TheApple

Drama: a word that used to terrify me, but in the past week has inspired me! Until completing a research project for one of my graduate courses, the thought of me having anything to do with drama beyond mere appreciation was unheard of. I was an extremely quiet and shy child and the thought of even speaking out in class was ...

1. You Aren't Their Favorite Teacher Students will tell you that you are in fact their favorite teacher. They want to make good grades and stay off your bad list. But the truth is, student opinions change with the wind. Don't put a lot of stock into what students think about you or how popular a teacher you seem to be. ...

In this month's Wired magazine, Daniel Roth wrote an article entitled Making Geeks Cool Could Reform Education, in which BetterLesson founder Alex Grodd takes center stage. A venture capital firm in New York recently hosted an education conference (why is not explained) that started out with discussion of tech innovations, but took on a different tone when Grodd explained why most ...

1. Grammar instruction is most naturally integrated during the revising, editing, and proofreading phases of the writing process. During writing conferences, use various strategies to teach the concept(s) or skill(s) that would enhance the piece that the student is working on right then. Don't overwhelm them with too many errors; focus on the most the corrections that will do the most ...

Do you really want to know what you're students are holding back? Whether you're a new teacher or an experienced veteran, these 10 things serve as strong reminders for how to connect with students and make the most of learning experiences. The is the first in a series of articles exploring communication (or lack of) within a school. Begin Reading:#1 Thing ...

I am not ashamed to admit that The Golden Girls is one of my favorite all-time shows. It still stands as one of the funniest, sharpest sitcoms ever, and was successful with a cast and premise you would never see on today's shows. As I do with everything, I have been watching this show through the eyes of a teacher. Not ...

Congratulations! First of all, I want to congratulate you on taking the first step of this journey toward becoming a great teacher! I can’t even begin to describe for you the exciting possibilities that await you as you move through these lessons and begin to come over to the other side. If your experiences are anything like mine as I ...

One of the most helpful activities you can do with your students this month is to make a Word Wall. Although this is a popular activity with young students, it can be easily adapted to the needs of older ones. First, determine the terms in a unit of study that you want your students to know. Then, display them in a ...

I get so tired of hearing teachers complaining about No Child Left Behind. I get so tired of hearing teachers complain about administration. I get so tired of hearing teachers complain about parents. Shut up and teach! It’s a simple concept, but some teachers seem to derive greater joy from feeling victimized than they do from feeling victorious. After all, it’s ...

Here is some detailed information about some of the procedures I set up in my own life that have allowed me to be more effective. These 5 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers may help teachers who are struggling to maintain their sanity. Habit 1:Communication Procedures Without question, one of the most essential elements of any good relationship is clear and open ...

In the article, Ways to Catch Kids Being Good, the author writes, “The most effective behavior management technique is the easiest to implement..."catching 'em being good". Research shows us that the quickest and most effective way to promote the display of appropriate behaviors is to reward them…” I think this is so important and can be done easily in the classroom. ...

Teaching-like medicine, auto mechanics, professional basketball, and chemical engineering-is a craft. There are distinct skills associated with its practice, which people are not born knowing. Some people are naturals (in education, the so-called "born teachers") and seem to develop the skills by intuition; most are not, however, and need years of training before they can function at a professional level. Doctors, ...

* What is a systematic, explicit phonics program? Systematic and explicit phonics programs teach children letter-sound relationships directly in a well-defined sequence. Most systematic phonics programs carefully sequence phonics generalizations from least difficult to more difficult, including all major generalizations for consonants, vowels, consonant or vowel blends, and digraphs. It is important to provide instruction in the application of letter-sound ...

Children learn by taking in pieces of information and categorizing them. They do this all through their schooling years. When they reach puberty they take this information, sort it, and think critically with it. They keep what they know, problem solve or create new ideas. As a child grows, he or she adds to that warehouse of information. Sadly, many high ...

Is your glass half full or half empty? Do you look at what children can do and what they cannot do? The critics claim you can only look at what a student can do. The deficit model is a theory that higher education can afford but K–12 cannot because of No Child Left Behind (2002). Most of the criticism is coming ...

I heard it over and over from educators who had hired me for author presentations: "I wish there were one place I could have gone to research lots of different authors." Sometimes I wished the same thing. Despite many marketing efforts–from postcards to conferences to online networking–folks continued to find me in convoluted ways. I was delighted by the serendipity leading ...

Kids in the House is a great website for kids to learn about Congress, how laws are made, about the Clerk, and the history of the House of Representatives. This interactive site includes great links, definitions, explanations, and games. It also features a section called “Tools for Learning” where teachers can find educational resources and a lesson plan library. h4. *How ...

Are your students truly paying attention to you? Are you forever struggling with classroom management issues? (i.e., student behavior, students disrespect, or other disciplinary problems) Do you sometimes get the feeling that your students are doing you a favor by opening their books and notebooks at the start of a lesson but don’t really participate in the lesson? The teacher survey ...

Anyone who has read Eduflack knows that I am a big proponent of outcomes,and not inputs. I look for results over process. In education, this is often a difficult fight. So much effort and so many reputations are tied to the process that we can often lose sight of the end game. Earlier this week, Eduflack was at an event and ...

For the last year, many have been rushing to bury the federal Reading First program. Congress has dramatically slashed funding for the effort. Critics have been quick to discount the impact the program has had on student achievement scores. And the program has quickly been lumped in with No Child Left Behind as another example of what is wrong with federal ...