If you had to choose between (1) teaching two weeks of difficult AP course content or (2) prepping your students for a broader but less rigorous state test in your subject, which would you choose? Before you decide: Your pay is tied to student performance on the state test, but not the AP test. One…
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What teachers want
This week I presented my first workshop as a College Board consultant. My task: In six hours at a hotel conference room in Cincinnati, help 10 high school teachers hone their ability to teach AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics or both. Six hours isn’t much time, let alone for two distinct subjects, and most of the teachers at…
Read MoreCould you learn in the ‘classroom of the future’?
(image from Atlantic magazine) Which metaphor best describes the way you learn? Your mind is an empty vessel. A teacher pours in new knowledge to fill you up. Your mind is fertile soil. A teacher plants a seed, and the interaction of the seed, nutrients and water — with careful tending — creates new knowledge.…
Read MoreRe-learning that really works?
Three years ago, under a new principal, my high school leaped head first into the “re-learning, re-take” trend sweeping public education. The philosophy is simple and has undeniable logical appeal. If Michael performs poorly on a test, he should have the opportunity to re-learn the material and improve his score. After all, we get more…
Read MoreExit slips: Just the first step
Using formative assessment to check student understanding may be one of the best new ideas in education, but are we doing it right? When I first learned I was expected to use “checks for understanding,” I was skeptical. I was certain my students understood what I was explaining, and I didn’t want to burden them…
Read MoreWe can get better
Every hour of the day, teachers need to provide meaningful content, build relationships, inspire young minds, maintain order, assess learning, correct for mistakes, help kids in crisis, respond to parents, follow IEPs, tolerate interruptions, ensure equity, manipulate technology, interpret data and manage frustration. Doing this job well requires passion, energy, organization and the ability to…
Read MoreShe got it wrong, but why?
You know when your students get something wrong, but do you know why they get it wrong? Figuring out a student’s cognitive missteps is one of the most difficult parts of this job — and one of the keys to being an effective teacher. It starts with a question for the class. Let’s take one day…
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MARTHA RUSH 