August 2012 Archives

I have about fifteen questions from readers lined-up for future posts but, for today, I'd like to ask: Should we teach "character" in our schools? If so, what does it look like? If not, why not? This is similar to a question posed by a reader last year on Social Emotional Learning (see Response: Several Ways To Apply Social-Emotional Learning Strategies In The Classroom)and, in many ways, the answers will be a "Part Two" to that post. I have some special guests lined-up to respond to the question, and I also hope that readers will contribute your ideas. Please ...

(NOTE: This is the last post in a three-part series on starting off the new school year strong. You can see Part One here and Part Two here) It's that time again, so ten days ago I asked the first question "kicking-off" this blog's second "season": "What's your best advice on getting the new school year off to a good start?" In addition to resources I've gathered at The Best Resources For Planning The First Day Of School, I've asked several guests to respond to the question. Part One in this series included guest responses from author educators Rick Wormeli ...

(NOTE: This is the second in a three-part series. You can see Part One here and Part Three here) It's that time again, so last week I asked the first question "kicking-off" this blog's second "season": "What's your best advice on getting the new school year off to a good start?" In addition to resources I've gathered at The Best Resources For Planning The First Day Of School, I've asked several guests to respond to the question. I'll be sharing their responses over the next week, and invite readers to contribute their ideas, too. Part One in this series included ...

(NOTE: This is the first in a three-part series. You can read Part Two here and Part Three here) It's that time again, so last week I asked the first question "kicking-off" this blog's second "season": "What's your best advice on getting the new school year off to a good start?" In addition to resources I've gathered at The Best Resources For Planning The First Day Of School, I've asked several guests to respond to the question. I'll be sharing their responses over the next week, and invite readers to contribute their ideas, too. I'll include them in Part Two ...

The first question of this blog's second "season" is: "What's your best advice on getting the new school year off to a good start?" Yes, it's that time again! And, if your school year is starting earlier than next Wednesday and you need advice NOW, you might want to check out The Best Resources For Planning The First Day Of School. Please share your thoughts in the comments, or, if you prefer, feel free to email them to me. I'll be including readers' recommendations next week, as well as sharing ideas from special guests. Anyone whose question is selected for ...

I'm "kicking-off" a second year of this "Classroom Q & A" blog on Friday, and thought that a good way to end the first "season" would be to share the ten most popular posts over the past year. But, first -- a reminder: Even though I have a stack of plenty of questions, I can always use more! You can send them to me at [email protected] you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it's selected or if you'd prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind. You can also ...

I've taken most of the summer off to complete work on my next book, and have been posting thematic "highlights" of my first year's posts. Alas, this "break" has come to an end, and I thought readers would find it useful if I published one post containing links to all the thematic compilations I've done over the last two months. On Thursday, I'll post a "top ten" list of the most popular posts from this past year. And, then, on Friday, it will be time for the first "question of the week" for the new school year! Even though I ...

I've been taking the summer off from answering new questions while I work on my next book. Instead, I've been posting "collections" bringing links together from previous posts on common topics (classroom management, reading instruction, student motivation,instructional strategies, parent engagement in schools, education policy issues, assessment, etc.). I've published almost fifty separate "answers" over the past year, and thought that readers might find these summer compilations more accessible. Today's post includes sort of a "grab-bag" assortment -- pieces on using technology, relationships between teachers and students and teachers and teachers, and advice about getting a teaching job. I'll be ...