Articles

If you've attended one of Tim's recent Active Learning Techniques trainings, and you would like the notes please continue here.

 Over the years, I have learned to do without certain things as a teacher. For example, I used to pile my teacher desk high with notes, copies, etc. but now I have gotten rid of the desk. However, there are a few things I could not live without. Here I list the top 10 in order from least important up to the number 1 most important thing. (Yes, I know, some of these things aren't really "things.") These were VERY difficult to prioritize because I cannot imagine teaching without any of these.

 For years I have been teaching students using what I considered to be an educationally sound and common pedagogical approach. It looked something like the following.  

 You have heard about Tim's new pedagogical approach to student feedback called "Reaching Consensus." Now read how he does it so you too can start using this powerful teaching technique in your classroom.

 There is much debate among educators, parents, and researchers regarding the best method to teach children to read. Even though, there is one thing most experts agree upon: reading is not merely sounding out words, but more importantly, constructing meaning.

How can parents assist their children in bolstering reading comprehension? Volumes have been written on the subject, but here are a few pointers to give parents a start.

 How much help is appropriate? What kind of help should I offer? What do I do when my child doesn’t get his/her homework finished? These are just a few of the many concerns parents have voiced with regards to their involvement with their children’s homework. I’ve raised 3 high achieving children through sixth grade and up and taught public school since 1988. The following commentary articulates the advice I’ve offered to many parents of students in my classes over the years.

  A document camera, for those unfamiliar with this technology, is basically a small camera mounted on a stand which is hooked up to an LCD projector. Then, a presenter is able to place objects or documents under the camera and project its image onto a screen for the audience to see. It functions somewhat like a overhead projector on steroids. However, a document camera offers enormous advantages over an overhead projector. The cost of a document camera is about $700 and up. LCD projectors cost about the same, bringing the total cost to about $1500 or more per teacher/setup.

That's a lot of money. However, because the impact on students is so amazing, I believe there are very few better investments. Read on to learn several powerful ways