Assessments need to be worthwhile and they need to have a purpose. While some students are naturally grade-driven, a number of students simply don’t give their best effort if the only person who will see their work is the teacher. And frankly, can you blame them? In life, our jobs…
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You will be glad to know that if a zombie apocalypse did break out, the United States military has a surprisingly thoughtful plan on how to respond.Highlights include: Distinguishing between zombies made through black magic and those made from excessive radiation.Using robots to remotely operate critical infrastructure.Preparing nuclear weapons for use in…
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This article by the Washington Post is great on so many levels. Check it out, please, but to summarize, Hampshire College in Massachusetts stopped taking students SAT/ACT scores. It’s explanation of why is pretty spot on, I’ve pulled the following right out of the article: • Standardized test scores do not…
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Student engagement is a big buzzword these days. We want all students to be engaged while in our classroom as much as possible. If anything, it underscores the difficulty of our profession. We have to keep 20, 30, or even 40 students of different abilities, from different backgrounds tuned in…
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I love using group projects. Collaboration is increasingly important in our world, and it’s fun to watch students come together and make something greater than they could have individually. The problem with group projects is assessment. Do you grade the whole project and assign each member the same grade? Or…
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I have an axiom that I try to repeat every day before school starts. On my best days I focus on the kids. On my good days I focus on the content. On my bad days I focus on myself. I know that sounds obvious. “Isn’t a teacher supposed to…
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All teachers can relate to the following: students are listening but not hearing what you’re saying. I’m guilty of that too. I’ve been lucky to work for two great principals in my career. My current one kept sending out emails about encouraging students to have a “growth mindset.” I took it…
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Developing critical thinking skills is arguably the most important job of the social studies teacher. Every year I begin my history classes with the following question: “Who writes the history books?” The answer? “The winners of the wars. ” I then tell my students not to believe what they read…
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Awhile back I made it a goal to never assign worksheets or the questions out of the book. Once I’ve provided students with the content, I want them to play with it, create with it, and put their own stamp on it in some way. It’s more memorable, and more…
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