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
I had an amazing day with a group of teens in Lancaster, Pennsylvania last week. I want to tell you all about it, as well as some takeaways. What I did I got to spend the morning sharing ideas about neuroscience and what it means to be gifted. We started
How I Got Caught in a Brainstorm I keynoted the Colorado Association for the Gifted Conference a couple of years ago, and Dan Siegel was the other keynote speaker. I’m a sucker for neuroscience (sooooo easily distracted by shiny neurons), and he was captivating. He talked about his book, Brainstorm, and
You don’t have to be the most amazing teacher ever, tomorrow. That’s the thought for the day. Recently, I heard a message at church that encouraged us to start where we are and simply do the next thing on our journey to becoming better Christians. What’s the next step? That
This summer I was introduced to a tool I think belongs in every teacher’s toolbox. I decided to try it myself before I shared it with you. I hope you’ll find the tool itself useful, and I also hope you can learn from my story about how I almost rejected
Have you ever been at the end of grading period and noticed that inputting a grade – even an important one – did nothing to class averages? Have you ever manipulated the weight of grades to make it “count” at all (“Oh, yes, that was worth 2 test grades, 3
What 3 lessons did I learn from the best professional development experience in the history of the world, and how can they help you in your classroom? At the end of June, I spent one of the most enjoyable weeks of my life in Conroe, Texas (north of Houston)…at professional
When I introduce students to the water cycle, I give them a bottle of water labeled “dinosaur pee.” I invite them to, “Drink up, me hearties!” I ask them if they believe me that there is dinosaur pee in the bottle. Some do, some don’t. I then explain that because
