Engage Every Student with ‘Pull a Stick’
“Pull a Stick” means Call on Non-Volunteers A Strategy for Engaging Every Student One of the most effective ways to engage all students in your classroom is by using a randomizing system to call on non-volunteers. “Pull a stick” has become a popular method where... read more
EDI and Higher-Order Questioning: Building Critical Thinkers
Structuring Lessons with Thought-Provoking Questions As an educator focused on effective instruction, the transformative power of Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) is evident in how it elevates classroom questioning from basic recall to deep critical thinking. This... read more
Preparing Students for Success: Test Preparation and EDI
The Importance of Test Prep for English Learner Students The Role of Test Preparation in Academic Achievement Test preparation is essential for helping students perform at their best during assessments. Whether for state exams, standardized tests, or subject-specific... read more
How to Differentiate and Scaffold – after teaching including RTI
Suppose you have already retaught, and a few students still aren’t ready. You have reached 80% success but are worried about the last few students. Naturally, you want all your students to be successful, but it’s not efficient to reteach the whole class for just a few... read more
How to Differentiate and Scaffold – while teaching
Plan for success during the lesson In a prior blog, we talked about differentiating and scaffolding when designing lessons. Differentiation refers to the idea of modifying instruction to meet a student’s individual needs and learning styles. Scaffolding refers to... read more