You teach your self. Who ever you are, who ever that ‘self’ is will determine the words and deeds you perform in the classroom. It’s really difficult to change the teaching self from the outside. Governments, district leaders and principals could mandate policies and training meant to change attitudes and instructional strategies. But in the Read More

Everyone has prejudices. Some judgment or attitude, for or against, an idea, a person or a thing. Prejudice isn’t just about race, ethnicity or culture. Think conservative vs liberal. The student in your class who you give a high grade because she reminds you of your daughter. These attitudes develop over time. And are often Read More

All teachers create tests, a type of assessment. Assessment can be used to improve student learning and teacher instruction, as in the case of formative assessment. After instruction, teachers use summative assessment to find out if students have mastered curricula aims. Most teachers create their own assessments for classroom use or use tests created by Read More

You’ve heard about all the disadvantages of teaching to standardized tests or assessments. Some educators use the content and skills that will be on a standardized test to plan classroom instruction. It narrows instruction to only what’s on the test. Once instruction is focused on the test, the creativity and dynamism of teaching is reduced. Read More