By Wes George

Socrates was the first 21st century teacher.

Now before you tell me to go drink some hemlock for making such an absurd claim, allow me to explain myself. Through thoughtful questioning, Socrates challenged his students to think critically and to examine subjects from all perspectives. This is precisely what today’s students need given the demands of the modern workforce. They need to know how to think.
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By Cathy Gassenheimer

I just finished reading a thought-provoking article in the February issue of Educational Leadership titled “Start Where Your Students Are,” by Robyn R. Jackson. She posits that to get all students to learn, teachers need to understand their “currency.” She defines currency as “any behavior that students use to acquire the knowledge and skills important to your class.” She gives examples such as students who want approval from the teacher tend to ...
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By Cathy Gassenheimer

Many educators dream of a school environment where the curriculum is driven by projects and problem-based activities that challenge all students to learn more deeply and apply what they learn to the real world.

Some educators believe this kind of schooling simply isn’t possible in today’s high-stakes accountability environment. Winterboro School in rural Talladega County is out to prove them wrong.

Winterboro serves students in grades 5-12, about 85 percent of whom are on free or reduced lunch. As far as state testing benchmarks, the school has consistently met those, but it didn't take a fortune teller to see problems lying ahead... Read More...

As we search for ways to help schools achieve more, it’s tempting to frame solutions as “either/or” choices. So often we take sides and expend a lot of time and energy insisting that our choice is the answer and must prevail. For example:

• Either we teach students to read using phonics OR we employ whole language.

• Either we teach kids to memorize important math facts OR we focus on the why and how of math. Read More...