Blogboard

The Scientific Revolution in 90 Minutes

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:32:10 -0500

Mei Flower thinks the world history curriculum she has to teach moves just a little too quickly. Good thing the Englightenment wasn't all that important. ...

Questionable Motivational Tricks

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:32:55 -0500

Somehow I'm doubtful that this is the kind of incentive that most teachers would recommend parents give to students. .......

At the Movies

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:57:41 -0500

Nancy Flanagan reports on a screening of "The Providence Effect" and a related panel discussion on charter schools. She comes away (in both cases) skeptical of the "campaign-style" bravado: Charter World is an interesting place, with different beliefs, incentives and...

You Never Know Who Might Be Reading Your Blog ...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:22:32 -0500

Applying his own precept that pundits should be paid on the basis of performance, Claus von Zastrow of Public School Insights determines that, on the evidence of his recent articles on education, NewsWeek writer Jonathan Alter's salary should be docked--and...

Redefining Literacy

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:25:39 -0500

Ed Tech expert Scott McLeod offers 10 random questions that schools should be considering in connection with books and libraries. A sample: If students and teachers now can be active content creators and producers, not just passive information recipients, doesn't...

Watch Your Words

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:35:32 -0500

Cindi Rigsbee says that teachers often send students the wrong message about reading and writing. They're not supposed to be forms of punishment....

Failure to Connect

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:10:01 -0500

Mrs. Bluebird is distressed that so many parents fail to log on to her district's online gradebook system, which would enable them to track their child's work and progress. She comments: That silence you hear is the sound of parent...

Halloween Comes Early

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:49:39 -0500

Mybellringers explains thatfrom her students perspective, anywayshe probably doesn't need to dress up this year to be taken as a witch....

Students With Blogs

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:23:21 -0500

Bill Ferriter answers frequently asked questions on using blogs in the classroom. This sounds like a very good point: Believing that blogs are ONLY opportunities for students to practice writing skills is a fatal flaw for most classroom blogging projects....

Evaluation Dysfunction

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:11:47 -0500

If you want to improve the quality of the teaching profession, says Renee Moore, you need to start by improving the quality of teacher-evaluation systems. Apparently, we do not have systems that accurately identify teacher effectiveness or the degree of...

Teaching for the Test?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:58:13 -0500

Will Richardson doesn't like where the Obama administration's Race to the Top program is leading and wonders why "more educators aren't voicing their displeasure at the idea of being paid based on the scores their students make on standardized tests...

The Art of Math

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:39:06 -0500

Lesson idea watch: Mr. Teacher has his ELL students lead a "gallery walk" through their word-problem solutions....

Supporting Bad Teachers

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:09:30 -0500

NYC teacher Ariel Sacks describes the awkward situation of working alongside colleagues from the city's Absent Teacher Reserve, tenured teachers who have been "excessed" from their positions and have now been placed in other schools. It's not exactly a win-win...

There Goes the Neigborhood ...

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:18:12 -0500

Hobo Teacher is now on twitter. A sampling: Some sort of bird of prey just killed a pigeon at the front doors of the school. That can't be a good sign for the week to come. A student shared that...

Blaming the Teachers, II

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:51:32 -0500

Cindee Rigsbee encounters a loud-mouth teacher-basher in an airport, and seeks vengeance, if only through her own sense of purpose: So I make a vow to myself to work harder at changing the public's perception of teachers. And although I...