Guest post by Alice Bilbrey I've been a long-time user of Google Docs and Google Classroom as a part of my teaching practice, so I was thrilled when I received the go-ahead from TMI to open up a Google Classroom for my AP English Language and Composition course. I explained to my juniors that a … Continue reading Join Me in the Cloud: Guest Post by @alice_bilbrey – @TeachToLead #TTLNetwork #TTLSummit #TMILearns
Assessment
Oh, #Homework… – #BLOG365 Day 131 #edchat #hacklearning
Oh homework, how we loathe you in my house. You take us away from family time and dinner conversations and walks around the neighborhood and play time and even recreational reading time. You invade car rides and take away sleep. You diminish social time with friends. You make us question participation in Boy Scouts … Continue reading Oh, #Homework… – #BLOG365 Day 131 #edchat #hacklearning
#whereissasha Our Exam Crazed System – #BLOG365 Day 124
No surprise I am anti-exams. Exams don't give us a clear picture of student understanding. They don't prepare students for 21st century careers. They cause anxiety for our students. They encourage low level thinking and regurgitation. They don't encourage collaboration or creativity. Last night #whereissasha blew up on social media. The teacher in me knew … Continue reading #whereissasha Our Exam Crazed System – #BLOG365 Day 124
Museum Monday: Student Curators -#BLOG365 Day 106
I've written a lot about student-created exhibitions on my blog. One of the most challenging components of a student-created exhibition is the process of writing labels. It's challenging for museum curators too. Getting the gist of an object or exhibition theme into 50-100 words is difficult. In a school setting label writing integrates literacy and critical … Continue reading Museum Monday: Student Curators -#BLOG365 Day 106
All I Want For Christmas…-#BLOG365 Day 105
When you consider education more of a vocation than a profession you tend to focus many of your waking moments on both the act of teaching and the philosophy behind it. Education really is my life's work and it consumes a lot of my time. Because of that I have a lot of wishes … Continue reading All I Want For Christmas…-#BLOG365 Day 105
The Heart of Understanding – #BLOG365 Day 73
I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to get to the heart of a subject, the essence of a subject. I don't know that we are doing enough of this in classrooms today. I was rereading Making Thinking Visible this weekend and the authors recommend making a list of all the things you do … Continue reading The Heart of Understanding – #BLOG365 Day 73
Boo! Grades! -#BLOG365 Day 55
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h4GD2feZ8Q&app=desktop The scariest thing this October isn't the spooky Halloween costumes or frightful decorations. It's not haunted houses or zombies. It's our grading culture. The Wicked Witch of Education! Look, there's been a lot of research on grading and grading systems. Despite the fact that these studies show grades actually demotivate students, we continue … Continue reading Boo! Grades! -#BLOG365 Day 55
Assessment for Learning – #BLOG365 Day 54
I read this post from Meghan Everette a few days ago on class size that made me think of a study by Sir Paul Black and Professor Dylan Wiliam. They found that assessment for learning had a bigger impact than class size on student achievement. Assessment for learning relies heavily on pre-assessments, clear communication … Continue reading Assessment for Learning – #BLOG365 Day 54
Is Our Instruction Respectful? – #BLOG365 #IMMOOC Day 48
I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a respectful educator. I don't mean respectful with our colleagues. I mean with our students. For me, this goes beyond how we speak and act with our students. It is much deeper. Being a respectful teacher also means we are positive, polite, and reflective … Continue reading Is Our Instruction Respectful? – #BLOG365 #IMMOOC Day 48
In Pursuit of Mastery – #BLOG365 Day 47 #IMMOOC
https://www.ted.com/talks/sal_khan_let_s_teach_for_mastery_not_test_scores?utm_campaign=ios-share&utm_medium=social&source=email&utm_source=email This video has been floating around Twitter lately. Its a few years old, but reminds me of how important it is to revisit the idea of mastery each day in our classrooms and with our students. A lot of our kids struggle with this idea of mastery. It requires reflection, evaluation, revision, transfer of … Continue reading In Pursuit of Mastery – #BLOG365 Day 47 #IMMOOC
Jill Cross 