On a recent phone call with Patrice Bain, the teacher and author of Powerful Teaching, she explained how the research that evolved into her first book took place in her classroom. Powerful Teaching, is one of the only education books based on research performed in an actual classroom. On our call, one thing Patrice said […]
This is another must read! I was fortunate to read this book for the first time in graduate school and have kept it in my rotation ever since. Possibly more than any other book, Other People's Children, from Lisa Delpit, encouraged me to design and implement strategies to make my classroom more predicable, and therefore safer, […]
What environment makes you feel most comfortable when you're learning? Was it a certain classroom, or a cafe? Perhaps a park? How does that physical space look? What are the sounds, if any? How does it smell? What kind of light fills the room? Ask yourself why it was that you enjoyed the process of […]
As our plans for fall begin to take shape there appears to be an emerging trend to keep schools closed in the fall in response to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Just this week the school districts in Los Angels, San Diego, and Stockton announced they will remain closed in the fall. For teachers, one […]
Educators, this is a must read! I have always been frustrated by presentations or books focused on research and theory that lack tangible strategies for teaching. It is rare when the two meet. Well, not any longer. In Powerful Teaching the authors beautifully weave the two into a resource all educators will appreciate. For those of you who use Organized Binder, […]
While on another Zoom call today a colleague in Massachusetts asked a great question, one I had not thought about. It seems all of us in education are waiting on the edge of our collective seat to learn what school will look like in the fall. Some states have announced that schools will be safe […]
The COVID Gap is disproportionately impacting communities that have been historically underserved. This is not an equity issue alone, this is also a social justice issue. As educators we must rise up and create lessons that are more equitable and accessible! I believe all educators were trying to do what was best for students as […]
My hope is that we all take time this summer to reflect upon and learn from our sudden shift to distanced learning this spring. Whether we go back to a traditional schedule, a hybrid of distance learning and in-school learning, or we remain 100% distanced we can learn from these past few months. One thing […]
We all know the note taking technique, Cornell Notes. It's fantastic and simple and most importantly, it works. The story behind Cornell Notes is interesting but it can also teach us about how to help students be more successful. University Students Needed Help Cornell University professor Walter Pauk created the note taking system to help […]
It feels great to cross items off our to-do list! However, in a remote or independent learning environment, the school day can devolve into students simply racing through their to-do lists. We would never create a bulleted list of things to accomplish and call it a lesson plan, right? With Organized Binder students can move […]
