Engagement typically implies that students are active participants in the learning process, but it falls short in empowering students in their learning. When we empower students, they have the power and leadership to guide, direct, and leverage their own learning. For students to truly be empowered
Sometimes it's not until after we coach and teach that the “Aha” moment hits us. The other day, a wonderful teacher, Sue Smith, and I were sitting on the windowsill in her classroom, casually debriefing about how the lesson had gone. Sue said something in
School leaders have a responsibility to ensure that all students are engaged in learning and the school’s culture. For this to take place, school leaders must be intentional in their approach and leadership. Student engagement doesn’t come naturally; it’s something that one must plan for
Want the secret to engaging every kid in the room in less than a tweet, because you’ve got a stack of papers to grade, dinner to cook, and the need for more than six hours of sleep? Don’t ask me, ask them! Five words. That’s it. You
Think back to what brought you to your job as an educator. Whether you are an administrator or a classroom teacher—and whether you are aware of it or not—your beliefs about schools, classrooms, other administrators, and teachers had a significant influence on your decision to
With so many changes happening often in schools, parents may struggle to understand new initiatives in curriculum and instruction. Unfamiliar vocabulary such as “number bonds,” “math situations,” and “context cues” can be bewildering. Some parents complain their child is bored in the classroom while others
A paradox: Students raise their voices when they have something personal at stake. But, to be heard outside the classroom, they must meet the expectations of a wider community. A personal stake is just not enough. In helping to prepare students in one urban school to
Most of you reading this have never met me in person or seen my picture. I have an enormous forehead. Once, while teaching a small group of at-risk teens, a clever student actually informed me that I possess a fivehead. Like I said, clever. Apparently, this
As school leaders, you can’t be expected to do everything. So you have to figure out where your time, effort, and influence will count the most—enhancing learning and achievement! Decide where your leadership practice can make the biggest difference, have the greatest impact, and then
Vocabulary terms and phrases are found everywhere in textbooks, in lesson plans presented by teachers during instruction, and can be observed in “I Can” student learning statements often written on whiteboards. So, why then must the language of mathematics be spoken and emphasized in every