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How an Award Winning Teacher Went from Failure to Fantastic From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter When he started teaching, high school Spanish teacher, Matt Miller had a dirty secret: His students couldn’t speak Spanis h. He didn’t want anyone to know. But he came to a breaking point.  Learn what Matt did in a fit of frustration and the incredible results his students achieved. Matt says teachers shouldn’t mindlessly run through the curriculum but should have a method. His method includes less textbook and other types of resources. Matt tells his secret for getting students really engaged and excited about Spanish or any second language . We also discuss Kristy Cooper ‘s mixed methods study, Eliciting Engagement in the High School Classroom,  and how these principles explain why Matt seems to  engage students  so much. Who is Matt Miller? Matt Miller@ jmattmiller  is a Spanish teacher at Turkey Run Hig...

Advice From a Student Assessment Researcher About What is Fair and Unfair in Today's Grading Systems From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter With almost 9,000 downloads and counting, this show is the most popular episode on Every Classroom Matters in 2016 so far. Dr. Thomas Guskey shares the current research on “fair” grading and what teachers should be doing instead. This show came from the “averaging grades” graphic (shown at the bottom) that he posted on Twitter asking if it is “fair” to average grades. Thomas talks about fairness , clearly defining a grade and why sometimes we should change how we grade to reflect mastery at the end of a course . Is a grade reflecting their  average ability over time or their  mastery and competency at the end? Thomas also reflects upon those teachers who  never drop grades and when it may be right or wrong to do so. How do we determine what the  most valuable evidence ...

Advice from a National Award Winning Teacher Who Has Had Tough Times Too From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter According to a recent Gallup poll, sixty-nine percent of teachers are not engaged in their work in the United States. Teachers are not emotionally engaged in the work. What can we do about it? National Teacher of the Year Sean McComb shares his views on how to engage more teachers in teaching. Sean shares his struggle with hopelessness from a time when he had students who had failed the test twice. He was given the students LAST PERIOD and no one wanted to be there. This honest conversation is empowering and rings true. Sean also shares a phenomenal idea for how his school regained 80 minutes of planning time for their teachers just by reexamining “extra” duties that teachers were given. Who is Sean McComb? Sean McComb@ Mr_McComb  teaches English and AVID students at Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts ...

The Innovator's Mindset series with George Couros From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter George Couros said he would argue to his death that Twitter was useless when he started with it. But, now he sees. Should every teacher be connecting online? How can we shift our way of thinking to get information that will really help us teach ? George also says that principals who say that teachers have to “make time to do it on their own time” are making a mistake . (George has a genius idea for this one about how to make connecting a cultural thing and give teachers an extra hour to sleep in!) George Couros is joining us for a series of shows on Every Classroom Matters where we talk about the eight characteristics of the Innovator’s Mindset   (George’s new book.) This is part 4 of the series. See the full series here .  Listen on: BAM Radio Network | iTunes | Stitcher   The post How Innovative Educators Plug into Global ...

Secrets from Language Teacher Isil Boy From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Teaching language is a challenge. Isil Boy from Turkey teaches students how to speak English. Today, she shares her secrets for helping language students learn . She also shares her tricks and tips for using technology in the classroom. These secrets apply to every teacher and classroom. Isil Boy@ isilboy  works as a lecturer at the Faculty of Education at Yildiz Technical University, and as a teacher trainer for Pilgrims. She is also the coordinator of EdTech Summit in Turkey. Currently she is pursuing a PhD in Educational Technology. Listen on: BAM Radio Network | iTunes | Stitcher   The post 8 Secrets of a Great Language Teacher appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow! From http://ift.tt/1LuZzZL via Vicki Davis at coolcatteacher.com . Please also check ...

