In today's educational world, immediate, ongoing assessment has taken on increased importance. One way to assess students is to allow them to self-assess. We can do this in the classroom at any given moment in time. Once we know where students are in regards to their understanding of a lesson, we ca [...]
I presented an hour and fifteen minute conference session today at the 2008 Annual Education Conference in Portsmouth, NH. The session was titled, “Differentiating Instruction within Tier 1 and Tier II RTI Guidelines”. That's a HUGE topic in and of itself yet, there's a demand for information about [...]
I'm a huge advocate for using individual white boards for participation. I just worked with a teacher who added one more option to this strategy: Sheet protectors. Cover the whiteboard with a sheet protector with two sides cut so it easily slips over the board. Then students can work out math proble [...]
Peace begins deep within our soul. It means observing our self-talk, reflecting on our prejudices, having the courage to change and persisting in our efforts to make that change. I look at the world and wonder if we will see a time where youth are not beaten because of their clothes, excluded because they don’t fit the current rules of the popular culture, singled out and tormented because they are simply different. Then, I’m reminded that there is hope for our children.
I was working with an elementary school in New Hampshire today and walked into a classroom with an incredibly calming environment. I immediately noticed that the teacher had turned off the florescent lights. Instead, she had four floor lamps and a table lamp strategically placed around the room. There were no cords visible. She had the cords tucked away so that students would not trip on them. She, also, had calming classical music playing in the background. The difference between that classroom and the hall was striking. Students were on task and happily going about their work.