A teaching moment that I will never forget is back in 2008 teaching United States History to fifth graders. We were on our second day of Roanoke. The kids were highly engaged and we were deep in discussion for two full days. By the end of the second day we were beginning to think about […]
Blog
4 Songs for Teaching Confidence and Self-Worth
I am a true believer in using music and song lyrics in the classroom. Students are naturally captivated by music, so why not go there? It’s difficult to find music students will enjoy that have clean lyrics and send a great messages, so here are four songs I used this week in classrooms to help […]
The Importance of Book Talks
Last week I was reminded of the importance of book talks. I was visiting a classroom of middle school students who struggle with reading. These students have learned to dislike reading through countless hours spent “reading” books that are well above their reading level with content they don’t care about, and completing worksheet packets. When […]
Connecting to TCEA with Twitter
Love my PLN (Personal Learning Network)! I have been wallowing in my own self pity that, for another year, I am not registered and will not be attending the 2014 TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) annual conference. I am always envious of those who return, are rejuvenated, and have learned about all the newest gadgets, […]
Concept Based Instruction
After working with a group of teachers today, I have realized the importance of teaching conceptually. It is so important for students to make deep thematic connections between and across texts, but they still struggle. Due to the demands of standardized testing, teachers have been driven away from concept-based instruction. When students learn in a […]