I often hear colleagues debating the merits of allowing students to retake assignments. Some argue it’s “unfair” to those who get it right the first time, or that it coddles students. My perspective is different: I believe that allowing retakes is a powerful tool that encourages growth, boosts self-efficacy, and, most importantly, keeps the focusContinue reading “Retake! Here’s Why I Believe in Second Chances…”
Tag Archives: learning
ELA: Teach It All Without Losing Your Mind
There are reading standards for literature, reading standards for informational texts, foundational skills standards, writing standards, language standards…and ELA teachers are to teach students the skills within all of these standards in a school year’s time. This can be a challenge for several reasons: These obstacles do not excuse educators from teaching it all, theContinue reading “ELA: Teach It All Without Losing Your Mind”
The Power of Listening: Using Read Alouds to Inform Instruction
Hear the Difference During the first days of school, you want to get to know your students and build relationships with them, but you also want to learn how they read. You need to listen to them read. This is a practice that is common in early grades, but often shied away from in middleContinue reading “The Power of Listening: Using Read Alouds to Inform Instruction”
Expand Instructional & Curriculum Design 