“How do I know that students have learned more than just an algorithm?” “What are some tasks I can give students that push them to think critically?” “What tasks can I use to create more opportunities for student discourse?” These are questions we as math teachers sometimes ask
My favorite question for many years has been: “What is the problem for which _________ is the solution?” So what is the problem for which my new planner, Teaching Better Day by Day: A Planner to Support Your Instruction, Well-Being, and Professional Learning, is the
I was born on my mother’s birthday, yet we approach problems and decisions very differently. We joke that instead of me being “the apple that didn’t fall far from the tree,” I somehow dropped down as a cantaloupe. I’m a hyper-analytical “head” person, and she
Reading development is complex and is not a natural process. Humans are not born to read. Instead, every brain must be taught to read as there is no genetic code passed down from one generation to the next. This has significant implications on the interactions
Create a Sense of Belonging for Your Students By Paul Hernandez Developing an environment that affirms students' cultures, languages, and identities is important for providing effective student services and teaching and learning. Educators must create a sense of belonging for students to develop this environment. You must
In my new book, Poetry Pauses: Teaching With Poems to Elevate Student Writing in All Genres, I examine how poems can be easy to tuck into our practice and enhance the work we are already doing as we helps student writers to grow. For the past
We have all experienced the discomfort of engaging in or witnessing a heated argument. On any given day, parents come to schools to express concerns over something they perceive to have impacted their children negatively. And the scene may look something like this- a parent
The goal of reading is the active construction of meaning. Each reader is a unique individual who brings a collection of information, a personal vocabulary, a set of experiences, biases, and personal identities to every text they encounter. When we read with the text, we
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have been around since the 1970s and show great promise in improving student outcomes. Educator collaboration, collective responsibility, and collective learning have become increasingly necessary in the dynamic landscape of education. However, less-than-ideal implementation of effective PLCs is far too common.
These last few years have treated us to some amazing firsts. First all-female fighter pilot flyover at the Superbowl. First NASA astronaut all-female spacewalk. First female vice president of the United States. These and many more “firsts” that have happened recently are remarkable and worthy of celebration. Girls are