5 Ways to Help Girls Achieve Their Potential From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter I dropped my end of the heavy battery. Daddy and I needed to “jump off” or start up the irrigation system. I was perhaps eight and my sister and Mom were somewhere else. Dad was a hard working farmer and he needed my help on this dusty, dry night. I was not feeling up to the task. I had to carry my end, and he would carry his (although admittedly, he was lowering his end so he’d shoulder more of the load.) But I dropped it. I recall that it wasn’t that it was too heavy, but carrying that battery was hard and I wanted someone else to do it instead of me. Not Just a Girl “It is too heavy for me Dad, I’m just a girl.” I whimpered as dust swirled around my end of the battery. Dad dropped his side with a thud to match my side already resting on the ground. He looked at me across the now still battery on the dry south Georgia dirt.  As some of the dust cl...

Best Selling Author Anne T. Henderson helps us become more parent friendly. From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Parents should be partners: it sounds nice, but does it help learning? Anne T. Henderson , author of the best-selling book Beyond the Bake Sale , talks about school culture and parents. Parents are not the enemy. When we teachers engage parents as partners in helping children, we can turn around our struggling students . Also hear her talk about common mistakes schools make when they are relating to parents and figure out where your school lies in parent-friendliness. Take a pen and paper and take notes. Where do you think your school fits? This is one of those shows to share with your board and school leadership teams. Show Notes: Is Your School Culture Welcoming to Parents? What are the four types of school cultures as they relate to parents? What do student-led parent-teacher conferences look like? What is the single m...

Mattering Mondays with Angela Maiers From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter You believe, you receive. But how can you believe in a child who has let you down? How can you believe in yourself when you aren’t sure if you can do it? Angela Maiers shares practical everyday ways you can help people know they matter in this fourth of the series. Listen to the full series . Show Notes: Belief: A Powerful Tool in Every Teacher’s Toolkit Why is believing in your students and yourself so important? What is some current research relating to belief in students? How can you adjust your belief when you’re struggling? Educator Resources from this Episode @angelamaiers Research I quoted about belief and grades, Pygmalion in the Classroom, Rosenthal and Jacobson You can listen on iTunes , BAM Radio Network , and now Every Classroom Matters is now on Stitcher ! (I know my precious Android friends will be happy with that one.)  The post Belie...

You might just be surprised... From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter This week my students are preparing for a visitor. My good friend Dr. Frank Buck ( he’s been on the show to talk about his organization book for school leaders) is coming in town along with his lovely wife. My students are going to be giving an overview of their learning for this year and are practicing today. Honestly, it warms my heart when they share what they’ve learned. When you ask them to discuss what they’ve learned from you, and they say: “We have to talk about the life lessons she teaches us. Those are the most important things she teaches.” or “One thing she teaches us is to show our strengths, S— why don’t you present your recent literary dramatic interpretation. It is awesome and it is your strength.” or “We love how the whole class is like a game. Lets show him how we do that and why it makes us want to learn more about keyboarding.” or “We a...

Stories of the Changing Culture of Teaching and Learning with Dr. Maryfriend Carter From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Can giving a failing grade ever benefit a student? Well, our guest Dr. MaryFriend Shepherd Carter shares an unbelievable but true story about something amazing (and a bit scary) that happened when she gave a failing grade to a college student who was pursuing a teaching degree. Dr. Carter also talks about the changing culture of teaching at the college and PK12 level. If I had to pick a personal mentor who has taught me the most about teaching, it is Dr. Carter. Her kind demeanor and rock-solid knowledge of current educational research have made her one of my go-to researchers when I have questions relating everyday practice to research. I’m grateful for her mentorship and encouragement in my life. She changed my thinking about teaching as she taught me about teaching. She single-handedly convinced me that testin...

Kathy Cassidy shares her secrets for blogging, sharing and keeping kids safe online From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter Six-year-olds can blog. Canadian first-grade teacher Kathy Cassidy has long shown us the way as she has been blogging with six and seven-year-olds successfully for many years. She shares her secrets of keeping kids safe , helping them build a portfolio and the workflow for helping kids become independent bloggers . [ Listen on the web ] [ Listen on iTunes ] Show Notes: How to Safely Connect Six year Olds to the World What kinds of things can six-year-olds share online ? How can you keep kids safe online ? (And how parents sometimes compromise their own child’s security and what she does about it.) How, when and if corrections should be made to student work. Why young children need a portfolio . I really want our classroom blog to be a digital portfolio of their developing skills @kathycassidy #edchat ...