Teaching for the Teenage Brain

Brain based learning is a huge buzz word in education at the moment. There’s a lot of information going around about elementary aged students and aiding their development, but it is just as important in high school students. Adolescence is such an impressionable time for brain development and there are many ways that teachers can

Why I Teach My Students How to Take Notes

I’ve been focusing a lot on autonomy and student-centered learning this year. One of the most critical aspects of this is effective note-taking, so that they can actually use their notes as resources. I mean isn’t that the whole point of taking notes during class? If you know me personally, then you’d know that I’m

The Four Most Important Things I Wish I Knew as a First Year Teacher

Let me just preface this blog post with one important point. I am about to bare my soul to the world and this list should not be seen as the end all be all. I am by no means saying that my experience is the only way that first-year teachers feel, nor would I want

Tackle three activities in one period.

Elementary school teachers SWEAR BY math centers. I have seen them successfully implemented in first, second, and fourth grade classrooms. If elementary school teachers can have 6-11 year old students work independently and effectively, then there must be a way to use them in high school as well. I have been using math stations since