The Learning Process
Or, where do grades come from? Have you ever considered what, exactly, do grades measure? They measure something, but can they really measure everything? And of what they do measure, is it fair, is it...
View ArticleWhat about the students?
A Furor but in whose interest? A blog of mine provoked a bit of a furor two summers ago when I sat in as guest-blogger Rick Hess’ “Straight Up” blog on Education Week: Teacher Pay (Aug 3, 2011)...
View ArticleSitting in on the “Straight Talk” blog
Rick Hess kindly invited me back to step in during his vacation last week to rant and rave about education on his national blog at Education Week.Two years ago I got in trouble with some of Rick’s...
View ArticlePrior Knowlege (PK), relevancy & teacher expectations
“Why’s that teacher do that?” Ever had a teacher that makes no sense? Ever not understood why the grade was what it was? Ever wanted to just given up on it? As a teacher, every day I wrote up my lesson...
View ArticleDue consideration, and not just a syllabus
Benefits derived from a contract are called “consideration.” The Common Law holds that contracts that don’t deliver some benefit, or consideration, to both parties are invalid. Let’s say that you...
View ArticleFeeding back: constant, comprehensive & positive feedback
Feeding back: constant, comprehensive & positive feedback Student Success Podcast No. 7, Nov. 6, 2013 Today’s Guest: none Bromley discusses the essential process of feedback. Feedback is simple...
View ArticleTeachers are people, too (sort of) & how you should take advantage of it
My teacher is a toaster? Heh, students, here’s a little inside information you should know: teachers are people, too. Shocking, I know. But true. When my daughter was in my school, I’d bring her along...
View ArticleWhat do teachers really want?
Bribery? Maybe, but flattery will work better. Seriously. The highest and most effective form of teacher flattery is asking a teacher for help. The next highest is actually doing your work. You meet...
View ArticleAgenda books and schools: making good little secretaries
Why are we teaching kids to use 1970s technology? Ever hear of Day Timer? Yes, the personal agenda book still exists, but only for a few old school types. Except in schools, where the kids are supposed...
View ArticleWhy homework matters: top five (5) reasons you probably should do your homework
Sorry, but homework really does matter. Annoying, yes. Boring, usually. Important for your academic success? Very much so. See below for some important reasons why you probably should be doing your...
View ArticleScaffolding students out of procrastination: teacher interview with Mike Cahir
Scaffolding students out of procrastination: teacher interview with Mike Cahir Student Success Podcast No. 16 Feb. 10, 2014, recorded Feb 8, 2014 Today’s Guest: Mike Cahir, Teacher and Department...
View ArticleTeaching it twice: ask your teachers to explain it again & in a different way
Can a teacher really expect you to learn it the first time? Teachers forget that what they’re teaching they already know and that it’s usually the first time you’ve ever heard it. This is why when a...
View ArticleTeaching or learning: teachers, which would you prefer? If you want it, sell it!
I hate my teacher! Teachers, I can’t tell you how much I hear from kids that they’re ready to learn, but their teacher keeps getting in the way. Yep, we hear it all the time, “I hate my teacher!” But...
View ArticleTeachers and the 80/20 rule: attending to the wrong clients?
In business, the 80/20 rule states that 20% or your clients will expend the resources it takes to support the other 80%. In other words, 20% of your clients will be needy, while the other 80% will be...
View ArticleThe Path Taken: teachers, are you just creating student shortcuts?
We call them “short cuts.” I don’t know why. If the long way isn’t necessary, why take it? Kids sure won’t. So teachers, are you just setting up unwanted shortcuts, or are you creating useful,...
View ArticleThe Late Work Game: teachers, do you want missing work, late work — or no...
Welcome back to the late work game! First semester is up and teachers and students across the country are recovering from that last minute freak out: get that missing work in! Stressed kids near...
View ArticleHow teachers can use WordPress blogging to enhance student engagement
Every teacher’s goal is student engagement, both in and out of class The more our students act on our lessons and expectations outside of class, the better they function in class. Nothing new there....
View ArticleIntroducing “Tips for Teachers”: building efficiencies to free you to teach...
The number one teacher complaint is time. Introducing “Tips for Teachers,” a series of blog posts, videos, lessons, and ideas from School4Schools.com LLC on helping teachers get through their routines...
View ArticleTips for Teachers: How to use OneNote for total organization and teacher...
Even if you’ve never heard of OneNote, you probably already own it. And if you do, you already own one of the best organizational tools out there. Today’s Tip for Teachers is how to use OneNote, a free...
View ArticleProcrastinating in class: is classroom behavior a form of procrastination?
Parents and teachers usually conceive of student procrastination as putting off homework or projects until the last minute. It is. We also tend to think of disruptive classroom behavior as...
View ArticleTips for Teachers: a quick & easy voice narrator for reading digital text out...
One of my classroom management tricks was to keep a set of audio files in my computer task bar to express some emotion or reaction to by or for the students. The kids loved these, and it always drove...
View ArticleSleepers Awake: a celebration of J. Reilly Lewis, master organist, conductor...
J. Reilly Lewis, world-renowned conductor, organist, and expert on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and our dear friend, died unexpectedly last week. A Friend to All We called him our friend...
View ArticleCommon Core Crazy? Making sense of the viral common core math rounding problem
Perhaps you have seen the Facebook post by an angry mother who is upset about her daughter’s Common Core-based math problem. There’s a larger lesson here, but it’s not about the Common Core. Click...
View ArticleTeach don’t preach: politicizing the classroom is not just wrong, it’s bad...
Is it the role of a teacher to impart information or to empower students with the skills needed to find information on their own? When a teacher professes a political position in a classroom, student...
View ArticleIs your student an extrinsic or intrinsic learner? And how to bring out the...
So how can we bridge the gap between students who only do as they’re told and those who learn only what they find interesting? As students rise through secondary schools, teacher expectations and...
View ArticleTeach don’t preach pt 2: Confirmation Bias & the unintented teacher preacher
Teachers, does your Confirmation Bias shut down student learning? Having scolded teachers who politicize their classrooms in my post, “Teach Don’t Preach: politicizing the classroom is not just wrong,...
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