I came across an interesting article in Scientific American.  While waiting in the barber shop, I saw read the line, "Too often school assessments heighten anxiety and hiner learning.  New research shows how to reverse this trend."  Initially, it hit upon all of the negatives that go along with testing.  Then, it introduced a teacher who uses multiple choice questions as her lessons.  The practice is called Retrieval Practice.  The article states that there is empirical support for this…

So much professional development is focused on skills and methods and so much is necessary to learn and do.  Unless we grow as confident, open hearted, resilient humans, the skills and methods we learn and implement will remain as work to be done...We can find wisdom and knowledge within that speaks to who we are and how we act. How we revere others must not be an act of comparison, but one of celebrating their uniqueness and, therefore, our own. If we can do that, then...and…

THE TEACHER OBSERVATION

by Fred Welfare

A response to Dr. Michael Cubbin's post 

TEACHER OBSERVATIONS DON’T WORK… BUT WHY?

The teacher observation is an inspection of a lesson. Sometimes the observation is a snap-shot or walkthrough, just to see if certain components of the classroom and lesson are in place. The…

Iowa: Kindergarten is the Néw First Grade…

NY Times

July 16, 2015

To the Editor:

Re “Obama Unveils Stricter Rules on…

Leaders are cognizant of the need to have a strong and positive school culture, built over time among a community with shared values. They are also under pressure to incorporate change to the routines within the school and sometimes to the culture itself.     Read more...

Tools of the Trade

AN INNOVATIVE ORGANIZATION PROVIDES FREE TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO MAKE LEARNING ACCESSIBLE TO ALL STUDENTS

Why Aren’t NAEP Scores for High School Students Going Up? By Chad Aldeman…

Are Helicoptered Kids More Depressed at College?

Let’s Talk! Five Strategies for Hitting the Speaking and Listening Standards

Setting Effective Instructional Priorities for Next Year

By Ryan McCarty July 7, 2015 12:00 pm

Kindergarteners Are Born Engineers…

With all the attention being paid to improving student performance and the assessments designed to measure that improvement, trying harder and doing more is the first response. Sometimes, it is the only response. For students and teachers alike, after school sessions, tutoring, and practice are replacing exciting and engaging learning.  The attention paid to what is happening in classrooms, that teachers need to change some practices, and the hyper-focus on the standardized test…

A Checklist for Fixing ESEA By Frederick Hess…