Note from Dave: I wanted to share this article with you for a couple of reasons. First, Barrett Brooks is a young man who is going to have a great impact on this world. He already is, actually, through his work at Fizzle and his blog at BarrettBrooks.com. (He’s one of few bloggers whose work I consistently read.) […]
“I Love You and I’m Proud of You” — What Dean L. Stuart Taught Me About Teaching
My grandpa used to have this thing where, even when I was in high school, at the end of a visit with him he would grab me by the shoulders and kiss me on the lips, and he’d look me in the eyes and say, “David, I love you and I’m proud of you.” He […]
Write 100 Blog Posts
Probably the best piece of advice that I’ve learned in speaking with fellow edu-writers is that, from my limited observations, it seems that the difference between edu-blogs that gain an audience and edu-blogs that don’t is about 90 blog posts, or roughly 90,000 words. This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule or anything. It’s entirely possible to […]
How to View Teaching Situations Where the Odds are Against You: A Personal Case Study
I currently teach our high school’s first sections of AP World History. These are the first “advanced” courses I’ve taught in my nine years of teaching. Also, for various reasons, this course is open to ninth graders only. This is a challenging situation. Two ways to shake it Every single year in the classroom — […]
“Everyone Knows One-and-Done PD Doesn’t Work”
I hear this sometimes: “Everyone knows one-and-done PD is bad.” Here are three reasons that I think the thinking behind this line could be improved. 1. If it’s true, then a recent study of 10,000 teachers suggests that “everyone” is wrong. One of the chief findings of a recent study on teacher professional development is that effective PD is pretty idiosyncratic. Basically, […]
