Category Archives: Motivation

From the Inside, Out

Photo Credit: Laura Stockman

Summer is a time unto itself. In our family, we draw deep boundaries around the months of June, July, and August. The rhythm of our life together changes, and while the pace never seems to slow, the content of our days becomes distinctly different. It’s a disruption I long for every year–one [...]

Getting Back in a Blogging Groove

Wow.
I guess that certainly qualified as an extended hiatus. I don’t think I’ve ever been off the grid for quite this long, and I must admit: I really enjoyed my time off. My kids really enjoyed my time off too, I’m thinking.
That said, I’ve felt the effects of my absence here.
Blogging regularly inspires me to [...]

Stress….Less: A Critical 21st Century Skill?

Been thinking on the question I posed at the end of this post.
I’m beginning to wonder if some of the more critical “21st Century Skills” that we need to foster in our kids and in ourselves include the ability to assess and effectively respond to the stress created by some of these realities….what would [...]

Invitation vs. Assignment

Internet filtering is a reality wherever I work. I’m sure it will remain so for some time to come, and in most cases, for good reason. I’m fortunate to work in places where many of the tools that I prefer to use are open, including Google tools and YouTube and even Facebook. When things are [...]

I Swore I’d Never Blog About IWBs. And I’m Not. Not Really.

I’m not wild about Interactive White Boards. My reasons are fairly simple– we don’t expect young people and teachers to identify their real learning and creative purposes often or early enough, and I question how IWBs facilitate this well. I feel it’s important to begin most learning there, and  I have a hunch that when [...]

Mr. W

I’ve used this video to begin conversations with writers about the development of great ideas in writing. It could also serve as an interesting example of metaphor. I’m sure that every teacher could come up with a different approach for using it. Videos like these can be used in a multitude of contexts and for [...]

Oh, The Places We Long to Go…..

Hey–there is an interesting conversation taking place over here. I jumped in because the issues raised here are particularly relevant to the work that I….and a whole lot of other people I  know…..do. A theme has been emerging from my own learning over the last few years, and Bass digs into it in ways that [...]

Congratulations: Your Standardized Test Scores Improved!

So……now what? Seriously. Scores have improved in many of our local schools over the last several years. What does that even mean anyway?
If all of the professional development initiatives teachers have been a part of, all of the learning community work they’ve participated in, and every formative assessment they’ve “given” students inside of classrooms [...]

How Does Temple Grandin Inspire You?

Over the last few weeks, Temple Grandin has come up in conversations everywhere I’ve traveled. Mostly because I keep bringing her up. Inevitably though, someone in every circle has heard of her, attended one of her presentations, or shared her story with others for a wide and interesting variety of purposes.
I’d never heard of her, [...]

“The Best Way to Facilitate Change…..

….is to accept people exactly as they are.”
Carl Rogers