Have you ever planned a lesson you were proud of, then watched it split your mixed-ability class in half? If that’s familiar, you already know the daily puzzle of teaching …
Do you ever look at a student and wonder, “What were they thinking?” Sometimes you just want to throw up your hands in confusion, but you gotta give a kid …
Do you wonder how to differentiate for English Language Learners in a bustling classroom? If so, you are not alone. With the influx of ELL students in many classrooms around …
Are you struggling to keep your classroom engaged and on track? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us face the challenge of balancing effective teaching with classroom management. Today’s …
Have you ever looked around your class after completing writing assessments and been overwhelmed by the range of abilities? I anticipated a wide range of writing abilities and I was …
A LOT has been said about learning styles, including by yours truly. It is essential to establish where they fit in the important discussion of differentiation and pedagogy as a …
Uncertainty and sleeplessness seems to be the cost of uncertainty for teachers. Are we doing our best for a student? Have we implemented the best strategies, or is there something …
The best classroom management strategies for centers of any kind is to create independent students. Independence occurs when students know what to do. Makes sense doesn’t it? So, if we …
“I don’t have time to incorporate social-emotional learning activities. There is barely have time to differentiate math, reading, and writing.” If that sounds like you, you’re not alone—and the good …
Do writing prompts work? When comparing Writer’s Workshop to using writing prompts in the classroom, the use of writing prompts was found to be the most effective of the two …
Youtube Title: fun ways to learn essential math facts “Yay! My favourite part!!” We had so many fun ways to learn math facts that practising math facts was a joy …
“Number bonds?! I don’t get it. I mean, I have seen them before, but is it necessary to teach them to the kids?” This was my thinking about number bonds …
I watch as one of my writing prompts beginners looks at each writing prompts journal page, thinking, considering, planning. Finally she chooses the writing prompts about friendship, and she heads …
“She looks a little bit bored. I am not too sure she is getting much out of this.” I had provided my educational assistant with differentiation in science teaching for …
“Where is “U”?, she asked. “’I’ is here.” I responded. She scrunched up her face at me, refusing to giggle at my pun. Meanwhile my classroom assistant and I roared …
If you have you ever heard (or said yourself 😉) “My students could never work quietly at centers!”, then this might be just the post for you. Once you know …
Much as I love to teach math, and I do love to teach math, I find differentiation in instruction for writing easier. Maybe because it’s easier to make it open-ended. …
What is Differentiation in Math? Okay, I admit it, in some ways I consider math the most difficult subject to differentiate in. There, the truth is out. 🥵 But implementing …