Helping you to hone your craft, improving the art and science of teaching.
The Curse of Knowledge: once you know something, it's hard to think from the perspective of someone who doesn't know it. And the more you know, the harder it gets.
A simple test for any task: does this make my students really think or merely remember? It sounds silly, but the more I consider it, the more interesting this distinction gets.
Asking questions is such a basic tool of teaching, yet how many of us have ever been taught to ask good questions? In this opening to a series about questioning, we'll explore how to get students asking each other questions.
I love Dorothy Frayer’s 1969 model for developing a deep understanding of a concept: The Frayer Model! It really illustrates how insufficient a mere definition is when trying to explain an idea.
Clear communication is simple, succinct, and relies on words that people understand. Jargon is the opposite. Journey with me as I attempt to define some edu-jargon…
I had a reader ask a question about homework and gifted kids and I figured this was a pretty common question. My thought: you need a philosophy about this.
Often, the problems we try to solve are not the root problems. The Five Whys is a thinking tool to help you sift through the superficial to find the real issue.
90 years ago, Alfred North Whitehead used the term “the inert knowledge problem” to describe an issue he faced while teaching. I’ll bet you’ve seen the same thing…
My recent experience as a learner and what it’s like when your teacher falls into the trap of Curse of Knowledge.
Before you implement an educational theory like Mindset, Grit, or Multiple Intelligences, make sure to read the original work, understand the limitations, and know the most common misunderstandings.
Providing high-quality exemplars is only half the battle. Serve up a nice and terrible non-example, and you’ll highlight just what makes that great version so great.
I love Margaret Robertson’s piece about how badges and levels miss the point of what makes games great. Take a look.
I’m reading Teaching With the Brain in Mind and realized how my weekly Puzzlements mailer has some great connections to a brain-friendly classroom! The author, Eric Jensen, writes about creating a safe classroom in which the brain can learn. Here are a few notes I’ve made. Novelty Jensen explains how the brain loves new things. […]