Great Academic Work Archives - Mike Anderson Consulting

5 Reasons to Not Use Incentives This Year (and 5 Things to Do Instead)

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Classroom Management, Great Academic Work, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Teacher Talk, Teaching Strategies

Classroom management and academic engagement are two of the most important aspects of getting off to a great start in the new school year. Though gem/marble jars, tickets, clip charts, and other incentive systems (including traditional grades) are common throughout

By Amy Difeo
In Classroom Management, Great Academic Work, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Student Choice, Teaching Strategies

Are you a teacher struggling to keep your students engaged? You’re not alone. A team of teachers at Sandown North Elementary School faced similar challenges, witnessing a decline in student engagement and an uptick in students that were dysregulated. Instead

By Mike Anderson
In Audio, Great Academic Work, Health and Balance, Interviews, Mike's Blog, Teaching Strategies

When my district first adopted a math program I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was relieved. Look a this—all of my math lessons are planned for the entire year! Just imagine the time I’ll save. I won’t

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

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 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 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, 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

100 Ideas for Awesome Academic Work in the Last Weeks of School

Don’t look now, but the end of the school year isn’t far away. Of course, we know how important the first weeks of school are, but what about the last weeks of school? Surely, this is just as important a

As Students Return to School, Don’t Focus on SEL or Academics: Do Both

As schools welcome more and more students back through their doors, we’re all trying to figure out the best way to do so. It seems as though there are two wildly different needs we must address. As I talk with

Teacher language can be a great focus for a New Year’s resolution. After all, we all use language with students, and we all surely have some habits that could use some refinement. Often, some of our language habits don’t line

You want at-home learning to feel purposeful and engaging for students, but you don’t want to further overwhelm yourself with work. What if there was a way to both boost student engagement and reduce the daily assigning, correcting, and keeping

Games can boost engagement and learning for students while also reducing teacher workload--a win-win!

What if there was a learning strategy that boosted student engagement, had many (many!) academic benefits for students, and reduced teacher planning and correcting/grading time? Great news! There is–and it’s a tried and true strategy you have probably been using

By David Davis
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Homework, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Social and Emotional Learning, Student Choice

It might be the understatement of the summer that teachers, students, parents, and administrators are anxious about the upcoming school year. In addition to the priorities of health, safety, and equity of access to education in this COVID-19 period, distance

By Mike Anderson
In Great Academic Work, In the Media, Interviews, Motivation, Student Choice, Teacher Talk, Video

I was delighted to join a group of deep thinkers for an in-depth panel discussion about leaner-centered education. Hosted by Julie Mountcastle of the Slate School, this conversation is rich and engaging. You’ll hear about the importance of cherishing children’s

Self-Care as a Professional Responsibility

A Conversation with Mike Anderson, Little Things First This is part 3 of a four-part series on how to support educators in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. In this conversation with the Little Things First podcast hosts, Tracy

By Mike Anderson
In Blog, Great Academic Work, Mike's Blog, Motivation, Student Choice

A high school math teacher is recording short lessons on his phone in his basement, using a dry erase board and marker as he explains new math concepts. He posts the videos and then offers one-on-one and small group coaching

By Mike Anderson
In Articles, Classroom Management, Great Academic Work

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

Great Academic Work

5 Reasons to Not Use Incentives This Year (and 5 Things to Do Instead)

Struggling with Motivation? Try Engaging Students with Project-Based Learning!

How Teachers Can Forge Instructional Autonomy

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

Can You Really Own Something You Didn’t Choose?

3 Planning Moves to Reenergize Your Teaching

Helping Students Become More Self-Motivated

100 Ideas for Awesome Academic Work in the Last Weeks of School

Tap into Self-Motivation with an At-Home Project

3 Reasons + 5 Tips = GR8 Games

A Deep-Dive Into Learner-Centered Education

Start Planning with Your “Why” Instead of Your “What” and “How”

Our Classroom Walls