George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Nicholas Provenzano

High School English Teacher/The Nerdy Teacher

My name is Nicholas Provenzano and I'm a high school English teacher and edublogger. I write for Edutopia and my own site TheNerdyTeacher.com

I'm passionate about moving to a paperless environment and integrating technology into the classroom. I love working with my PLN and coming up with exciting new projects.

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Blog: http://www.thenerdyteacher.com
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Posts

  • Game-Based Learning

    Cultivating Literacy Skills With Interactive Fiction

    This lesson plan gives students practice with coding—no prior experience needed—and fosters literacy skills like plotting and proofreading.
  • Literacy

    Using Humor to Teach Shakespeare

    Given an assignment to create a funny abridged version of a play like Romeo and Juliet, students will work hard to understand the original.
  • Maker Education

    Acknowledging Ungraded Skills

    An argument for using badges in makerspaces to recognize the skills students gain outside the traditional curriculum.
  • Student Engagement

    3 Ways to Make Meaningful Connections With Your Students

    Edutopia blogger Nick Provenzano believes there's more to teaching than dispensing curriculum, and he shares three practices that lead students and their families to trust him on a personal level.
  • Learning Environments

    Ditching the Desk

    Remove the teacher's desk and students feel more comfortable and less intimidated, teachers feel more active and engaged, and classroom learning happens in a shared space.
  • Creativity

    Creativity in the Classroom

    In a testing-driven environment, it's critical that we foster student creativity in the classroom, whether through open-ended projects, 20 percent time, or team-building activities.
  • Teacher Wellness

    Teacher Burnout: 4 Warning Signs

    Edutopia blogger Nick Provenzano confronts the weary heartbreak of teacher burnout by offering four warning signs to help recognize it in yourself and your colleagues.
  • Teacher Leadership

    20 Movies Every Educator Should See

    These are the top 20 movies every educator should watch. While every movie is not specifically about educators, there is definitely something to take away from each.
  • Student Engagement

    4 Practices for Increasing Student Engagement

    Spend the first five minutes of each class focusing on your students as people. Then keep them engaged through the agency of makerspaces, PBL, or Genius Hour/20 Time.
  • Teacher Wellness

    Stop, Drop, and Roll With It: Teacher Burnout Prevention

    Prevent teacher burnout by sustaining yourself with a non-education hobby, finding a teammate for shared venting, regular journaling or blogging, and finding reasons to laugh.
  • Student Engagement

    Re-Energize Your Classroom in the New Year

    Inviting student agency in the New Year encourages buy-in during the long winter months. Student ownership inspires new ways of engagement and more meaningful lessons.
  • School Climate

    The 2015 Nerdy Teacher Holiday Gift Guide

    For the nerdy teacher who has everything -- except maybe a Bluetooth beanie hat, a fisheye phone lens, or the to-die-for fragrances of zombie-repellant soap.
  • Professional Development

    The Reflective Teacher: Taking a Long Look

    Reflection is critical to your continued growth as a teacher, whether you seek student feedback, leave yourself sticky notes, or blog your thoughts for colleagues.
  • Family Engagement

    5 Parent-Teacher Conference Prep Tips

    When prepping for parent conferences, communicate with them early and often, keep data handy, balance the conversation, invite the student, and make the experience pleasant.
  • Teacher Wellness

    2016 Teacher Gift Guide

    Looking for a gift for an amazing teacher? We’ve got you covered.