image credit As this year comes to a close, I decided to look back at some of my posts from this year. A lot has happened for me, my blog and educators. I have grown as a teacher and a blogger and I have learned much from my colleagues across the globe. Here are 5…
Today I had a day-long conversation on Twitter about whether we should still be teaching fiction in the curriculum. This was in response to a recent article by Grant Wiggins entitled “Ban fiction from the curriculum.” In the article, Wiggins makes the argument that fiction is essentially a sissy genre read by women at the…
I just finished reading an excellent book, Meeting Students Where They Live: Motivation in Urban Schools. While it doesn’t contain a lot of new ideas for me, it is still a great read that has ideas for me to reinforce in my classroom and a few things to try. It’s an important book, I believe,…
This year has been a transformative year for me. Maybe it’s because it’s my 4th year in a lab, maybe it’s because of my improved school environment or maybe it’s because I’ve hit that point in my career where I can really begin to hone my craft. One of my main focuses this year (as…
I was reminiscing this weekend to the sound of Bad Religion when I realized that it was bands like them along with the Dead Kennedys and others that taught me what it was like to (literally) yell against injustice and corruption and plea for a better way. As a teenager, punk rock provided me the…
I recently wrote a post on the excellent group blog, The Co-operative Catalyst, called “Who’s the Boss?” in which I explored the idea of teachers being in charge of a school. More and more I’m feeling that not only is this a trend, but it is an important movement. This past Thursday I attended TEDx…
photo courtesy of Tim Morgan on Flickr I had a recent epiphany that I am, technically speaking, a Yuppie (young, urban professional). I’ve always used the term to describe office/corporate types in suits who drive nice cars. But when I think about it, I am a young, urban professional. I might not wear a suit…
My grade partner happens to be our 6th grade teacher, since there’s only one of her in the building and she’s right across the hall. She and I have been collaborating a lot this year, and her students see me 3 times a week. She and I also share a love of Science, which has…
I’m almost halfway through a wonderful book, Applying Standards-Based Constructivism: A Two-Step Guide for Motivating Elementary Students. It has given me a lot of practical advice and it has given me a better understanding of some of my instructional practices and methods and at the same time justifies practices I’ve been doing for years. I…
I just finished reading Checking for Understanding by Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher. It is one of the most practical books I have read in a while. In it I found techniques that I could immediately apply in my classroom. Assessment is a huge challenge for me. I see most of my students 45 minutes…