Hey there, colleague! Here’s where we’ve been on the blog since mid-summer: July through August, we did a series on student motivation and the five key beliefs methodology. The Will to Learn series was super cool. I had a blast writing it. If you’ve got a warm-up cup and an hour to dive deep, here’s […]
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How to Heal a Divided World: 🌎📝 Argumentative Writing that Actually Listens to the Other Side
In today’s political climate, discussions can easily turn into verbal combat. From Congressional debates to divisive Thanksgiving dinners and angry-emoji-laden Facebook brawls, each voice ends up yelling louder and viler without ever actually listening to the fear and motivation behind the other person’s heart. Unfortunately, the same corrosiveness emerges when we teach argumentative writing to students. In […]
This Is How I Teach Students to Take Notes for Learning
Update from Dave: My new book is out, and it highlights ten practical methods for improving student motivation in all kinds of classrooms. One of those strategies involves clearly and repeatedly teaching students to get better at challenging skills like note-takin for learning. You can learn more about the book here. At the time of […]
A Shift then a Skip: Here’s How One Teacher’s Job Changed with a Simple Change in Thinking
Robert Macfadden is a history teacher at Palmdale High School in Palmdale, CA. A while ago, Robert wrote in with the following story. There’s a very important moment in this story that I’d like to expand upon after Robert is through. So, I’ll be back in a minute. Here’s Robert: Four years ago I had […]
How to Get Better at Satisficing as an Educator
Satisficing isn’t my word. It’s Nobel winner Herbert Simon’s. It means, “Doing something at the good-enough level, not the optimal level.” Few skills are as critical to the well-lived teacher’s life. Here’s why. On paper, teaching is an impossible job. So is administration. Doing education by the book in the twenty-first century is hopelessly Byzantine. […]