Whys and Whats… it’s all about the whys and the whats. For years, decades, centuries even, teachers have regularly engaged in dishing out the whats… giving fact after fact. My question is, does it really matter? Continue reading
Tag Archives: teaching
Does Competition Have a Place in the Classroom?
Tis the season of the testing, falalala la la la laaaa. (yes, sing it to the tune). Let’s face it, testing is real. We can all sit on our high horses and say what we want about state testing, common core testing, or whatever brand of testing you happen to give… but it is a fact of life. With testing comes a certain sense of competition. The question, however, is whether or not competition has a place in the classroom. Continue reading
Why YES, We Can Write About Science
So, I was sitting around pondering some literature to read with my kids after spring break. I was texting back and forth with one of my colleagues who teaches world history about where, or when they are going next when my attention wandered a bit to Twitter. I saw a reference to Sick Science, and of course, clicked it out of curiosity. Oh, what a treat we have been gifted with. Continue reading
Teacher Observations
The dreaded formal observation window has arrived for many of us. I say “dreaded” somewhat tongue in cheek. I have worked in a few different schools in my career, and have seen a variety in methods for administrators to evaluate teachers. This is a time where teachers will often get themselves all worked up, and prepare the proverbial dog and pony show. Continue reading
What is Rigor, and What is NOT
Call this a vent session. Call it a soapbox moment. Call it whatever you wish, but this needs saying, if for no other reason than to get it off my chest. Rigor, the buzzword being tossed around like cheap candy at a parade. Everyone claims they want to increase the rigor in their classrooms. Principals tell us to do it. Professors tell education students to increase it. Teachers claim they are doing it. But, are they? Continue reading
Choral Reading for Poetry in Middle Grades
I teach 7th grade English. Let’s be honest for a moment about 7th graders. They can be a persnickety bunch. They are starting to develop personalities, or changing I should say. They think they are grown up, but don’t yet want to be grown up all the time. Continue reading
The FAILure movement…
FAIL. It’s a word that among most of the population has a very negative connotation. People get defensive when the word is used, and often, rightfully so.
Now, there is a movement about FAIL. Many say that FAIL stands for First Attempt in Learning. I take issue with this in some ways. Continue reading
Using “Fakebook” to teach Point of View
So, a few months ago I stumbled upon Fakebook. Fakebook is a tool put out by classtools.net that allows students to create what looks a lot like a Facebook page.
I used this while the class read The Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan. I assigned one of the three major characters to each student, and they were tasked with creating a Fakebook page for their assigned character. Continue reading
The Power of Mediocrity
Mediocrity. It’s one of those things that we all have an opinion on. Some of us think we have an opinion on it, only to learn that how we think we feel is not really how we feel at all once the rubber hits the road.
It’s incredibly powerful, mediocrity. Much like Olivander says of Voldemort in Harry Potter, “… terrible but great…” Think on that for a minute.
The Ron Clark Academy- Does it live up to the hype?
Ron Clark. Let’s face it, his is a name that many have heard. We have heard him keynote on two occasions, the first dating back to roughly 2004ish. After hearing him speak, people typically fall into two camps.