BBC Radio 4’s series The Educators ran a long form interview today that I did recently with host Sarah Montague. Here are three thoughts in response: 1. I genuinely enjoyed the conversation. I don’t say that often about interviews but Sarah Montague and producer Joel Moors were unusually well prepared and knowledgeable. My mom, a journalist,…
We’re talking Check for Understanding at our Engaging Academics workshop in Albany this morning- specifically how great teachers normalize growth mindset–struggling forward, errors and all–and make that seem like the most normal thing in the world. This is critically important because if students try to hide their mistakes from their teachers it is 10x harder to…
Here’s a bit of useful teaching vocabulary for you. The “plane” of your classroom is the imaginary line that runs the length of the room. It’s the red line in the diagram at left. The “plane” can be anywhere but it’s often about where the first student desks start. It indicates where “your” space ends and…
We’re up in Albany this morning studying Engaging Academics with folks from around the country. Our first topic is Wait Time and as with any workshop we’ve learned a ton from our participants. Here are some of their observations: Naomi Ali of Syracuse City School District noted, in observing in one video students slowly and thoughtfully…
Imagine for a minute a school that provides lots of useful feedback to teachers. Perhaps this describes your own school. Trusted colleagues and peers frequently see you teach. They have a shared vision of successful teaching that aligns to your own in large part and they take time to give you concrete practical advice to help…