Around here, mid-January means prepping for 20Time, a spring semester project-based learning experience designed to bring real-world application to English/language arts classroom skills. Basically, students are given 20 percent of class time for 12 weeks to work on a passion project that they choose and their peers approve. (Click here for a free set of 20Time teaching materials.)
Over winter break, Colleen*, a 20Time first-timer, reached out via email with a few questions. With her permission, I’m sharing our conversation, which might help other folks as they set their plan. Continue reading
Don’t tell the kids, but Friday’s slides are really just a lecture I disguised to look like a game. Most of the time, the ruse works. Continue reading
I know it’s only July, and I also know you’re probably already thinking about the fall. Today, let’s talk about a routine that helps successfully launch class Continue reading
Apparently, June turned into Student Teacher Month here on the blog, so let’s wrap this topic by sharing a few remaining bits of wisdom. These are things I wish I’d know when I was starting my student teaching assignment: Continue reading
Last week’s chat with incoming student teacher Heath started me thinking about my own teacher training experience. Today, I’m chatting about my student teaching assignment (yes, all those many, many years ago) and sharing a bit of unconventional advice for our newest crop of student teachers: Continue reading
Today’s post comes from an email I received this week from Heath in Maine (used with permission): Thank you so much for your awesome website and YouTube videos! After working as a mental health counselor for the past 20 years, I’ve decided it’s time for a career change. I go back to college this fall […]
The calendar isn’t lying to us; it really is time to update the syllabus and get into that back-to-school frame of mind. You might be curious how I run the show, so here’s a copy of my course outline along with an episode from my classroom management series discussing the eight words that comprise my classroom rules. Continue reading
