4 Tips for Teaching Through a Crisis

 It was October 2005 and the first day back at school following Hurricane Rita, the strongest measured hurricane ever to enter the Gulf of Mexico. Rows of desks in my high school Biology classroom were empty as many students had not returned since evacuating. Their homes were unlivable. The damage across southeast Texas was massive, and I knew it was going to take some effort to bring a sense of normalcy to the school day.

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Making Observations and Inferences with Lady Gaga

An important critical thinking skill is the ability to make observations then use the observations, along with what you already know, to make inferences.  Marzano says that making inferences is a "foundational skill" and a prerequisite for higher-order thinking and 21st century skills.

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There Are No Perfect Teachers and There Are No Perfect Students, But There Are Perfect Moments of Learning in Every Day

The desire for perfection is deadly. It can kill your joy, kill your job satisfaction, and kill your productivity.  How can you make peace with the fact that you aren't going to be the perfect teacher every moment of every day?  Not only that, how do you accept the fact that your coworkers and students aren't going to be perfect either?  Here are 4 ways to accept your imperfections and as a result be a better, happier teacher.

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Lower the Energy of Activation with Concept Mapping

Have you ever taught ATP to a class of high school Biology students?  If the answer is yes, then you have shared my pain! It can be incredibly difficult to teach the unobservable components of a complicated and unobservable process.  Visual learning to the rescue!

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