for some curriculum innovation as well as Scott McLeod’s just for some new perspectives on ed leadership. And, of course, tweenteacher’s in there as well.
5 Things Teachers can do to Improve Teaching
We all know there are many problems in education and not one bullet to solve any one of them. We as teachers can’t do a lot about many of the factors that have huge influence on student success: parental involvement,
Twitter as Think Aloud
I was reading through my Digg headlines this weekend, and I happened on this article of the top 10 most extraordinary Twitter updates. I also did some digging (no pun intended) and found articles that range in claiming that there
Spontaneous Public Displays of Art
I can’t wait to show my 8th Grade Honors class this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq6b9bMBXpg. It’s a great display of the act of spreading the arts publicly and on a huge scale. My students have been working all year on their
Where the Wild Things Are: Part II
So I recited the book and showed the movie trailer to the students on my Interactive Whiteboard, just as I mused about in my last post. From there, I read an old version of the “Three Little Pigs” and asked
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