May 2016: "Oh, that is what you mean!" Whenever I get the privilege of speaking to a group of educators I always make a point to ask one simple question, “What are teachers doing from within the classroom that most directly impacts student learning and achievement?” The responses always vary but one classroom strategy is always […]
A High School Principal Visits a Math Class: "I was in Nicole’s math class watching her lead her Algebra 1 students through a complicated (to me) process involving graphing calculators. What struck me was how well the CPM model of group work and the student talk that accompanies it worked with Organized Binder. When I […]
April 2016: Subjects Not Objects All too often throughout the school day education is going on around students instead of with students. One report notes students spend just minutes of the school day engaged in Academic Learning Time. If we have a starting routine students can predict and be successful in, then we draw them into their […]
In preparation Organized Binder Follow-Up #1 some high school teachers sent in feedback around how the system is impacting their classroom. Below is a few of those submissions: "OB is going very well. All of my students (160) now have three ring binders with the required OB sheets. This Advisory, students were allowed to used […]
December 2015 NEWSLETTER Paint the Gray Areas Black and White Recently, I had the privilege of introducing two new teachers from Oakland, CA to Organized Binder. Both are second year teachers who are both starting at new schools this fall. During our time together, they spoke of the struggles they and their colleagues are having with classroom […]
October 2015 NEWSLETTER Practice for EL Students A few years ago I was talking with a teacher about how to help her Spanish-speaking students increase their English language proficiency, a common discussion in schools in the US. She was frustrated that her students communicate in their native language when interacting with one another in class and […]
A few years ago I witnessed the worst high school class ever! I was sitting in the back of a classroom somewhere in the Mid-West. The school had implemented Organized Binder and I was there for a Follow-Up Session to meet with the staff and offer support. I watched in horror as the teacher took 20 […]
April 2015 NEWSLETTER NO OPT OUT: WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER "When students are allowed to ‘opt out’ - it is as if they are invisible; that they do not matter to the teacher." A few years ago I observed a chemistry class and watched the following story unfold. While the teacher lectured, a student walked in tardy. […]
March 2015 NEWSLETTER TIP: CREATE VALUE IN YOUR STARTING ROUTINE "...having a starting routine that has value will help you start class on time and greatly reduce classroom management issues that so often plague the first few minutes of class." In 2011 Louis Menand published an article in The New Yorker (Live and Learn: Why we […]
We recently received this feedback from an Organized Binder teacher who started using this system this school year. We are keeping the teacher anonymous but thought you would enjoy reading it as well! "I think things are going well in my classroom with Organized Binder! I'm sure not perfect, and I'm trying to do some personal […]
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