Differentiating Mathematics Instruction
When I am in schools working with teachers of mathematics, the most common question I get is, “How do I use rich, higher-level-cognitive-demand tasks with each and every student? I know my students need access to more complex mathematical tasks, but how do I implement them well with all students?”
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Searching For My “Awe Family” Response!
I sense a paradox of competing emotions on the horizon.
On one hand I find joy in the capacity of our positive, generous, and courageous human response to the relentless stress, strain, and change we have faced each day for almost a year now. On the other hand, I feel queasy and uneasy as we close in on the anniversary of the most intense, unexpected and unwelcome change to our personal and professional lives as educators. March 2020 seems so long ago, and yet it sticks so close to, and lives inside of, our very being as teachers.
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Changing Our World for the Better
The recent release of the United Nations IPCC report on climate change has caused widespread anxiety, with headlines claiming a ‘code red for humanity’. While it is a much-needed wake-up call, the IPCC says, ‘The report also shows that human actions still have the...
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Gardens, Curiosity and Teaching Science
There is something special about the curiosity of children observing and interacting with the natural environment. That is why it is important our schools, classrooms and educators engage students in the wonder of science – and our own school grounds (or backyards)...
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Kicking Open the Trap Door of Student Engagement
On a recent visit to a school, I listened to a student who complained to that everything that he was asked to do by his teacher was boring. When I asked him what he would like to learn about, he promptly responded, “Something interesting, like maybe something about dragons!”
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What is a Learning Leader anyway?
There’s no shortage of information out there on leadership. But in my work with schools, it’s very common to meet leaders who either have lost their way or are facing challenges with their leadership identity or style. If you’re a learning leader yourself,...
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Hawker Brownlow Education: Made in Australia
Who doesn't love a good imprint page? Where do your books come from? It might seem like a strange question, but it is one that is particularly pertinent in a time when global supply chains have been disrupted by a certain global pandemic. Open any book on your...
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It’s the little things that count
The first time I saw a Fitbit it was worn by a PE teacher I was coaching. We’d finished our coaching session at the junior campus of his school and, as both of us were working at the senior campus that afternoon, I offered to drive him. He said he would...
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Leading with Data in Schools
Adapted from the preface and introduction to Leading Data-Informed Change in Schools.Data are everywhere. On a Monday morning, our phones know we’re heading to work and tell us whether the traffic will be light or heavy. Data collected on our online...
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Adapting to Teaching in a New World
Originally published on the Solution Tree Blog. Teachers are used to standing at the water’s edge, peering into the distance and seeing wave after wave of change coming their way. It can certainly be daunting. Usually, teachers can correctly gauge how much...
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