Blog
Saving Grace
I believe it is fair to say that we are going through a significant trial, and some may even say, a crisis. Experiencing a months-long school shutdown was not something I had ever . . . Read more
Finding the Opportunity in the COVID-19 Crisis
The 2019-20 school year will certainly go down in history as unprecedented. The COVID-19 pandemic turned all aspects of society, including school systems, upside-down. As schools were mandated . . . Read more
Comprehension Challenge
Students who read below grade level do not think below grade level. Again: students who read below grade level do not think below grade level. If we hold that misconception to be true, then . . . Read more
A Physics PLC: Collaboration at a Distance
This year my school district, like many others, implemented PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) as the driving force behind how we collaborate to help students learn. The directive was that all teachers should… Read more
From Cool Technologies to Critical Thinking
Why is it that the 21st Century education is being defined by where the teaching is occurring and the technology that is utilized? There is the brick and mortal classroom where teaching is delivered in a traditional school... Read more
Electronic Teaming for Singletons in a PLC
One of the questions that I’m asked all the time as an advocate for both professional learning communities and teaching with technology is, “How can digital tools be used to support the learning of singletons in our schools?”... Read more
How Low Can You Go?
Our state legislature recently passed three major educational reform bills. The first one significantly restricts collective bargaining by local unions. The second mandates a pay for performance model based on school-wide achievement, and the third requires increased use of technology and online learning for high school students. Other than the pay-for-performance bill, introduction of these bills was done without input from educators or stakeholders. Read more
Using Moodle to Enhance Your PLC
Over the past two years, I have been facilitating the PLC and common assessment work with the Bismarck Public Schools in western North Dakota. They are a cutting edge district with strong leadership at the top and committed principals at the 25 individual campuses, accompanied by a world-class Career and Tech Academy. Read more
Twitter for Singletons in a PLC
Bill Ferriter has been working to introduce learning teams and singletons to a range of free products and services that can make collaboration more efficient. This is an excerpt from his blog . . . Read more
Tech Tools for Teams: Using Voicethread
I've got an interesting admission to make: I'm a HORRIBLE guy to have on a learning team! Kind of strange, isn't it? I mean, how could a trained Solution Tree associate and author who has written about the beauty of professional learning communities for years possibly be… Read more
Tech Tools for Teams: Collaborate Using Twitter
Let me start by making an observation based on the past six years that I've spent working as a member of a highly motivated professional learning team: Collaboration may be incredibly rewarding and professionally satisfying, but it ain't easy… Read more
Collecting and Analyzing Common Assessment Data
While most teachers recognize the value of analyzing assessment data they often struggle with collecting the data. It is not sufficient to know how many questions each student answered correctly or . . . Read more