Blog - Mike Anderson Consulting

Whole Class Lessons: The Most Efficient, Least Effective Form of Instruction

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Classroom Management, Great Academic Work, Teaching Strategies

Kathy Collins and I were co-teaching a summer workshop for teachers on how to teach reading effectively. We were sharing about different kinds of direct instruction—various ways we can teach students the skills, strategies, and mindsets they need to be

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Classroom Management, Great Academic Work, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning, Teaching Strategies, The Ebb and Flow of the School Year

A great learning environment is like a three-legged stool. Ruth Charney first introduced this concept to me years ago. It’s an important idea to keep in mind all year long, but it’s crucial during the first weeks of school. The

Can Retakes Actually Raise the Bar?

I know many educators bemoan retakes. It is often seen as giving kids too many chances, not holding them accountable, and generally “lowering the bar.” I’ve heard the warning “There are no retakes in real life!” too many times to

By Pam Gunneson
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Motivation, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies, Uncategorized

What Are We Doing Today in Physical Education? “What are we doing today?” is the most frequently asked question by my middle school students while entering the gym to get ready for class. After my response, students will usually either

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Teacher Talk, Teaching Strategies

A friend and colleague of mine, Andy Dousis, once told me that every lesson has three moments: a golden one, a silver one, and a leaden one. Whatever you say in the first 60 seconds of the lesson is the

By Kristin Castellano
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Motivation

Square pegs and round holes. This phrase plays over and over in my head each time I try to assign a letter grade to my students at the end of a marking period. My students’ learning is so complex, and

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning, Teacher Talk

Walk through most schools, and you’ll see messages like the ones above, posted in classrooms and in hallways. We often encourage kids, as they’re about to work to “try your best” or “put in max effort.” One year in

By Jaclyn Rohr
In Blog, Mike's Blog, The Ebb and Flow of the School Year

Early in the school year, there’s a powerful proactive strategy we should all consider. Positive phone calls to families give you the chance to build connections and relationships with families that will yield benefits all year long. But is this

A few years ago my wife gave me three months of coaching for my birthday. I’d been running 5K road races and was trying some half-marathons. She thought I could use some professional help! We connected online, and I sent

By Tom Tuscano
In Great Academic Work, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies

“How’d it go?” On the surface, it is such a basic question. I’ve been asked that question plenty of times in my life. After a sports game, doctor’s appointment, or school meeting, not to mention that nerve-wracking best man’s speech

By Mike Anderson
In Mike's Blog, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning, Teacher Talk, Ted Lasso

What did the mathematical acorn say when he grew up? “Ge-om-e-try!” (“Gee, I’m a tree!”) Ah—dad jokes. Silly plays on words. Puns. Cornball humor. Eye-rollers. Groaners. Ted Lasso is packed with goofy humor. Have you noticed how this keeps your

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Health and Balance, Mike's Blog, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies, Ted Lasso

In the final episode of Season I of Ted Lasso, players are somber and nervous heading into a do-or-die match against a superior team. Ted decides they all need to try something new, so he invites the players to name

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Health and Balance, Mike's Blog, Ted Lasso

As I’ve watched Ted Lasso, I can’t help but think about the lessons that we educators can learn along the way. Today we’ll consider a line from the very first episode: “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Classroom Management, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning, Ted Lasso

My wife and I loved watching Ted Lasso. In fact, when our daughter came home from college for the holidays, we got her into it and watched both seasons again! One of the most powerful and uplifting scenes comes in

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Classroom Management, Mike's Blog, Social and Emotional Learning, Ted Lasso

Even if you haven’t binge-watched Ted Lasso like I have (twice!), you’ve probably heard of it. In this blog post, we’ll explore one of Ted Lasso’s classic lines: Be a Goldfish and consider how it might help us when we’ve

Beyond Behaviorism: Three Key Strategies

A Brief History of Behaviorism, Part 5 If you could travel back in time about 60 years and walk through a typical school, you might be surprised to find something missing. You wouldn’t see behavior charts or “star student” award

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Classroom Management, For Parents, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning

A Brief History of Behaviorism, Part 4 If you could travel back in time about 60 years and walk through a typical school, you might be surprised to find something missing. You wouldn’t see behavior charts or “star student” award

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Classroom Management, For Parents, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning

A Brief History of Behaviorism, Part 3 If you could travel back in time about 60 years and walk through a typical school, you might be surprised to find something missing. You wouldn’t see behavior charts or “star student” award

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Classroom Management, For Parents, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning

A Brief History of Behaviorism, Part 2 If you could travel back in time about 60 years and walk through a typical school, you might be surprised to find something missing. You wouldn’t see behavior charts or “star student” award

Drooling Dogs and the Birth of Behaviorism

A Brief History of Behaviorism, Part 1 If you could travel back in time about 60 years and walk through a typical school, you might be surprised to find something missing. You wouldn’t see behavior charts or “star student” award

Do your students seem young this year? You’re not alone. In every single school I’m working in this year—with no exceptions—teachers are saying the same kinds of things. This shouldn’t be surprising. Students always seem a bit young in the

15 Strategies for Learning Students’ Names

“To weave the magic of a thing, you see, one must find its true name. In my lands we keep our true names hidden all our lives long, from all but those we trust utterly; for there is great power,

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Teaching Strategies, Video

In this vlog post, published through Eduplanet21, I share a story about a student who seemed motivated but wasn’t really self-motivated. She was always seeking my approval: “Is this okay? Is it good enough?” I tell about how I helped

Whole Class Lessons: The Most Efficient, Least Effective Form of Instruction

Can Retakes Actually Raise the Bar?

Choice as a Motivator in Physical Education

5 Strategies for Keeping Lessons Short

Square Pegs and Round Holes: Why I Moved Away From Letter Grades

A Powerful Proactive Strategy: Positive Phone Calls to Families

Can You Really Own Something You Didn’t Choose?

3 Planning Moves to Reenergize Your Teaching

Taking on a Challenge Is Like Riding a Horse

Helping Students Become More Self-Motivated