Oh…homework. What shall we do with thee? I wonder, wonder, wonder about the value of homework. At different times in my teaching practice, homework has taken very different roles. Early in my teaching career, I assigned a lot of homework; my middle school math students had an assignment almost every day with a few dozen problems being the norm. Later, … Read More
Teaching the Way They Learn
Throughout my teaching career, I’ve made bold claims about my students and my beliefs about who they are. I’ve often said things like, “I believe my students are unique image-bearers of God, created with individual gifts, talents, strengths, and weaknesses.” Do you believe that about your students? Have you ever made a similar statement about them? But is it enough … Read More
Content Knowledge
There are countless of quotes floated about attributed to Albert Einstein. I’m sure many of them–probably most of them–are authentic. Some are probably not. To his credit, he did have a lot of good stuff to say about a great many topics beyond physics. I think the above is a good example, and a worthy admonishment for all educators. Of … Read More
Don’t Smile ’til Christmas
Fellow educators: what was your number one growth area during your first years of teaching? I know what mine was: Classroom management. As a beginning teacher, I felt pretty confident in planning lessons. I knew my content. I believed myself to be a competent assessor. But classroom management? Not my strongest suit. To be honest, I had a lot to learn. … Read More
Improving Testing
My students in Introduction to Education recently had their first exam of the semester. Some came in very confident, others very nervous. One student admitted to me, “I just get so anxious every time I have to take a test!” I thought that was an important comment–very honest! Many students are fearful of tests. Test anxiety is a real thing. … Read More