In this episode, I take a real, live high school biology lesson and suggest ways in which I’d approach differentiating it for high level learners. The Backstory I received an email asking me to give suggestions for how to differentiate this DNA structure lab. I decided to take a stab
Family screen use contracts are a powerful tool in the management of digital devices for families. Managing screen time in families presents a challenge. How do you balance your desire not to have your kid become an internet Borg, hopelessly melded to a digitial hive, with your desire to have
How do you get kids to read good books? I’ve come up with eleven tips to get kids to read good books, but first, a little bit about how we end up here. I wrote about the relevance of reading in our modern world and the benefits of reading classics.
I know it sounds crazy, but some gifted kids want homework. They crave it. They beg for it. They will even make up fake homework if it’s not given to them. Trust me. It’s a thing. Many gifted educators know the research about the limited value of most homework, especially among
Book clubs aren’t just for adults! To start one: decide what the club will be about invite the right people and the right number of people figure out how people will get the books set a meeting schedule decide what the flow/agenda of the meetings will be It’s not difficult!
There are a number of things that teachers need parents to know about differentiation. In fact, I’ve got a list for you. Where did the list come from? The teachers at Hulstrom K-8 in the Adams 12 Five Star School District in Northglenn, Colorado crowdsourced this post. After an entire
What are the benefits of reading classic literature? I wrote about the relevance of reading quality books in general, and I want to focus on the benefits of reading classic literature in particular. Even among voracious readers, we often shy away from challenging books. Among gifted learners it can be
Reading is gaining in relevance. In an information-saturated world, reading becomes more important, not less. But not just any reading. Why reading is so important A few years ago, I was at my beloved Library of Congress’s National Book Festival. I stood at the edge of the stage where philanthropist David
Why Don’t Students Like School? Dan Willingham’s Why Don’t Students Like School? is one of the best books I have ever read for teachers. Thank you for letting me explain why this is a book you must own for yourself. Confession: It took me two years to read this book. It was
Gifted students’ preferred group size is usually a group of one. As in, they’d prefer to work alone nearly all of the time. Frankly, they often have very good reasons for this. No matter how good the reason, however, it can be problematic in a modern classroom, as group work
Microlending in the classroom can be a powerful yet simple tool for nearly every educator. I’ve used Kiva for microlending in my classroom, and I’m sharing some ideas for those of you who have been interested in using microlending in the classroom as part of a global classroom, to teach
It’s something I say all of the time in person, and now I’m going on record. I’m explaining why you should take notes by hand, rather than on a device. I’ve written before about the importance of writing correctly, even in a digital world, yet I am asked about this
