What would most motivate you to learn how to calculate the perimeter of a space? Someone tells you to learn it. You want to fence in an area of your yard and need to know the distance around it. Someone tells you you’ll need it for your future. I don’t know about you, but I […]
You’re reading a book about gardening so you can plant a vegetable garden. How do you glean the information you need from the text and learn what you need to learn? You might: Use text features as cues Scan the text for the information you need Underline words and phrases Make connections to past experiences […]
revised 11/26/23 What does engagement sound like? Allowing students to have a say in their work is not enough to build engagement. Adam Fletcher writes a great blog on engagement, including this entry: voice and engagement are not the same. In the Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom (described in my books, Students Taking Charge), engagement refers to […]
Like it or not, to most schools, achievement means strong performance on state tests. Some claim to value life preparation and social-emotional growth over test scores, but that never plays well in the annual newspaper articles. What if you could have it all? What if you could rethink success and have happy, healthy, excited students […]
Lots of classrooms today are filled with student-centered activity; it’s rare to find a teacher simply lecturing students for long periods of time. Students use technology, work in groups, sit at tables or soft-seating areas, etc. But how do you know when you’re in a Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom? 1. Students are not all engaged in […]