Apr 01
I wrote two grant proposals this year and did NOT get either of them. With that came an end to an incredible 13 year streak of getting at least one grant per year. I have been very fortunate. But with failing and broken equipment and the threat of losing the 1:1 environment that I have …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2012/04/01/the-end-of-a-great-streak/
Mar 27
Just a couple of years ago this is what my progress reports looked like. This is what I would give students every three to four weeks for the whole school year. This was what I thought would motivate my students. A majority of them were never motivated by this. And those who got “good” grades? …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2012/03/27/grades-and-feedback/
Jan 02
This year my Science PLC is focusing on using learning progressions. We’ve worked for years on eliciting evidence so we moved on to a new focus, namely sharing learning expectations. [Disclaimer: I’ve read some bloggers who raise some great points about sharing learning expectations and using rubrics with our students so I’d like to note …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2012/01/02/learning-about-cells/
Oct 31
Should I take time to teach my students in Science reading strategies to help them with our Science readings or should Language Arts teachers use Science readings as they teach kids to read? I’m all for integration. My national board certification is in early adolescent generalist (which, btw, doesn’t even exist anymore!) so integration was …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/10/31/reading-strategies-in-science/
Oct 05
When my Science students blog using an iPad, ClassBlogMeister accommodates them by offering two choices for typing. One choice allows the author to format their text with word processing menus like the image below. The problem is that iPads, mobile devices, cannot type in those graphical text boxes. It sucks! But all is not lost …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/10/05/ipad-friendly-sites/
Oct 03
I think about things like keeping students engaged. I wonder about helping students stay on task and having in class socializing focused on the content we are learning. I wonder about asking 28 individuals to conform so that we can get along and learn in a small space. I try to be open to new …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/10/03/im-bored-so-what/
Aug 03
I’m just curious and want to see where different educators are at. Please make a choice whether you are a classroom teacher, a principal, superintendent, specialist, librarian or any support role. (As of 10/2/2011 I have stopped accepting votes to this survey. Scroll down to see the results of the survey.) As of 8/6/11 at …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/08/03/how-much-socializing-can-you-put-up-with/
Mar 09
Going grade-less has opened me up to giving students feedback that will help them move their learning in the right direction. I no longer spend my time trying to find a percentage or letter or mark to reduce their work. I read it and tell them what is working and what they still need. My …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/03/09/giving-feedback/
Jan 22
My Science PLC has a few concepts that we have been reviewing with our students in grades 6 – 12 for the past few years. One of those concepts was brought to us by one of our high school teachers because she noticed that her students were having difficulty with conceiving of air as having …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/01/22/sometimes-science-lessons-just-go-wrong/
Jan 21
What if you had the chance to speak to your state’s legislators and help them understand some of the finer points of why high stakes standardized testing, especially when your state doesn’t even have a handle on which test are aligned to which set of standards, just isn’t a good idea? Well, one of our …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/01/21/making-a-case-against-high-stakes-testing/
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