Archive

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 […]

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 […]

Just as you can count on fireworks on the 4th of July or leftovers on Boxing Day, you can expect a good ol’ fashioned debate in the high school classroom. Whether it take the form of a single-day activity or a weeks-long research project, many of us rely on the classic ‘Debate’ activity as a […]

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 […]

According to Forbes magazine, freelancers are expected to become the workforce majority by 2027, in large part, due to the perks of a digital era. Things like automation, video conferencing, document sharing, and infinite digital reach are opening doors to freedom, flexibility, and the chance to work from *virtually* anywhere but an office cubicle. With […]

Coined in the 1950s and popularized by his 1960s publication, Applied Imagination, advertising executive + businessman Alex Osborn’s  brainstorming concept has since made its way through the boardroom and into the high school classroom as a standard means for essay preparation. Prior to drafting the various elements of their essay, we typically encourage students to […]

If you’re not learning with intention, then why are you learning at all? I remember sitting in our high school’s auditorium waiting for–what I expected to be–the usual, run-of-the-mill assembly to start.  (You know, the well-meaning kind that still manages to derail entirely my neatly-timed lesson plans. Sigh…) But this assembly was different.  Way different. […]

If there’s one thing I know about mastery, it’s that experts master the basics first before building upon them… Some of the finest athletic coaches will agree–including Vince Lombardi, former head coach of the Green Bay Packers and arguably one of the greatest football coaches of all time: ‘become the best in the league at […]

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about our learners these days.  As teachers, we strive to make an impact on their lives by pointing them in the direction of their future.  Now maybe it’s just me, but the more I think and the more I dig, I’m beginning to feel like we’re failing to […]

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 […]