I know it’s summer, but I also know that lots of teachers immediately start thinking about how they want to set themselves up for next year. I’ve lived and taught in a lot of different places, and it’s given me some perspective on things that are necessary and things that aren’t. Any time that I’ve …
If you appreciate long term engagement and student-directed learning, you NEED to try this. When I first started teaching there were a couple of units in my biology and chemistry courses that were not fresh in my mind from university. In biology, it was definitely the metabolism unit. I vaguely remembered that glycolysis existed but …
Student-directed learning and high engagement? Yes, please! Read More »
I love review classes. I think it’s because I like helping kids jog their memories and making them realize that they know more than they think they do. It’s satisfying! And of all the different ways I like to review, my #1, top-notch, best of all time, favorite review activity is the vocabulary chain. I …
My Favourite Way to Review Vocabulary in High School Science Read More »
I find science endlessly interesting. Throw any new piece of scientific info at me and I’ll be all ears. I love math, too. It is not as naturally interesting to me, but the act of solving problems is very satisfying. Every math problem is like doing a puzzle, and I’m a puzzle fiend! But you …
An Unexpected Way to Foster a Positive Classroom Environment Read More »
Teachers have heavy workloads. It’s 11 am on a typical school day, and I’m sitting in my class as my Year 8s are doing a test. I arrived at school at 7:30 am and have already complete 12 different tasks! (Yup, I counted!) It’s a lot, and that’s in a few hours. And I actually …
Have you heard about this? It is seriously my favorite time of year. When students are inevitably getting hyped over college basketball and ask me who I’m rooting for, I always tilt my head and give them a puzzled look…then I insist that I only care about the real March Madness. March MAMMAL Madness. If …
March Mammal Madness: What’s All the Hype About? Read More »
