Yes and No is not the way to go. When you ask questions of students, family members or adults, make them more interactive. It’s not difficult to make the change so answers become discussion bits that lead to more meaningful interactions: ‘Did you have a great day at school?’ becomes ‘What was the most interesting part of… Read More »
Critical thinking requires work. It’s not just a school day event to set aside when we’re on vacation or at home. It’s imperative that we stretch ourselves and students to move beyond the basics if we want to increase rigor in our thinking. Plus, moving beyond who, what, and where takes us to why and… Read More »
ABC books bridge all grades. They present everything that’s great about children’s books: a single storyline or theme a predictable format (A-Z) a consistent text (wordless, simple words, phrases or sentences) illustrations that enhance the words multiple choice in topics (animals to science and math to poetry). When students write their own, they experience success… Read More »
It’s a great feeling to: * win 2 honorable mentions for Educating America: 101 Strategies * be trusted to handle reading training sessions for a local United Way Education agency * be asked for suggestions on expanding a school’s volunteer programs use of assistants * be invited to plan training for a second local volunteer… Read More »
Like the song which echoes the phrase, ‘Finnegan Begin Again’, education begins again every day. I’m constantly in learning mode! As my website morphs into its new, broader existence, I want to reach out to more friends and supporters of education. That’s you. Every Tuesday, my education blog day, I’ll be turning back to update my earlier blogs… Read More »
Eye on Education posted a great article online* about maximizing lesson plans. Here are their suggestions for introducing lessons. 1. Create a novel approach to grab students attention. 2. Keep the lesson relevant to your students’ lives. 3. Use verbal AND written instructions to accommodate varied ways students take in information. 4. Model your thinking… Read More »
Students in groups need ‘clues’ about the expectations while they are in groups. No one likes to surge ahead blindly. So, what do group leaders need to share? Outline your expectations and judge your time constraints. It’s a challenge to make everything fit. Check out this example for a 35 minute group beginning a new… Read More »
It is important for students to know their own learning style needs. Even after you give students a learning style assessment, it is important for them to take responsibility for adjusting their habits so they can achieve greater success. I know my style and my tendencies. Can you find yours in this brief look? The… Read More »
On Sunday I had the opportunity to do an informal presentation to a group of GED instructors. It was heartening to be able to give them a couple of new tools and to encourage them to use higher level thinking skills even more than they currently do. Since education is a village effort, I appreciated… Read More »
As the CCSS become the basis for a stronger educational base, we need to incorporate skills across the space between school and home. One way to encourage more rigor is to use common reading materials such as magazines and newspapers. Most families have access to these materials or can gain access easily through subscription, library resources or… Read More »