I recently received an email from a teaching friend of mine in which she described the following challenge: “I’ll lead a lesson, and I think it’s going great. I’ll do a lot of Checks For Understanding (CFU), and students will get them right. But then I grade the exit tickets, and I realize that no one…
We were looking for the right phrase to describe this great video of Leadership Prep Ocean Hill’s Rachel King. Then someone suggested the phrase ‘grab bag’–we like that because this clip is like something you’d get at a birthday party– a simple and useful smattering of favors- bright cheery things that are useful and fun. Here…
For those of us who are under sail with the new school year, the first day(s) and week(s) of school are often a time when we’re setting expectations and limits, mostly in a way that’s natural and normal. Students want to know what you expect and what you mean by “attentive, positive and working hard” and/or…
Another guest post from Erica Woolway this evening… this one with an amazing video accompaniment. Check out this clip from Josh Gardner (TNTP seasonal staff and KIPP NOLA Math Teacher) in New Orleans as he teaches his fellows to practice using non-verbal directions until they become automatic. We have worked with TNTP for the past…
Check out this instantly useful video of North Star 6th grade math teacher Michael Rubino demonstrating some new aspects of the 100% technique we’re working on this summer: Radar–the art of seeing what’s happening in your classroom. Be Seen Looking–the art of tacitly reminding students that you notice and care whether they do as expected. What…