Introduction – Calm the Exam Storm Exams can feel like thunderstorms rolling in—dark clouds of worry, lightning bolts of “What if I fail?” thoughts, and turbulence in your stomach. But here’s the secret: we can learn to be the calm captain steering through these clouds. Test anxiety is incredibly common—research shows that between 25% and…
Cycle Unlocked: Peer Observation Feedback in a Nutshell Think of the peer observation feedback cycle as a friendly mirror you hold up to your teaching—one that helps you see not just what’s already shining, but also what could sparkle even more. At its core, it’s a professional development process where educators observe one another’s lessons,…
Sound Play Kickoff Let’s start our phonological adventure with a burst of fun! Phonological awareness is all about recognizing and playing with the sound structures in spoken language. Before children master reading readiness, they first need pre-reading skills like sound recognition — and sound play is the perfect warm-up. Think of it like tuning an…
Crystal Clear Thinking – An Introduction Imagine wearing a pair of “clarity glasses” that cut through foggy ideas, emotional bias, and wishful thinking. Evidence-based critical thinking is a lot like that—it’s your mental toolkit for making sharper, fairer, and more rational decisions. Whether you’re a student untangling a tricky problem, a nurse deciding on a…
Igniting Inquiry: Introduction to Thinking Tasks Imagine a classroom where students are out of their seats, buzzing with ideas, clustered in groups around vertical whiteboards, eagerly wrestling with mathematical puzzles. Welcome to the world of Building Thinking Classrooms—an approach developed by mathematics educator Peter Liljedahl that flips traditional teaching on its head. Here, learning begins…
Gaping No More: Introduction to Word Gaps Imagine two kids starting kindergarten together. One seems to have a treasure chest full of words, while the other is still collecting pebbles to fill theirs. That treasure chest—or lack thereof—is what educators call the word gap. It’s the gap in the number of words children hear and…
Get Started with Standards-Based Grading Alright, class – today we’re diving into the world of standards-based grading (SBG), a fresh approach to assessing student learning that’s gaining momentum in schools everywhere. Instead of tallying up scores from homework, tests, and projects into a single letter, SBG zooms in on what students actually know compared to…
Launchpad to MTSS Success Welcome aboard, fellow educators! Today, we’re taking off into the wonderful world of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)—a framework designed to help every student soar academically and behaviorally. Think of MTSS as your school’s GPS for providing just-right supports: Tier 1 (universal instruction for all), Tier 2 (targeted small group…
Fast-Track Your Restorative Revolution Ready to transform your classroom or school into a thriving community of connection, healing, and mutual respect? Restorative practices offer just that—a shift from rule enforcement to relationship building and collaborative problem solving. Instead of relying purely on punitive measures, these approaches encourage empathy, accountability, and meaningful dialogue. As outlined in…
Introduction – Unlocking Critical Thinking through Media Literacy Imagine your students becoming skilled detectives—not of crime scenes, but of the endless stream of news articles, ads, TikToks, and memes that flood their screens daily. That is the power of media literacy in action. Media literacy helps children and teens learn how to access, analyze, evaluate,…