Archive

When it comes to using podcasts in the classroom, I can see where you’re skeptical.  What the heck *is* a podcast even, and  How the heck am I supposed to align these with my ELA standards?! In other words, how can audio consumption + production genuinely lead to critical reading–even writing–growth?   Good thing you showed […]

If I could have one wish in my classroom, it would be for my writers to approach their essays the way they do their video games. Gamers will die a thousand deaths and get right back up again as they fight relentlessly to secure that next ‘save’ spot.  But when they put down the joystick […]

Not all of our students will go on to be entrepreneurs.  But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t learn to think like them… *winks* We live in an entrepreneurially-minded world, where skills such as problem-solving, creativity, grit, and teamwork are the backbone of innovation and progress.   In having these skills, our learners will better understand themselves […]

Teaching argument in the high school classroom is pretty much a ‘must,’ right?   Somewhere between core learning standards in academics and an increasing need for critical thinking and problem-solving in the real world, the-art-of-argumentation-as-unit continues to gain its momentum (and rightfully so!) In my own classroom, just before my students launch into arguments of their […]

As a writing teacher, I’m sure your students write a lot, right? But how often do you give them time to ‘make’ their writing? How often do you let them get lost in the ‘parts’ of writing instead of merely plugging out draft after draft? How often do you let them create? In this Facebook […]

According to Holly Clark and Tanya Avrith, who offer up 10 characteristics of today’s learners in their text, The Google-Infused Classroom, it’s pretty standard practice for our students to speak in images these days. From emojis as a frequent replacement for text, to snapshots and video ‘stories’, images are the Gold standard for teen communication […]

It’s been roughly 30 years since Stephen Covey wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and it’s still, hands down, one of the most relevant reads of our time. Why? Because it offers gems like this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Stephen Covey, Habit #5 Amidst the noise of political polarization […]

In a recent post, I talked about why our students are learning without us these days, and how it has a lot to do with an imbalanced emphasis of cognitive work over building those tangible (AKA, ‘soft’) skills which are just as necessary in doing the real work of the world. Now don’t get it […]

So there I was, thirty sets of eyes on me, fumbling awkwardly at my computer, trying desperately to get the school’s video announcements going before my class went into technological mutiny. The Wifi appears to be working…that’s not it. I tried refreshing the page…that’s not it. I even pasted the link into the browser myself…no such […]

Quarter 1 has a lot to do with getting your students acquainted with global issues, filling the “blank slate”–so to speak—with those basics that’ll lay the groundwork for deeper research later. While it’s true you simply can’t cover every contemporary and/or controversial issue out there, you do have the Quarter 1 obligation of helping students feel […]