TL;DR: Shutting down a student’s behaviour in the moment can be effective short term but damaging in the long run. Knowing my students and what they need to be their best selves is part of my mission. Addressing students’ behaviors privately and maintaining a trusting safe environment are essential in my classroom. Sailing My Own Ship: Am I doing it … Read More
Expect Better
TL;DR: Students won’t know what you expect of them if you don’t tell them. Including students in the work of establishing expectations will lead to better outcomes. Teachers, administrators, and substitutes need to work together to establish clear expectations. So. Many. Teachers. Imagine a student who attends the same EC-12 district for their entire public education career. This student will … Read More
Ending on a High Note Blog Series
Ending on a High Note Blog Series Overview Ending the year strong is just as important as kicking the year off with a BANG! But how do we ensure that the energy we worked to build up all summer long is still within us to end the year on a great foot? Check out the strategies in this blog series … Read More
9 Ways to Finish Your Year Strong
TL;DR: The end of the year is one of the toughest time of year for educators. To finish your year strong, don’t throw in the towel too early. Make sure students know the plans, build in rewards, and don’t compare yourself to others. Be mindful about counting down to summer break as this is not an exciting time for all … Read More
Engagement and Equitability with Easy-to-Use Canvas Quizzes (VIDEO)
TL;DR: Canvas has an auto-grading feature to use for quizzes. These quizzes can be used at the end of lectures and encourage students to take good notes. If you offer enough quizzes, this can improve equity by allowing students to fail or miss quizzes and still be successful in class. The quiz auto-grading feature of Canvas can be used to … Read More