When I first started teaching, how each day went depended a lot on how benevolent my students were feeling. It is embarrassing to admit that. It’s not as though I didn’t know a lot about classroom management; I just didn’t know how to make it work yet. The weeks went on and I learned every … Continue reading Classroom Management: The Hunt for a Toolbox
I am starting to see lots of information about the “flipped classroom.” This has grown out of the Kahn model, which was talked about at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) conference. Here’s a link to learn more about TED and the Flipped Classroom. It is the type of thing that I start to wonder … Continue reading The Flipped Classroom
I was once in a teaching workshop with a woman who was raised in Alaska. I remember asking her if it was hard as a kid to not be able to play outside at recess or after school for so much of the year. I clearly remember her answer: “Oh, we’d still play outside until … Continue reading Rainy Day Recess Activities
After lunch my kids used to come barreling into the classroom. They had wolfed down lunches and then run off to play basketball or gossip among themselves. They came into class sweaty and chatty. They would throw their backpacks down, grab their books, pens and papers, and sprawl in their chairs. How would I ever … Continue reading Reading Aloud in Middle Grade Classrooms