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The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy are shifting the writing instruction landscape, articulating rigorous new expectations and emphasizing newly redefined...
At the end of a long day, a tired first grade student lifts her chair, flips it over and lays the seat down on...
Have you ever been coached? Coaches can impact form, structure, content and meaning, regardless of the field in which they coach. I am blessed...
School started this week. Excitement reigns — or maybe not. Schools and classrooms are a beehive of activity. Books are distributed. Bulletin boards are...
“The truth knocks on your door and you say, ‘Go away, I am looking for the truth,’ and it goes away.” — Robert Pirsig,...
SmartBrief is attending ISTE 2012 in San Diego, is a media sponsor for the conference and is providing coverage for educators. With the goal...
It was Stephen Covey who coined the phrase “Begin with the end in mind,” his second of seven habits of highly effective people. This...
I have been an elementary-school teacher for more than 25 years and I am always on the lookout for meaningful ways to engage and...
Place an image in your mind of this: Standardized testing. Depending on where you stand your blood might boil with rage or a sense...
A new adventure Through a very unpredictable series of events, I will be living in Toledo, Ohio, for the next 10 months. As I...
When Mary O’Connor was faced with the task of coming up with a project for her Geospatial Semester class, she got her inspiration right...
Imagine there is a talent war going on. In an exciting growth industry, the market has recognized that variations in an individual’s combination of...
Students often ask me why I don’t assign homework. “I don’t believe in it,” I quickly respond. “It doesn’t tell me what you’re learning.”...
When recently presenting at the Annual Conference for Middle Level Education, I was struck by how much things have not changed, especially in terms...
I was extremely fortunate to be hired as a third-grade teacher fresh out of Penn State University in 2000 by principal Maureen Cheever at Hubbard...
The global village and the flattened world are no longer the arcane ideas or metaphors of academics and scholars. Nor is global warming an...
Whether reading about how entrepreneurial skills can be applied to education or considering how school technology directors can reinvent themselves in the digital age,...
“Edcamp changed my life. Happy to help. Rock on. “ ~Daniel Scibienski As the president prepares to update our nation on critical issues with his...
A strong undercurrent running through the sessions at the SXSWedu Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas is the idea of educators becoming facilitators in...
These days I’m a STEM curriculum writer and advocate, but I’ll confess that each year when Middle Level Education Month rolls around, I feel...
Back in December, I thought it would be a great idea if I could get out of my hometown and meet people from all...
It is a well-established fact that American public schools have not changed very much in the past 100 years. School buildings still look pretty...
Questions are powerful things. Socrates knew this. Einstein too. But curiosity has gotten a bad rep over the years. First there was that little...
I recently had the incredible opportunity to work with more than 150 10th-graders representing their schools at the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership conference in...
“Learning is amplified by the amount of people who are collaborating, participating, communicating and creating. The learning is NOT about the technology tools, but...
Jeff Charbonneau, 2013 National Teacher of the Year, received a standing ovation for his keynote remarks on Sunday at the National Association of State...
As another school year gets under way, our country has the opportunity to repair urban education in a substantive, strategic and sustainable way —...
Student literacy is among the top priorities of all schools and districts, and becomes a particular focus for many educators each September during National...
There is lots of work and talk these days about social and emotional learning. The need for resiliency, grit and determination has become part...
From my introduction to author Dan Pink through his book “Drive,” I was amazed at how he could write a book about business that...
Giving quizzes allows teachers to examine data and see what students understand and where they may need more practice. Ideally, quizzes should provide the...
After a round of districtwide budget trimming, principal Riley received some tough news: His school’s two instructional coaches would be reassigned to classroom teaching...
One may argue that classrooms shouldn’t have to be magical. They may argue that classrooms are a place for rigor. However, I would ask,...
This post is sponsored by Ohio University Online Master of Science in Civil Engineering program. Each year, 3.4 million people die from poor water...
Quite often these days, we hear the words “connected educator.” But what does that mean? And is it really all that important to be...
We’re trying something new here at SmartBlog on Education. Beginning this month, we’re launching a monthly education content award, recognizing content written by educators,...
Tyler Hart caught my attention one day on Twitter by posting student-created math videos on his classroom Vimeo channel. I clicked the link and...
San Francisco last week offered none of its characteristic weather features — fog, cool air, misty breezes. The skies were clear and the air...
Connected Educator Month was established in 2012 as a way for educators to participate in professional development activities and grow their personal learning networks....
I have a confession: I am not a “maker” in the conventional sense. I have no idea how to program in Arduino, no desire...
It’s test time! The majority of our students are currently involved in high-stakes, year-end standardized testing. They are going through rigorous reviews and even...
SmartBlog on Education’s monthly content award recognizes content written by educators, for educators that inspires readers to engage, innovate and discuss. SmartBrief Education editors...