While at The Learning Forward Conference in Atlanta I had the opportunity to attend a pre conference session, Professional Development as a Tool for Transforming Schools. It was led by Phil Schlechty (Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform) and Cheryl Arabie (assistant superintendent) and Amiee Woessner (supervisor of instruction) from the St. Tammany Parish […]

Thanks to a recommendation from a district staff developer I just finished reading Linchpin: Are You Indispensible? by Seth Godin . I’m recommending it for your reading. Here are a few of the statements I highlighted as I read with my comments added. “The problem is that most schools don’t like great teachers. They’re organized […]

During my recent participation at the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), I did a presentation on Wow! Adding Pizzazz to Teaching and Learning and decided I should pass on some of the new examples folks have been sharing with me. A principal at West Long Branch Schools in New Jersey shared the following social […]

In Wow! Adding Pizzazz to Teaching and Learning , I illustrate the power of teachers creating Wow experiences for their students….things that hook students …sparking their interest and attention to “what is coming next.”The opening of school is a time that Wows can be especially important to create the enthusiasm and emotions for setting the […]

Many of you have been in presentations where I have shared my thinking on the power of WOW or read my book, Wow… Adding Pizza to Teaching and Learning. I wrote that book because so many teachers shared their experiences with wowing students and administrators shared how they wow their staffs. I love watching the […]

Teachers don’t cause student achievement…students cause student achievement. Do you agree? If so, then the teachers’ effort should be spent generating student effort. This is where the efforts of trainers and coaches are focused. Here are five strategies to get you started exploring effort with your students and generating your own ideas: #1 Have students […]