I was thinking about all the new teachers out there this week as you move out of the anticipation phase of the first year and into teacher survival mode. You are not only trying to create a slew of new curricula but there are behavior and management issues you didn’t anticipate; responsibilities being required from […]
Common Core Math Practices and Classdojo
I have been doing some more work with running groups in a geometry classroom this year. We have introduced a set of skills that are closely related to the common core math practices. We identified skills such as constructing viable arguments from the common core and described what this might look like when students are […]
Personal Learning Plans for Everyone
As we move towards the use of personal learning plans in Vermont, I have really been wondering what it might look like in our current system. I set out on an individual professional learning path this summer in order to reflect on what it might look like for students. To be honest, I like […]
Ironic Teacher Professional Development
Earlier this week, I worked with members of my school leadership team to plan the initial inservice days of school. Now, inservice has a connotation for teachers that is mostly unpleasant. As we flood into school those first days, the complaints abound, as we discuss our summers, about how we would rather be in our […]
Increasing Group Participation
Increasing group participation is probably the most common task of a teacher in running groups. Perhaps the most important aspect of equalizing members of a group is to change what Elizabeth Cohen referred to in her research as “expectations”. This refers to the expectations of generally higher achieving students of lower achieving students and also […]
Thoughtful Group Roles
Getting to know students is probably the single most important thing a teacher does. With this information, teaching and learning can go to heights unattainable without it. If you know the interest, learning styles and experiences of your students, you can tailor their learning opportunities in a way that just can’t be done without this […]
Classroom Management and Group Work
Another key component of group work that can narrow the achievement gap is connecting your classroom management to the common core standards. As I outlined in the post ClassDojo and the Common Core, the common core standards can easily be broken down into specific behaviors which can then be taught, monitored, reinforced and ultimately become […]
Creating Equity Through Groups
As we implement the common core standards, attempting to use them to promote equity in classrooms, well designed group work is imperative. One of the major pitfalls of group work is putting kids in groups just for the sake of putting kids in groups. The first thing to consider is whether a task is even […]
Common core standards: an opportunity for equity
I know there is a lot of controversy about the implementation of the common core as there always is about new initiatives. Whether I agree or not, I always try to embrace new initiatives in a way that doesn’t compromise my philosophy of teaching and learning. What else can you do? The options are to […]
Back to School Planning for the First Month
One of the biggest mistakes teachers make when they land their first job is that they spend their summers planning for the curriculum that they are passionate about teaching. I love this quote by Eric Jensen that illustrates this mistake well. So, in the first weeks of school, focus on developing a solid culture of […]