Being a 7th grade reading teacher, I'm emphasizing to learners that I want them developing their identities as readers. I want them turning reading into a habit and passion they take with them outside of the classroom and past this school year. This emphasis is what led me to start experimenting with creating a student reading …
Continue reading Fun with Google Sheets 1: A Student Learning Profile
Brace yourselves for a long post, folks. Now that I've shared some of the highlights of Genius Hour 2017, I wanted to explain my setup in-depth so others can use it as a template when trying out Genius Hour for themselves. Really, there are an infinite number of ways to set up Genius Hour. In student …
This school year, I've implemented a project-based learning curriculum. As with trying anything for the first time, the students and I have been learning from our mistakes, but I can say without a doubt that it is worth trying out. Students have been engaged and I've seen a marked increase in the quality of work …
Re-reading books I was assigned when I was in high school, I'm often surprised how much more I like them on the second read. Part of the reason for this, I think, is that when a book is assigned by a teacher, the student loses some ownership of his reading. Reading workshop (which I'm a …
Note: This series of posts is inspired by Larmer, Mergendoller, and Boss's (2015) recently released book, Setting the Standard for Project Based Learning. It is a great book for anyone looking to get into or learn more about project/inquiry based learning. These posts are just a small sample of the pedagogical tools you will find inside. A full …
Continue reading PBL Basics #1: Challenging Problems & Questions
Learning and Teaching in the Modern Age 