In May of 2016 I was interviewed on ASCD’s Learn. Teach. Lead. Radio program on the BAM! Radio Network to discuss a few ideas from my newest book, Learning to Choose, Choosing to Learn: The Key to Student Motivation and
One of the most devastating effects of the standardization movement—with its pressures to conform and emphasis on accountability through high-stakes testing—has been the stripping of teacher autonomy—our power to make informed decisions about how best to meet the needs of
Note: This article first appeared on Learning Personalized in April, 2016: http://www.learningpersonalized.com/students-learn-choose-choose-learn/. Thanks go out to my friend and colleague, Allison Zmuda, who originally published the post!
I was recently working with a group of high school teachers, and they
This session summary appeared in the Conference Daily, the daily newspaper for the ASCD Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA, April 2-4, 2016. The original link is: http://annualconference.ascd.org/attendee/conference-daily/2016/choose-to-learn.aspx.
April Bailey
Too often, students figure out what they’re supposed to do based
Many schools are working hard to help promote a growth mindset in their students. I recently facilitated a learning session with a group of teachers that I’d like to pass along. It is a simple activity that yielded some powerful
Dear Kennari-
Greetings once again from Sweet Meadow Acres for Retired Teachers. I only have a few minutes to write today, so let’s get right to it, shall we?
In your last letter, you mentioned that you’re overwhelmed with everything
We all know the power of positive community in the classroom. When students feel valued, are known for their strengths, enjoy coming to school, and feel safe and supported, they are more ready to engage in great learning. Not surprisingly,
You have just finished teaching a lesson, and as you direct students to get started on their work, a familiar chorus echoes across the room, causing your heart to sink.
What do we get for doing this?
Do we have
We all know how important a good breakfast is. When our students have a big day coming up (a research project presentation, a debate, a field trip, etc.), it’s one of the things we encourage them to do to be
Original article: http://www.cfchildren.org/about-us/blogs/self-esteem-can-we-hand-it-to-our-kids-on-a-silver-platter
Published on Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Happy National Boost-Your-Self-Esteem Month! How are you celebrating? I’ve decided to mark the occasion by exploring where the self-esteem “movement” is today. First, though, some thoughts on self-esteem boosting in my
Every now and then, I come across a letter from Uncle Curmudgeon, an old retired teacher, to his niece, Kennari, an aspiring new one. I’m happy to pass another along!
Dear Kennari-
So! You’ve signed up for your first committee!
How successful are you at keeping New Year’s resolutions? If you’re like most, you’re not so good at it. In fact, as a general rule, we teachers often struggle with goal-setting in general. This was something that I emerged from
Every now and then, I come across a letter from Uncle Curmudgeon, an old retired teacher, to his niece, Kennari, an aspiring new one. I’m happy to pass another along!
Dear Kennari-
It was another interesting week here at Sweet
The first weeks of school are long past, and your class has likely settled into a rhythm. This is a great time of year to reflect on how things are going. Are routines running as smoothly as you’d like? Are
You have 24 great parent-teacher conferences and one rough one.
Many students had “A-ha!” moments in math around a tough concept, but one just couldn’t get it and was near tears by the end of class.
At the end
This article appeared in the Responsive Classroom Newsletter: November 2015 (https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/our-classroom-walls)
During the school day we spend most of our time in our classroom and so do twenty to thirty students (give or take a few!). Many of us feel
This post originally appeared in Education Week Teacher (blog) on October 7, 2015.
By Larry Ferlazzo on October 7, 2015 4:45 PM
(This is the second post in a three-part series on “grit.” You
You’re on your way home from school thinking through the day and trying to figure out how it happened. You replay events….
It was 11:15 and students were in the midst of a chaotic transition—it was noisy, three students were
This article was published in the October 2015 edition of Educational Leadership (Emotionally Healthy Kids) as an online-only article. It explores how social and emotional skills are woven throughout the Common Core State Standards and what that means for good
For a long time, when I wanted to give students positive feedback about their work or behavior, I began with some version of, “I like the way you…”
“Jeremy, I like the way you’re working so hard on that
One student can change the feel of a whole classroom. John throws a tantrum whenever things don’t go his way. Alicia enters the room each morning with a deep scowl exuding negative energy. Allen has way too much sexual knowledge
This article appeared on the NEA Member Benefits site: http://www.neamb.com/professional-resources/healthy-educator-habits.htm?utm_source=TWCD0915&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wall-post
With each school year comes the chance to be proactive about your health. You can fight off chronic low energy, constant sniffles and stress headaches before they pull
Originally posted on The Teacher Learning Sessions site: http://teacherlearningsessions.com/podcast/reteaching/mike-anderson/
Mike Anderson is an author, an award-winning educator, and an independent educational consultant. In addition to other books, Mike wrote The Well Balanced Teacher, The First Six Weeks of School (2nd Edition), and
I joined two other panelists, Dawn Casey-Rowe and Dan Brown, on this episode of BAM! Radio to discuss ways to create trust and build connections with students early in the year. Hosted by Rae Pica, this was a lively and
Original Article: http://www.neamb.com/professional-resources/how-to-achieve-classroom-family-balance-guilt-free.htm
You don’t have to choose between being a good parent and being a good teacher with these helpful productivity tips.
For Mike Anderson, fatherhood felt like a second full-time job. He