Of all the challenges posed by the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, this may be the greatest: if we are truly to be a nation of college-goers, we must not only raise the bar on what students learn but we must also leverage an understanding of noncognitive factors to teach adolescents how to […]
We Learn Better In Community When a classroom grows into a learning community everyone in the room can sense it. Humans are communal beings and we are drawn to community. When students are active members in a learning community it amplifies engagement, accountability, and learning. Transforming classrooms into learning communities is something effective educators must […]
A Duty To Uncover Potential As educators we have a responsibility to uncover the potential in every student. A no opt policy can aid us in fulfilling this duty. I told the story in this article of a student I observed in a classroom who was allowed to opt out. When asked about this student […]
Students Want To Engage A few years ago I was visiting a high school and had the opportunity to observe a class and watched the following story unfold. While the teacher was starting class, with a lecture (yawn), a student walked in tardy. What I found interesting is that this teacher did not acknowledge the […]
“Every child needs at least one adult who is irrationally crazy about him or her.” Urie Bronfenbrenner Absent and Struggling Over the past 20 years of teaching I have identified a trend when working with some of my most challenging students - they were often the students who were either chronically truant or occasionally absent […]
“GENERATION has the effect of making the mind more receptive to new learning…What is it? Generation is an attempt to answer a question or solve a problem before being shown the answer or the solution.” Brown, Reedier, McDaniel, make it stick: The Science of Successful Learning The Promise of the First Two Minutes of Class […]
Openers and Closers When I was first creating Organized Binder the first aspect that coalesced was the Weekly Lifeline. It became clear to me that my students would be more successful if I provided a clear starting and ending routine that both maximized class time for teaching and learning while giving my students daily practice […]
When I started teaching I worked at a Title 1 school that served a diverse student population. Many of my students struggled to engage in their schooling and were plagued with a history of academic failure. I teach high school and by the time students reached my classroom many of them had been turned off […]
I received an email this morning that read, “The most current research indicates that staff, family, and student social and emotional wellness; equity in education; and learning/academic recovery should be our highest priorities as we transition back to learning recovery and acceleration (remediate “learning loss”).” I agree wholeheartedly but I would like to embellish this […]
It is 8am, I am standing outside my classroom door high-fiving students as they arrive at school. For many of my students school is a struggle. I am at the door with a smile on my face every morning, and before every class, to try my best to make them feel welcome. If you were […]
