Mr. Smith, the principal, walks into teacher Ann Lassen’s fifth- grade classroom to observe the class. He sees Mrs. Lassen presenting information to the class. Sometimes she uses PowerPoint, sometimes a document camera, and sometimes she just talks. He sees the students actively engaged in discussing the lesson and practicing what they are learning. Afterwards,…
As mentioned in Part 1, the National Education Technology Plan was announced in November 2010 by the U.S. Department of Education. It is a broad vision for where schools and districts can go in adopting technology for learning. In this post, we want to look more closely at three points referred to in the plan’s…
I am a veteran, award-winning teacher who recently discovered how I could significantly improve my teaching. I did it by learning to use the research-based strategies of Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) developed by DataWORKS founders John Hollingsworth and Silvia Ybarra. When I first heard about EDI, I was frustrated, skeptical, and a bit resistant…
Automaticity does not mean that teachers become automatons – glorified robots just walking through their classes. No, automaticity means that teaching skills have been learned so well, they have become so ingrained, that they are automatic. Just like when we learned to drive a car, the first attempts were focused on details and we had lots of…
Where does learning occur? Where does learning occur? The obvious answer for teachers is in the classroom. But the real answer is that learning occurs in the student’s brain. Bestselling author Daniel Coyle in his book The Talent Code describes the process of learning a skill as a process of neural pathways being insulated…
Today, we are going to focus on general questions about teaching English Learners (ELs). These are questions we regularly get from teachers. If you would like further information about teaching English Learners, feel free to contact us. We also recommend the book, Explicit Direct Instruction for English Learners by DataWORKS co-founders John Hollingsworth and Dr.…
In November 2010, the U.S. Department of Education released its National Education Technology Plan. It is called Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. It outlines five goals and 24 recommendations for states, districts, the federal government, and other stakeholders. According to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, “the plan’s development was led by the…
In spring 2014, the New York State Education Department released a newly developed Blueprint for English Language Learner Success. It is a groundbreaking statement that sets high expectations for English Language Learners and recommends a new Seal of Biliteracy on students’ diplomas. In this way, the state recognizes the economic and cultural value of being…
Teachers throughout the country are preparing their students for the new Common Core Assessments. This does not mean they are teaching to the test; rather, it means they are evaluating what kinds of questions are being asked – and then deciding how to modify their lessons so the students are ready. This is especially important…
The buzzwords in the Ed-Tech marketplace keep proliferating – blended learning, personalized instruction, digital delivery, and more. These are all good directions for growth in the use of technology in the classroom, but the case should be made that the key to technology in the classroom is the teacher. The bottom line for technology is…