TL;DR: Science is a messy process that leads to understanding. Students need to learn and appreciate the messy process in addition to the end result. Interactive science journals (ISJ) and interactive science notebooks (ISNB) are tools that will help students understand the difference between the process and the end result. “Take chances, make mistakes, get MESSY!” – Ms. Frizzle, The … Read More
One Size Does Not Fit All
TL;DR: Just like it’s impossible for one size of pants to fit all students, one way of teaching will not reach all students. In addition, teachers come from a variety of backgrounds themselves and naturally have different styles. Learn how to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of each student. The Perfect Pants The movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants … Read More
What Educators Can Learn from Choose Your Own Adventure Books
Originally published at ASCD.com: https://www.ascd.org/blogs/what-educators-can-learn-from-choose-your-own-adventure-books This post was co-authored by Greg Bagby. TL;DR: Choose Your Own Adventure books provide lessons we can apply to the educational world. Learning and trying new things can be complicated and messy, but it is worth the journey. Everything doesn’t always go the way you intend, but you learn from all of your experiences. Having … Read More
Learning Opportunities for Elementary Gamers
TL;DR: This post shares learning opportunities for elementary gamers, including Sumdog, Teach Your Monster to Read, Prodigy, and Boddle. These learning opportunities for elementary gamers bring fun and play to learning. Learning Opportunities for Elementary Gamers Now that we are about a month into the school year, I have had the opportunity to introduce some favorite educational websites and explore a … Read More
Engage and Elevate Better with Data
TL;DR: Data drives many of our decisions in education. It comes from a variety of sources and is more than just numerical information from test scores. The use of data needs to be intentional and involve not only educators but students and families as well. Elevate data by using it to not only help you see progress but to help … Read More