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The Power of Collaborative Learning at The College Preparatory School

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Quiet Transformation at an Embattled School

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How to Thank a Teacher

Blogs on Professional Learning Network (PLN)

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The Cinema of Educational Despair: A Bad Narrative Reinforced

Mark PhillipsMarch 29, 2012

Tags Education Reform, Mental Health, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Teacher Development, Middle (6-8), Drama, High (9-12), All Grades

The least productive current narrative about public education goes something like this. Our schools, especially high schools, are failing. There is a predominance of ineffective teachers. Short of closing bad schools, firing bad teachers and sending kids to charter schools, there is little we can do to change this. Most good teachers, buried alive in the testing mania, are impotent to deal with the system. For the general public this narrative, partially reinforced by films like Waiting for Superman, provides a misguided message of total failure. For teachers struggling in underfunded schools, it encourages anger and self-pity rather than productive action.

You Just Attended an Awesome Conference. Now What?

Nicholas ProvenzanoMarch 15, 2012

Tags Leadership, Mentoring, Primary (K-2), Professional Learning Network (PLN), Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

'Tis the season for state technology conferences. I recently went to my state conference, MACUL, and was excited to see some great presentations. There is nothing like being in the audience when passionate educators talk about the awesome things they are doing in the classroom.

On Twitter: To Follow or Not to Follow

Nicholas ProvenzanoMarch 6, 2012

Tags Media Literacy, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12), All Grades

Recently, I have had students discover my @TheNerdyTeacher Twitter account and follow me. It usually only lasts a few days before they unfollow me -- a few days of my flooding their feed with blog posts, education news and Edutopia articles. The big question I get from kids is, "Why don't you follow me back?"

Six Reasons Rewards Don't Work

Dr. Richard CurwinMarch 6, 2012

Tags Classroom Management, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Student Engagement, Teacher Development, All Grades

In my last post, I gave three of the best alternatives to rewards. I was surprised at how many people read and enjoyed it. I'm grateful to all who commented on various platforms. Some, however, still want to know what's wrong with using rewards as long as they work. I'll explore that question more deeply here.

Critical Thinking: A Necessary Skill in the Age of Spin

G. Randy KastenMarch 2, 2012

Tags Media Literacy, Mental Health, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Middle (6-8), High (9-12), English Language Arts, Geography, History

The ability to think critically is one skill separating innovators from followers. Critical thinking reduces the power of advertisers, the unscrupulous and the pretentious, and can neutralize the sway of an unsupported argument. This is a skill most students enjoy learning because they see immediately that it gives them more control.

Social and Emotional Curriculum: Self-Mastery

Randy TaranFebruary 24, 2012

Tags Mental Health, Primary (K-2), Professional Development, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

This is part four of the seven-part series from the Project Happiness curriculum. It explores the many facets of happiness and provides practical techniques to generate greater happiness and a more meaningful life -- from the inside. By reclaiming the happiness you were born with, you influence those around you to tap into the best within themselves, too.

How to Motivate Learning: Alternatives to Rewards

Dr. Richard CurwinFebruary 23, 2012

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Education Reform, Performance Assessment, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Teacher Development, All Grades

One of the first and most important rules of behavior management is that when you take something away, you need to give something back. It's not good enough to say, "Don't" without saying, "Do this instead." Alternatives must be provided for change to occur. In my last post (Why Giving Bonus Money to Better Teachers Is Wrong), I strongly rejected the use of rewards, incentives, bribes and other harmful gimmicks. Now it is my responsibility to offer viable alternatives so that educators have the ability to change. These alternatives are plentiful. I'm going to concentrate on the three most important and easiest to implement.

What's So Funny About Teaching

Mark PhillipsFebruary 15, 2012

Tags Classroom Management, Mental Health, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Teacher Development, All Grades

When I first began teaching high school, I had two students who sat near the front of the room and quietly laughed each day at the beginning of class. An "informer" told me that they were making bets regarding how often I'd nervously straighten my tie as class began.

New Teacher Academy: Building Relationships

Lisa Michelle DabbsFebruary 14, 2012

Tags Classroom Management, New Teachers, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Teacher Development, All Grades

Welcome to the fifth and final week of Edutopia's New Teacher Academy blog series! I'm excited to be here with you sharing my passion to support and mentor new teachers. It's been great to have had the opportunity to provide resources for new teachers in five key areas. As we wrap up our series, we will continue to collaborate on these five topics in more detail on New Teacher chat, my weekly chat on Twitter, and also at my blog Teaching with Soul.

Remaking America's Schools for the 21st Century

Harold KwalwasserFebruary 10, 2012

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Differentiated Instruction, Education Reform, Professional Learning Network (PLN), All Grades

Downtown Brownsville, Texas, has an otherworldly feel. Nestled in a crook in the Rio Grande near where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico, the narrow streets are filled with stores selling cheap merchandise to Mexicans or to the poor from the local Hispanic community, which is often just a few years removed from the other side of the border.