Ben Johnson, administrator

Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson is assistant superintendent of Natalia Independent School District, located in a small, rural community just south of San Antonio, Texas. He also teaches online for the University of Phoenix's teacher-preparation program. As a cohort consultant for the Texas Principal Excellence Program (TxPEP), Johnson helps principals of low-performing schools increase their personal leadership. He has served as an administrator in large and small schools, as principal at a charter school, and as an educational-program manager for the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has a master's degree in educational administration from California State University, San Bernardino.


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Instant Feedback: Principles of, and Techniques for, Formative Assessment

By Ben Johnson

4/2/08

The bowling analogy in my previous post is an illustration of the misunderstanding about the true purpose of formative assessments. Assessment provides needed information for the teacher to adjust instructional activities, but that is a by-product of the real reason for doing it. True formative assessment engages students and puts them in charge of their own learning, much as a bowler is in charge of how she bowls.

Bowling with Your Eyes Closed: Students Need True Formative Assessment

By Ben Johnson

4/1/08

I've been bowling recently, as perhaps have some of you. There are some unusual things about bowling you can directly apply to improving classroom learning, so let's go bowling for a minute.

To Sink or Swim: Creating Effective Learning Systems

By Ben Johnson

3/27/08

In an earlier post, I introduced the idea of instilling a sense of urgency in our classrooms. One of the elements to this is designing the learning system to engage students at the application level and higher of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Finding the Time: Reclaiming Wasted Moments During the School Day

By Ben Johnson

3/19/08

This is the second part of a two-part entry. Click here to read part one.

If we evaluated how much time a student is actually engaged in learning activities in each of our classrooms, what percentage would that be? Is it 100 percent? Is it 50 percent? Or is it only 25 percent? If we want students to really learn, we, as educators, have to plan for, facilitate, and vigilantly protect the increasingly precious and extremely important engaged student learning time.

Finding the Time: Teachers Must Preserve Their Most Valuable Resource

By Ben Johnson

3/18/08

If I were to ask you what the most valuable resource that teachers have at their disposal is, what would you answer?

High-Gear Instructional Strategies: Using the Tools Available

By Ben Johnson

3/10/08

A while ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time with a group of young men in Boy Scout Troop 304. They had spent a few weeks getting prepared for a challenging 17-mile bicycle ride from Castroville, Texas, to Lytle, Texas.

The Need to Breathe: How to Develop Urgency in the Classroom

By Ben Johnson

2/27/08

As I stated in my last submission, what a teacher believes is the reality of his instruction. Everything you do as a teacher stems from what you value most. Students notice this, but have you noticed how much of an influence you, as a teacher, have on the way students feel in your classroom?

Developing Students' Trust: The Key to a Learning Partnership

By Ben Johnson

2/7/08

I'm assistant superintendent of a small school district located just 30 miles south of San Antonio, Texas, with a total school population of 1,100 students. Even though people consider it a rural district, our existence is anything but bucolic. Natalia is a bedroom community for San Antonio, and as such, we have to deal with many big-city issues. Our population is 75 percent Hispanic, but only about 15 percent of those students speak Spanish. Our biggest concerns are the achievement gap that exists between white and Hispanic students and the overall mentality of underachievement.