*This post inspired by the #ICTE2020 conference. I hope to see you live (my presentation has the same title) and look forward to sharing more thoughts about SEL. For conference freebies, including free SEL curriculum samples, click here!* What does the acronym SEL mean to you? Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has, like many other terms,Continue reading “SEL: Moving Beyond the Buzzword”
Tag Archives: Pedagogy
Today’s Teacher Mindset
Today’s teacher mindset is broken. Too many people push too much onto teachers. Unfortunately, this leads to a variety of voices in every teacher’s ear, shouting a negative mindset into reality. How can educators bring an empowering mindset into a forceful system of negativity? This post is meant to give you a starting point. TeachersContinue reading “Today’s Teacher Mindset”
You Yell You Lose
You spend all day answering emails from parents, filling out pointless data from administrators, and pulling extra unpaid duties to keep the school running. Then, it happens. A student tries you. Under the pressure of everything that needs to get done, nobody is paying attention. The whole class doesn’t care about the lesson or anyContinue reading “You Yell You Lose”
What is Your SEL Data Doing?
Social emotional learning has been a hot topic in schools around the country, and for good reason. Quite a few schools are now shifting to collecting SEL data in an attempt to monitor its effectiveness. But what is that SEL data actually doing for your classroom? My first experience with SEL data was when weContinue reading “What is Your SEL Data Doing?”
3 Teacher Planning Hacks
What does your teacher planning period look like? Do you grade frantically, shuffling a never ending stack of papers? Are you the type that has 30 tabs open with standards, unit objectives, and curricular materials as you set up lesson plans? Do you crash, spending your time unwinding until the next period, only to feelContinue reading “3 Teacher Planning Hacks”
Classroom Management Made Easy
Classroom management dominates conversations around teaching. I spent my first few years incredibly stressed over how to manage a classroom. Add to that the teachers in my ear, sharing horror story after horror story of awful student behavior, and panic set in. I wish I could tell you the magical secret to getting students toContinue reading “Classroom Management Made Easy”
A New Argument for Humanizing Education
Throughout the years, there have been many convincing arguments for humanizing education. The benefits are endless, from better classroom management to stronger academic results, to even building a more impactful school culture. In the world of teacher well being and self care, there is another argument that should be discussed in any conversation surrounding humanizingContinue reading “A New Argument for Humanizing Education”
“Rule Your Class Like Hitler,” & Other Bad Teaching Advice
Bad teaching advice has been abundant throughout my career. Veteran teachers have always come to me to criticize my teaching methods and push their philosophies down my throat. What has their problem been with my work? Many believe that I overemphasize mindset, equity, and “soft skills” in my teaching. They cannot understand why I refuseContinue reading ““Rule Your Class Like Hitler,” & Other Bad Teaching Advice”
Do Your Bell Ringers Spark Joy?
A conversation that teachers often have are about the purpose of bell ringer activities. I’ve known teachers who swear by their phenomenal bell ringers, while others question every opening activity that they try. The difference I notice most: The reasoning behind it. By the book When I first started teaching, I was told of theContinue reading “Do Your Bell Ringers Spark Joy?”
Teaching with Think-Alouds
I am always up to try a new teaching strategy. However, I tested the think aloud strategy completely on accident! I had heard the strategy before, but it really came to life in this one situation… I was in the middle of teaching a short story, when administration walked into my room with a brandContinue reading “Teaching with Think-Alouds”