Inquiry-based teaching is something that I always associated with science. When I was earning my undergrad degree, I was a middle grades education major with concentrations in science and English language arts, so half of my classes were science-based while the others were in the humanities. The instructional classes taught two very different approaches: science…
I. Hate. Being. Absent. From. Teaching. …why, you ask? Because I hate preparing for a substitute. It can sometimes even seem easier to go to work sick than to try and get plans together for a sub. The BEST hack that I can share for this substitute prep dilemma is the Substitute Binder. I know…
Every teacher has a list of things that we need to cover at the beginning of the year, but the direct stand-and-deliver approach is tired and boring (for teachers and students alike). When you simply talk through a slides presentation, you can visibly see students’ eyes glaze over and they pretty much tune you out…
Backward Design is exactly what it sounds like: you plan the unit by designing the final assessment first (according to the standards), and then craft the unit from there. By beginning with the end in mind, you can assemble a much more meaningful unit where every piece builds on the one before. It may sound…