Five Ways Teachers Can Limit the Fear of Creative Failure Blog Post

I’m sitting at my computer right now clenching my fist. I would love to say that the problem is external – that some outside person is getting in the way of my creative work. I’d love to say that I just don’t have enough time…

Getting Started with P.B.L. Page

Getting Started with Project-Based Learning Think back to your most memorable educational experience. Chances are, it was an epic project. As teachers, we can design epic projects to make this happen! But what about the time constraints? What about the standards? What happens if students...

Empowering Students with Voice and Choice Page

Empowering Students with Voice and Choice We want students to be creative, critical thinkers. We want them to rewrite the rules as life-long learners and critical thinking citizens. It's a mindset of self-direction and student ownership and it begins by empowering students with voice and...

7 Ways to Inspire Divergent Thinking in the Classroom Blog Post

The world is unpredictable. The corporate ladder is now a maze, which means our students will need to think divergently. In this article, we explore how to integrate divergent thinking into our everyday classroom practices. This is an updated version of an article that was…

Ten Creative Alternatives to Standardized Tests Blog Post

It’s easy to bust on standardized tests. They suck. They’re boring. They’re virtually meaningless. They kill instructional time. But what’s the alternative? If we’re not using multiple choice tests, what are we using? If we want a more creative classroom, what types of assessments exist…

Ten Alternative Assessment Strategies Blog Post

It’s easy to bust on standardized tests. They suck. They’re boring. They’re virtually meaningless. They kill instructional time. But what’s the alternative? If we’re not using multiple choice tests, what are we using? If we want a more creative classroom, what types of assessments exist…

Thirteen Ways to Boost Student Blogging Blog Post

This is my ninth year of having students create their own blogs. Initially, the student blogs were nothing more than a class journal posted online. They were digital notebooks. However, over time, they became a place for student voice. They evolved as my thinking about…