by Taylor Mali he dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued: “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?” He reminded the other dinner guests that it’s true […]
by Joe A. Martin, Jr., Ed.D. A relationship expert once said that during an argument, there’s usually three sides to every story: his side, her side, and of course, the truth. This is something we must definitely keep in mind as teachers. As educators (especially professors), we have been accused of having the biggest egos […]
by Jennifer Cheifetz Nobody likes conflict in the workplace, especially when it impacts the way you do your job. But that’s exactly when you know you have to do something about it. A teacher gets evaluated by administrators, colleagues, parents, and oftentimes students. Occasionally when those evaluations are uncomplimentary, they can lead to conflicts. The […]
by Professor Joe Martin It was the middle of the school year, and I was going through a rough stretch when it seemed like nothing I tried was working with one particular class I taught. I must note that although I wasn’t a beginning teacher, I was still considered a new teacher with less than […]
Walk into any truly excellent school and you can feel it almost immediately — a calm, orderly atmosphere that hums with an exciting, vibrant sense of purposefulness just under the surface. Students carry themselves with poise and confidence. Teachers talk about their work with intensity and professionalism. And despite the sense of serious business at […]
The oldest, and still the most powerful, teaching tactic for fostering critical thinking is Socratic teaching. In Socratic teaching we focus on giving students questions, not answers. We model an inquiring, probing mind by continually probing into the subject with questions. Fortunately, the abilities we gain by focusing on the elements of reasoning in a […]
Use the following tactics during class to ensure that students are actively engaged in thinking about the content. Students should be called on randomly (using the deck of cards method for instance) so that everyone participates. When students do not know when they will be called on they are much more likely to remain alert […]
Are you a high-performing leader working full tilt to make your dreams come true? And have you ever been weighed down by any of the following experiences? You’ve been thrown for a loop—by the actions of others or by your own mistakes—and the resulting snafu was surprisingly gut-wrenching. You’ve tried to control your upset at […]
It’s been said that an “idle mind” is the devil’s playground. Well, if that’s true, and you’re a teacher, then that means most of us have “Devil Disney Land” in our classrooms. All jokes aside, if you’re a new teacher (even a veteran) there’s nothing funny about students who finish their work early, having too […]
Many teachers (especially experienced ones) suffer from what I call “change phobia.” And if not carefully monitored, even new teachers can be inflicted with this the career-ending disease. What is “change phobia” you ask? It’s exactly what you may think it is; it’s an unhealthy fear of change. As teachers, we can’t afford to be […]
Rohini Saini
