Dear colleague, It’s common enough to hear a well-meaning teacher use language like this: In one sense, I get it. When a class period becomes nothing more than a teacher distributing worksheet after worksheet to keep kids busy, that class is falling short of its potential. Our job is to teach, not to chuck worksheets […]
What’s a Distraction? (Woodenization Example)
Dear colleague, What’s a distraction? This is actually a great question to spend 10-15 minutes of class time on at least once per school year. Follow these basic steps to maximize the amount of learning the question produces. Step 1. Start with having your students write about the question. Use prompts like this: Prompts like […]
3 Things You Can Learn From Fixing a Faucet
Dear colleague, A few Sundays ago, our bathroom tub faucet developed a drip-drip-drip that wouldn’t stop. I had a few options: I was feeling cheap (I mean, I was feeling mentally strong), so I went with #3. During the process, I gained a few insights about the teacher life. #1 – Fixing a faucet is […]
A Simple Pre- and Post-Test Exercise (Unpack Outcomes Example)
Dear colleague, The second-to-last strategy in The Will to Learn is one that’s easy to sleep on: Unpack Outcomes, Good or Bad. You can read a full explanation of the strategy on pp. 206-219 in your copy of the book, so today I won’t re-explain it here and will instead give a recent example from […]
The Trouble With Sitting Behind Our Desks
Dear colleague, A couple months ago, I was asked at a PD workshop I was leading whether or not teachers should sit behind their desks while students work independently on their learning. Let’s talk a little bit about this. So first of all, it’s important we create classroom cultures where our students are sometimes independently […]
