best

Evaluate with Academic Tournaments

The bracketed tournament isn’t just for college basketball. Set up a tournament to determine best president, state, element, or literary character and challenge your students to make interesting judgements.

Why “Challenging” Isn’t Quite The Right Goal

“I want to challenge my students” is just about the most common goal out there. Unfortunately, I think it’s not quite the right word…

Choice Menus: Quality or Mere Quantity?

I used to create extension menus, thinking they were an essential tool for differentiation. Overtime, I’ve changed my thinking. Here’s why.

How many students are already ready (already) for next year?

In a climate where we focus on who’s below-level, how many students are already ready for next year (and beyond)? Research from Johns Hopkins sheds light on the (truly) shocking number of above-level kids out there.

How To Pique Curiosity

In part one of this curiosity series, we explore the connection between curiosity, anticipation, and dopamine and discover why we remember things better when we are allowed to wonder.

Narcissistic Teaching (and how to change it)

I’ve been reading my friends’ dissertations and writing up my discoveries. In this episode, I encounter the term “narcissistic pedagogy” and it rocks my world.

Encourage Interests, Don’t Expect Passions

“Passion” is kind of a ridiculous expectation when you think about it.

Smart Kids and the Curse of the Kidney Table

What happens when a student never gets called over to work with the teacher?

Teaching Students To Explain Their Thinking

It’s a weird trap: because a child is “so smart”, everyone thinks any gaps in their skills are a result of laziness or defiance. But sometimes the brightest kid needs small group instruction for a skill the rest of the class already gets.

Calvin: I Thought You Were Smart

A great strip from Calvin and Hobbes for opening up a discussion about hard work, being “smart,” and mindsets in the classroom.

Understanding High Energy Gifted Kids

To understand how giftedness and physical energy are connected, stop picturing a fidgety kid interrupting the class. Instead imagine him deeply engrossed in his favorite activity.

Brains Only Get Stronger When It’s Difficult!

As a 6th grade teacher, I would see students give up just as things became difficult. Because of their natural intelligence, they could succeed without putting in the work that their peers were learning to do. So I introduced a motto.

The Curious Case of Impostor Syndrome

They believe that only they are aware of their limitations, near misses, and potential for error. They attribute their success to luck, not ability. In an attempt to maintain an illusion of perfection, they avoid situations in which they might not be the best. This is called Impostor’s Syndrome.