The tasks that comprise our work are not optional. The lens through which we view these tasks, however, is. Following are two lenses through which the teacher’s work can be viewed. The Lens of Minutiae What do teachers do? We greet students, dismiss students, guide students, counsel students. We collect papers, grade papers, teach papers, assign […]
A Simple “Craft Your Credo” Classroom Activity
This past week allowed me the opportunity to experiment with leading three groups of my students in a Craft Your Credo classroom activity, and I’d like to share that activity with you today. Two of the groups went quite well, and one didn’t. The credo classroom activity that went well The super short explanation Here’s the credo classroom […]
Two Practical “Reminder” Strategies for Overcoming Noise-Induced Aimlessness
The film Memento (2000, directed by Christopher Nolan) is the story of Leonard, a man with one abiding purpose in life — finding and bringing justice to his wife’s killers — and one serious handicap: he is unable to retain short-term memories. As a result, Leonard develops a system of reminders — including tattoos like those in Figure 1 — and […]
Teaching Success in a Noisy World
I’ve written before on information overload, but a recent read gave me a much better word for what I’m getting at: noise. You and I and every one of our students live in a world so unprecedentedly full of noise that we, as a species, are literally figuring out how to deal with it for […]
The #1 Problem with New Years Life-Changey Stuff: Clarity of Purpose
Maybe you’re a “one word” person, or a classic resolution-setter, or a jaded New Years apathist. Regardless, here’s all I have to say: without clarity of purpose, resolutions, goals and words are destined to disappoint. Importantly, this principle extends way beyond efforts at personal improvement; clarity of purpose is critical with things like school improvement initiatives and literacy frameworks. In Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit […]