Blog
Going Global?
Going global, we have jumped on the high-speed Internet highway with iPads, laptops, and handheld devices. We have powered up with the latest and greatest apps, cool web resources, and let’s . . . Read more
Why Teach?
In the play, Becket, a young man asks the title character for advice regarding the career he should pursue. When Becket suggests teaching, the young man dismisses the idea with the question, . . . Read more
Turning Vision Into Action
I met with all of the grades 6-12 mathematics teachers in Elk Grove Unified (CA) this morning, while on my way to Grand Rapids to meet up with some great folks in Michigan. Read more
Team Within a Team
The Lakeland Joint School District serves 4,100 students in 11 schools. Our journey as a PLC has helped us focus on the three big ideas: learning, collaboration, and results. One of our greatest . . . Read more
Peers Helping Peers
Five summers ago, my professional life was permanently changed when I attended my first PLC conference. I frankly went with an attitude of “here we go again . . . ,” having been . . . Read more
Solving the Puzzle of Success
When I was growing up, Rubik’s Cubes were popular. The toy had colored sides, and you were to mix up the colors by turning the sides over and over again. Once the colors had been mixed up, . . . Read more
Pouring Rather Than Splashing
As a new mathematics teacher at Centennial High School, I quickly learned it was important to ask students who their teacher had been the previous year. Teachers in algebra “made it . . . Read more
Collaboration Is a Team Sport
It has been said that terms and labels travel easily, but application and practice rarely follow when talking about implementing new initiatives. When it comes to the basic tenets of a professional . . . Read more
Does "All" Really Mean All?
I have had the privilege of working with staff in numerous schools and districts who are doing incredible work in professional learning communities with the hope of improving outcomes for all of . . . Read more
Lessons Learned From an Unlikely "PLC"
My favorite time of year is when the National Hockey League play-offs are in full swing. I absolutely love the intensity, grit, and laser-like focus on winning that hockey teams demonstrate during . . . Read more
Famous Foursomes
Throughout history, there have been many examples of well-known groups of four, such as: The Four Seasons, a mid-1960s pop band led by Frankie Valli The Fantastic Four, the fictional . . . Read more
Rethinking Failure
I read Héctor García’s post from April 30 about how planning for small wins at this time in the school year can help inspire and motivate both staff members and students. It got . . . Read more
Dealing With an Ineffective Team Leader
In Leaders of Learning, Richard DuFour and Robert J. Marzano point out that selecting and training teacher team leaders is one of the most important tasks that a principal must perform in order to . . . Read more
Collaboration: Thinking vs. Doing
“Professional learning communities recognize that until members of the organization ‘do’ differently, there is no reason to anticipate different results.” (DuFour, DuFour, . . . Read more
Innovation: The Key to Engagement and Enrichment
Albert Einstein once wrote, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” Yet, a recent Gallup survey shows that nationally, only . . . Read more