They are a recurring nightmare in the United States, a horrifying symptom of some dysfunction in our culture. In the past six months, victims have been theater-goers, Sikh worshipers, and now first graders. A big part of me hates writing this post, instead wanting simply to admire and affirm Jim Burke’s noble call to continue the […]
Character Strengths — Beyond the Common Core
Though the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are, in my opinion, a common sense approach to preparing students for the worlds of college and careers, they intentionally leave out any mention of non-academic skills needed for post-secondary flourishing. And frankly, that’s what schools are for: to promote long-term, widespread human flourishing. So what are those non-academic skills […]
What’s the C3 Framework, and How does it Affect Your Social Studies Class?
In case you haven’t heard, the moment all of us social studies teachers have been curiously looking forward to — the release of national social studies content standards — has come. Or not. At this month’s National Council of Social Studies (NCSS) Conference, where the national standards were expected to be unveiled, social studies gurus […]
Close Reading, the Common Core, and a Freaking Awesome Prezi
I don’t know about your district, but in mine we have a leading contender for Buzzword of the Year: close reading. So what is this mystical act? And, like too many buzzwords, is it mere hogwash? Or could there be awesomeness contained within it? [Please note that, contrary to journalistic common sense, I am saving […]
Student Teachers Rock
Today, I’m privileged to be hosting some workshops at the Fire Up conference, hosted by the Inter-Institutional Teacher Education Council of West Michigan (ITEC-WM). Believe it or not, I’ll actually be speaking on something pretty far removed from the Common Core, but very near to the driving purpose of Teaching the Core and anything else […]