During a recent PLC observation, where I was invited to provide coaching, teachers, their instructional coach, and principal were observing a video clip of a teacher’s writing lesson. In the section they were observing, the teacher had students on the floor around her as she reviewed writing components and connected them to a recent activity […]

I was invited to observe in the video production class of Pat Phillips, an instructor at the Career and Technical Education School in Bismarck, North Dakota. During a pre-conference and observation with Pat, I was reminded of an earlier blog I had written on studio learning. Pat and his students work and learn as a […]

In the March 2013 Educational Leadership,Will Richardson asked the question,”What do we mean by learning?” (Students First, Not Stuff page 10).     Richardson quotes Seymour Sarason (2004 And what do YOU mean by learning?), “Productive learning is the learning process which engenders and reinforces wanting to learn more.” (p.x) (See Richardson, author of Why […]

In my use of backwards planning to gain student motivation, I am continually asking teachers to identify what student behaviors are needed to reach the student achievement that has been set as a goal. Very often they identify intrinsic motivation. When we take the next step in backwards planning, we have to examine “what teacher […]