Teaching

A Common Language: 30 Public Education Terms Defined  by TeachThought Staff Communication depends on a common language. In any field, knowing what a colleague means when they use a term or phrase is the difference between talking…

7 Mistakes That Quality Assessments Avoid contributed by Daniel R. Venables, Founding Director of the Center for Authentic PLCs This post has been updated with additional resources and republished It’s that time of the school…

6 Types Of Assessment Of Learning by TeachThought Staff If curriculum is the what of teaching, and learning models are the how, assessment is the puzzled "Hmmmm"--as in, I assumed this and this about student learning, but after giving…

How To Value Wisdom Over Knowledge In Your Classroom by Terry Heick A Definition For Wisdom This is a tough one with lots of angles, but I'll start with this 'definition' for wisdom: Wisdom is knowing what's worth…

6 Golden Rules For Engaging Students by TeachThought Staff If the mind of a student isn't engaged, understanding and content mastery don't stand a chance; If the mind and heart together aren't engaged, long-term retention and…

The Genius Hour Design Cycle: A Process For Planning contributed by Nigel Coutts Ed note: This has been updated from a previous post  Part 1 of this 2-part series can be seen here; note that some of the language…

Are You A Whole Teacher? A Self-Assessment To Understand by TeachThought Staff Whole Child Learning is a thing; Whole Teaching should be a thing too, no? Here at TeachThought, Jackie Gerstein's usergeneratededucation is at the top…

The Assessment Range: Using Data In The Classroom To Meaningfully Affect Learning by Terry Heick If you don't already have a plan for the data before giving the assessment, you're already behind. Among the challenges of assessment,…

7 Simple Ways You Can Help Students Pay Attention by TeachThought Staff For many teachers, helping students "pay attention" is probably the wrong way to help improve what you're probably trying to improve. Listless students.…

25 Alternatives To "What'd You Learn In School Today?" by Terry Heick This post has been updated and republished from a previous post You try to fake it, but it limps right out of your mouth, barely alive. "What'd you learn in…

How To Scaffold Learning Through Station Teaching by TeachThought Staff Teaching through stations—or ‘station teaching’—is a flexible and underrated teaching and learning strategy that can add versatility to your craft. This…

8 Things Teachers Can Do To Improve Their Bedside Manner by TeachThought Staff Ed note: Though the word 'parents' is used, the premise of the article is really about how schools communicate with communities at large. Whether the…

4 Characteristics Of A Learning Leader by Stewart Hase, Heutagogy of Community Practice Writing is always a learning experience for me. Writing forces greater clarity. In addition, the tranquility of the unique Australian bush setting in…

How To Teach Empathy by Terry Heick Right near the core of education, just past tolerance and just short of affectionate connectivity, is the idea of empathy. University of California at Berkley’s Greater Good: The Science of a…

What Is A Student Responsible For? by Terry Heick What are you doing to engage the students? How are you making sure they pay attention? What are you doing to make them care? How are you sparking their curiosity? Drawing…

Teaching Evaluation Is Ineffective & Outdated. Let’s Try Something New by Viktor Nordmark, Hubert.ai Student evaluations of teaching have looked pretty much the same since they were first introduced, close to a hundred years…

Knowledge Is Power And Teaching Is The Fuel by Terry Heick That knowledge = power isn’t a new idea. ’Knowledge is power’ is a common refrain in the education community, at least in spirit. The idea that knowledge changes lives…

5 Easy Ways To Engage Students In Learning by Rachelle Dene Poth As a teacher, I am always looking out for new ideas, tools, and innovative methods to Engage Students In Learning. Here are five ideas that I tried during the past few…

50 Of The Best Quotes About Teaching by TeachThought Staff Teaching is both an art and science. Teaching is conceptual and intellectual, abstract and concrete, creative and sequential. It's about people but framed through ideas. It's…

Assessment Quality? 9 Steps To Creating Effective Multiple-Choice Questions contributed by Dr. Stephen Murphy, Measured Progress One of the critical elements to understanding what students know and are able to do is using spot-on…

Authenticity Matters: 12 Ideas To Make Learning ‘Real-World’ contributed by Shireen Jaffer As educators, we have all had at least one student approach us with the question, “How will this help me in the real world?” Every year,…

12 Smart Ideas To Grade Essays Faster by Todd Finley Does grading a stack of papers feel like shoveling smoke for a weekend? Like the payoff does not equal your effort? Over the years, I’ve learned strategies to reduce my essay…

Helping Students Fail: A Framework by Terry Heick Ed note: This post has been updated from a previous publishing As teachers, allowing students to see failure as a negative experience is one of the worst things we can do. Granted,…

How To Teach With The Concept Attainment Model by TeachThought Staff In 1956, psychologist Jerome Bruner published a book called “A Study of Thinking.” Being a psychologist, Bruner was interested in cognitive processing--how people…