“Accountability,” a colleague once said, “is a gift. It’s a way to help people make sure they accomplish the things they want to do.” It was an unorthodox way of thinking about the concept. Most people hear the word “accountability” with a negative connotation. Nobody likes to be held accountable. Few people really enjoy holding others…
Fascinating post from William Schmidt, Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University and co-director of the Education Policy Center. Schmidt compares the differences between the PISA and TIMMS assessments. In a nutshell, he notes the Major distinction in what the two tests purport to measure: the TIMSS is focused on formal mathematical knowledge, whereas the PISA emphasizes…
Just want to say: it’s a 10x hard day to be a teacher. To process Ferguson with kids requires an equanimity many of us probably don’t feel. I thought I’d just offer a few insights from a very wise friend of mine who is a school leader on how she’s approaching the next day or two….
Spent the day leading a workshop on Pacing with 60 or so amazing teachers from around the Uncommon Schools network today. Lotta fun; lotta insight; lotta practice. (So Uncommon). One of the things we’ve been studying is using different types of activities to pursue a single objective to keep students engaged and to engage their minds…
Teach Like a Champion 2.0 starts with a brand new section on Check For Understanding: Two full chapters and 10 techniques answering four key questions: How do you better gather data about student mastery through asking students questions? How do you better gather data about student mastery by observing students? How do you make it easier…