As an educator, you feel each day the endless demands of your time, attention, and effort. And in the midst of all that is required of you for your students, parents, and others, you still need to find the time to recharge your batteries, grow professionally, and hone your craft. As a committed educator, you
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Awards given by the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) include the John H. Lounsbury Distinguished Service Award and the Educator of the Year (formerly the Distinguished Educator Award). Conversation about the purpose of these awards range from personal gratification to career advancement. My belief and those of former recipients indicate that these awards serve as a means to
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Assessment expert Dylan Wiliam says that student thinking is the primary goal for descriptive feedback. He contrasts that goal with what often happens when teachers use judgement instead of feedback with students: threatened ego. When we invoke the need to save one’s honor or self-perception in a student through our comments on his performance, there’s little to no
Read More… from Reflective Coaching: Training for All Teachers
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A kaleidoscope contains mirrors and colored glass, pebbles, or beads whose reflections create complex patterns of frequently changing colors and shapes when rotated. The vibrant and intricate images, generated by separate entities working collaboratively, is similar to a highly functioning professional learning community (PLC). In such groups, professionals work collaboratively to enhance their practice in
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Each year, thousands of middle grades preservice teachers assume their places in classrooms across the country, through practica, internships, and student teaching experiences. Over 600 U.S. colleges or universities currently offer some form of specialized middle level teacher preparation (Howell, Faulkner, Cook, Miller, & Thompson, 2016), many of which are in.uenced by national standards that
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The excitement in the room is palpable. Teams of middle grades students are engaged in a fingerprinting lab to gather evidence for identifying the likely culprit in a forensics project, “Who Kidnapped Thunder?”, Georgia College’s mascot. “I got it!” one student exclaims, and the entire team races from the room to their suspect board in
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