Planning Plinko

Martin SilvermanBlog, Connect Better, Differentiate Better, Engage Better, Innovate Better, Lesson Plan Better, Manage Better, Reflect Better

TL;DR: Sometimes teachers plan lessons or units that are disconnected to their desired student outcomes, like the Plinko effect. It’s important that you consider the pegs and barriers that exist with your students. It’s better to look at individuals and groups of students, and determine how to remove barriers so that the chip can fall into the desired slot.  The … Read More

Using the Backwards Design to Reach Your Goals

Erin HealeyBlog, Connect Better, Lesson Plan Better

TL;DR: Use the backwards design in your life to move toward your goals in a clear way. Plan your journey by creating a list of manageable steps to get to your goal. Write out your list, create a timeline, and give each task a reasonable deadline. A goal-setting template PDF download is shared. Welcome back to our ‘Begin Better’ series … Read More

Using Backwards Design to Create Assessments

Chad OstrowskiBlog, Differentiate Better, Grade Better, Lesson Plan Better

In This Post: Aligned assessments are vital to accurately measuring student understanding. Four steps to create assessments that are aligned to your objectives. As an educator, assessment design can be a pain. Many times, we are tempted to find an assessment from available curriculum resources or grab questions from the “back of the chapter” and call it a day. However, … Read More