Working towards Excellence

While we all know that key to success is education, it may not be explicitly taught. I was reflecting on my own educational experiences and it wasn't until I reached adulthood that I truly realized that true learning is self-directed and on-going. I believe that our students think learning is irrelevant to their lives and that after grade 12, they will be off the hook. I want to be able to reach each student with the relevancy of public education daily.

Creating and Using Essential Questions

Today we worked on organizing our LA units using essential questions. While this is difficult to do, it is extremely engaging for the students and it helps teachers keep the learning at much higher, relevant level. This is really needed to help our students think deeper and more critically. Hopefully it will transfer to higher scores on their PSSA tests.

Using Music in the Classroom

Does anyone have any research on the effects of using music in the classroom? I know some teachers in my building have used music in their classrooms and it has resulted in a calming effect on the students. They usually use some type of softer, quiet music. Any suggestions out there?