Featured Article

Word Walls: a No-Brainer Choice for a Higher-Order Thinking Focus

Word Walls became a fad, and once they became ubiquitous, "faded into the wood work" as far as students' attention was concerned.

Recess: Academic Time-Waster, NOT!

Recess may become a casualty of "teach to the test" initiatives in some schools, and a casualty of buget-cramped four-day school weeks in other districts.

Total Physical Response - Story: Integrating Storytelling into Instruction

The Total Physical Response - Story (TPR-S) strategy provides teachers with extraordinary tools for integrating storytelling into all aspects of instruction.

Total Physical Response: Building "Verbal-Physical" Connections that take Hands-On Learning to a New Level

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a strategy that was "borrowed" from Speech Therapy, Special Education and Foreign Language Instruction. These folks use the technique on "harder-to-teach-than-ordinary" student populations because the technique is effective.

The Case against Open Source

The Case against Open Source is really a case against the "Free and Cheap" mantra that some Open Source Advocates chant when they solicit action (and wrong-headed decisions) from school district leaders. This is a case against folks (who know little about instruction and even less about the needs of teachers); who, despite their lack of knowledge, pitch this "save-money fantasy (delusional) strategy" to school district executives (who should know better than to listen, but don't).

Newbie Teacher Bailout: Stopping the School District Talent Leak

As school winds down, many teachers contemplate…consider, anguish about, worry over…changing jobs or "jumping ship" from the teaching profession.

Delivering Lessons that get Heard, get Remembered, and get Acted Upon

You already know that serving up memorable lessons is in your job description. So, delivering lessons that are heard and remembered is your target.

Transforming the Grading System into a "Motivational System"

Assigning grades and wading through the mire of a grading system are odious tasks that plague teachers.

Unlearn what you Learned in College: A Quick Way to Improve Teaching Effectiveness

You spend four years or more in college so that you can become certified to teach in your state.

These years are well spent, since you learn the jargon that is required for participating in the educational bureaucracy that employs you.

But do you learn the skills that keep your professional development on track to become a Master teacher in three years of real-world, on-the-job learning?

Do you Really Expect your Students to be "Motivated to Learn if you Fail to Market your Course-of-Study?"

Did you ever hear this kind of teacher lounge chatter?