Blogs on Teacher Development

More Blogs on Teacher DevelopmentRSS
Andrew MillerAugust 6, 2012

Before the start of the school year, many of us want to use the remaining weeks of summer to learn some new skills -- such as project-based learning (PBL). One of the things we stress for new PBL practitioners is, as I say, "don't go crazy." It's easy to go "too big" when you first start PBL. I have heard from many teachers new to PBL that a large, eight-week integrated project was a mistake. So how do you start PBL in ways that will ensure your success as a learner and teacher? Here are a few tips to consider.

Read More
Ben JohnsonAugust 6, 2012

Missy Franklin not only won the gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke, she also set a world record of two minutes and 4.06 seconds. I was swimming on my back the other day -- certainly not nearly as fast as Missy -- and I wondered how she was able to swim straight without being able to see where she was going?

Read More
Suzie BossAugust 1, 2012

Connecting educators with online communities to advance their professional learning is the goal of the first Connected Educator Month, a U.S. Department of Education initiative that kicks off today, August 1, and continues through the month. The flurry of keynotes, panel discussions, book chats, and other interactive online events should give participants plenty to think about and, more importantly, discuss with colleagues as they head into the new school year.

Read More
Heather Wolpert-GawronJuly 31, 2012

I think meaningful assessments can come in many shapes and sizes. It fact, to be thoroughly engaging and to draw the best work out of the students, assessments should come in different formats.

Read More

Hollywood teacher movies typically provoke strong emotions: you either love to hate them or hate to love them. For better or for worse, those silver screen teachers shape how the public thinks about teaching. And most educators I know can't help but watch teacher movies, even if only to criticize them resoundingly, Mystery Science Theater 3000-style.

Read More
Judy Willis MDJuly 27, 2012
"Neuroscience should be required for all students [of education] . . . to familiarize them with the orienting concepts [of] the field, the culture of scientific inquiry, and the special demands of what qualifies as scientifically based education research." - Eisenhart & DeHaan, 2005

Do you recall some of your college professors who knew their subject matter but had zero teaching skills? Staying awake in their one-way-directed lecture classes required Herculean strength (or lots of coffee). They were never trained to develop the skillset of engagement strategies.

Read More
Maurice EliasJuly 26, 2012

Summer is a good time for reflection, and I have been reflecting on why, after so much education research, and so many years of educational practice, we still seem to be struggling to find "what works." So my next two blogs will look back at the words of folks who have thought about social-emotional aspects of education, written about them, and created successful and effective efforts to promote them.

Read More
David MarkusJuly 25, 2012

I talk with a lot of teachers about how they become fulfilled or, in too many cases, frustrated in their profession. It isn't long in these conversations before the words "professional development" come up. You can practically set your watch to it. And I've discovered that where you find enthusiastic teachers enjoying persistent classroom success, you will find sustained, collaborative, educator-directed PD programs.

Read More
Rebecca AlberJuly 24, 2012

Start with the end, a veteran teacher told me my first year teaching. In my young, inexperienced teacher mind, that meant "fun project." And though there's not a thing wrong with fun, the end assessment needs to be about the learning and not about the product. Starting with the end means we need to put the skills, knowledge, and concepts students will learn first, then the product second.

Read More
Ben JohnsonJuly 23, 2012

Have you ever tried to eat a mango? Well, it is quite an experience. Though mangos are my favorite fruit, I do not indulge as much as I would like because of the hassle of pealing and then eating it. To date, I have not personally found a clean way to eat a mango. It's kind of like trying to peal a peach and then eat it, or maybe even more like buttery corn on the cob -- both a juicy mess.

Read More
see more see less