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Pre-made, download-and-go PBL plan? Ask these questions first! #HackingPBL
Once upon a fifth grade classroom, I hosted a student teacher from a local university. As she began to take over more of the instructional load, she integrated some of my classroom management techniques, including my routine for gaining student attention before giving a direction. This routine, which felt natural for me and was quite effective for my students, always seem to fall short for our student teacher. She struggled to gain student attention and eventually she ended up
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Leading Project Based Learning – 10 Minute Teacher Podcast #10MT
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Talking To Teens About Their Brains
When was the last time you thought about your brain? Until a few years ago, I didn’t think very seriously about my brain, at all. It performed all of its essential functions without me paying it much mind (pun intended), so there wasn’t ever a reason to offer it deliberate focus… until I became a middle school administrator. When I tell people I work in a middle school, they often respond with looks of horror, since kids ranging in age from 10 to 13 seem to have reputations that precede them. It’s true that the unique developmental characteristics that make up these formative years can be tricky, but learning more…
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They Call My Daughter Bossy…
They call my daughter bossy. “Geez,” I think, “Guess I better fix that!” So, I observe my oldest daughter while she is interacting with peers, and I see this soon-to-be eight year old telling kids what to do, correcting others when they do something wrong, and always stating her own opinion. I wonder, “How do I fix bossy?” Do I tell her to worry only about herself? Should I tell her to mind her own business, when people do naughty things around her? Do I insist she keep her opinions to herself? In the long run, I feel that is all terrible advice. They call my daughter bossy, but maybe…
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THE Parent-Teacher Conference
There is no denying that parent-teacher conferences can be a tricky time. Even if there was ample communication leading up to conference, a ton of pressure is placed on the brief 15 minutes that teachers and parents have to meet together. This pressure is compounded by the fact that teachers may be somewhere between conference number three and conference number sixty and parents have rushed out of work and made it to the door of the school at the precise time the conference is set to start. There are, however, some strategies we can employ to ensure everyone enters and exits the meeting feeling positive and productive. As a educator…
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5 Critical Questions to Ask About Your Project #HackingPBL
After a recent live Twitter chat, I received a message from a member of my PLN asking for help. Here is the specific message: “I feel that many of the resources available to help teachers fine-tune their projects are too clunky. How do I help them evaluate their practice? I am honestly looking for a ‘hacky’ way to evaluate project versus PBL.” From the coaching perspective, I am wary of using the word “evaluate.” The fear of “getting it wrong” is a major symptom of PBL Paralysis (read more about PBL Paralysis here), which can keep teachers from taking instructional risks. However, interest in continually reflecting on and refining…
