Today, on twitter, I found myself reading through a somewhat comical conversation among a few edu-twitterers/teachers/researchers concerning the compiling of education research: Tom Sherrington (@teacherhead) made a comment that these compilations must help because most teachers would not be able to search for this information via researcher’s names. I agreed and commented that most teachers …
A Reply to Anya Kamenetz and nprEd
In one of your latest articles, “4 Things We Don’t Know About AP Tests”, you discuss some of the unknowns of AP classes; citing there has been little independent research on the subject due mainly to the difficulty in conducting the research successfully. You then follow with 4 important questions the experts still don’t know …
11 Life Lessons to End the Term
*The following letter was written to one of my AP Government classes a few years ago. A few edits have been made to remove any comments specific to the class. Feel free to pass this along to anyone you see fit. Hey guys/gals, You are awesome and I want you to know that. You are …
Defending the Non-Negotiable in the Classroom
I promise, I was out of my desk to pick up someone’s pencil that fell off their desk. There I was, walking the fine line of detention in Mrs. Andrews’ 12th grade Government/Economics class. You see, Mrs. Andrews was very strict, but very fair. She had one rule everyone had to follow or suffer the …
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Promoting Metacognition with Retrieval Practice in Five Steps
Let me put all the cards out on the table: I am a big believer in using researched/proven learning strategies to improve retention of classroom material. I have applied strategies in my high school Advanced Placement Psychology classes and seen notable improvements in three areas: Test scores Study habits Student’s understanding of their learning Improvement …
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On My Soapbox
We’re covering developmental psychology in class...you know, from womb to tomb. When introducing the unit, I pose the following questions to the class: What is the best age? When is life at its best? When does one live the “time of their life”? A few students choose years during toddlerhood due to the fact that …
To the Student Sleeping in My Class
I’m not going to lower the standard. You will be expected to finish everything your classmates complete; with the same deadlines and with the same grading scale. When they’re graded for collaborative work, you’ll be expected to work within your group and complete that material, too. The culminating project at the end of the semester? …
