DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING ALLOWS STUDENTS TO WORK AT THEIR OWN PACE TO SUIT THEIR NEEDS WHILE MAKING PROGRESS AGAINST COMMON GOALS. Differentiation is not easy. In fact, it may be the most difficult skill in the teaching business. And now with nearly all schools in the world dealing with a global pandemic, having moved to virtual learning …
Differentiated + Distance Learning during COVID-19 Read More »
METACOGNITION IS ‘THINKING ABOUT THINKING’. It is the ability step out of one’s own mind and examine how we learn. Metacognition’s mantra is perhaps most succinctly stated by the Modern Philosopher Descartes almost 500 years ago in the year of 1637: Cogito Ergo Sum: I think therefore I am. In education we could add one …
As an Assistant Principal at a school with over 500 sixth-twelfth graders, every day is different and brings new and exciting challenges. Part of my role is the point person for disciplinary matters. Often students are referred to me by teachers when a student has an outburst that may not be appropriate or manageable in …
Social Emotional Learning: Core Competency: Self-Management Read More »
12/4/19 What is tech neutrality? Is tech neutral. What does it mean for a value to be embedded within a technology? How does value-embedded technology effect our schools? These are questions that are intriguing for school leaders to consider. A good read on the topic of tech neutrality + embedded values is ‘The Uncertain Promise’ …
As an instructional leader, giving feedback to teachers on your instructional caseload is a must. Teachers appreciate receiving feedback that is timely and constructive that can help them improve their instructional practices in order to improve student learning. Here are a few tips for providing quality feedback to teachers: Utilize a Reliable Framework: Danielson’s Framework …
There are many ways to improve classroom management. In this article we will look at one way that classroom management can be improved: increasing student motivation. The implication is that if students are motivated they will be less likely to engage in disruptive classroom behaviors. The following are ten ways that teachers can increase motivation …
Student Motivation = Better Classroom Management Read More »
A lot has been said about the connection between a strong school climate, school achievement and school leadership. “School principals influence school achievement primarily through changes in the school climate.” In this article we will take a deeper look at the connection between school leadership, school culture and student learning by summarizing the work of …
School Leadership = School Climate + Achievement Gains Read More »
School Leaders work extremely hard during the school year to help keep so many systems running smoothly, often doing many tasks that go unnoticed after hours. It is important for leaders to take some time to relax over the summer in order to recharge their batteries for a new school year in order to be …
Someone might ask you one day, how have you used data to make a difference in an educational setting? I would like to share with you a recent example of an answer to this question from my practice. I am currently 18.75% finished with my doctorate in education via University of Illinois: Champaign-Urbana. My research …
Volunteer teacher training in Honduras : From Data/Research to Practice. Read More »
According to John Hattie’s research in a 2017/2018 ranking, collective teacher efficacy (CTE) has the biggest positive impact on student learning. And the difference is quite large. CTE scored 1.57, with second place (self-reported grades) scoring 1.33, which represents an 18% increase in effect size. Why is this data important? Because this can shape where …
