How We Teach

Is it possible to program with flexible means to meet the needs of all learners without firm goals? No. When learning goals are always accessible and frequently referenced, we have a powerful way to engage students in the learning process, and students have something that’ll help them sustain their efforts and focus.  Learning Goals make learning easier. They engage students, and lay the foundation for flexible, meaningful experiences that empower all students to achieve the same high and rigorous learning expectations. They really are that magical. 

Building relationships, meeting students exactly where they are, reducing anxiety, and customizing support so that all students can become expert learners - the Modern Classrooms Project has it all! You can learn about The Modern Classrooms Project by hopping on the website at modernclassrooms.org - there you will find the vision, the data that shows the impact on students and teachers, and everything else you could possibly need to explore this model in your own classroom.

Dr. William Lewis, is Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Delaware and Dr. John Strong, is Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. John and Bill are co-authors of the book, Literacy Instruction with Disciplinary Texts which will be the focus of our conversation today. This resource provides instructional strategies teachers can use to support students as they navigate challenging texts in all subject areas, including ways to support academic vocabulary and background knowledge, and research-based comprehension strategies that students can use before, during and after reading.

Stu and Lori from the KPRDSB discuss how teachers can still be subject experts without being content police. This sets the stage for a collaborative learning partnership and puts the teacher in the role of tour guide; a leader who shows the group the main curriculum landmarks, gives feedback, asks and answers questions but also shares the helm of the ship with students as they navigate the waters between curriculum and self-differentiation. The voyage becomes not what we teach, but how we teach.

Jason To is a teacher and a mathematics coordinator with the Toronto District School Board. He also works with boards across the province to help them get ready for this important transition in education. In this episode, Jason gives some solid advice and encouragement as we build equitable programming for all students. 

Chris Bronke joins us to explain how a standards-based learning environment works and why we should try it.

I am so thrilled to welcome Kevin Brookhouser as our guest today. He is the author of the book, The 20time Project: How Educators can Launch Google’s Formula for Future-Ready Innovation. His game-changing approach to teaching and learning gives students an opportunity to solve real-world problems while simultaneously achieving “rigorous academic goals”. You can find Kevin’s blueprint for creating this experience for students at 20time.org - and you see for yourself how the project empowers students to be future-ready for a world that they create themselves… if we just give them the time.

We know that each student comes to us with a unique set of skills and experience, and that each student learns differently. Expecting and being prepared for variability allows us to create programming that meets the needs of all learners, in math and in all subject areas.

On today’s episode, we’ll explore how gaps in communication skills can affect content acquisition for secondary students and some strategies we can model.

On today’s episode we’ll welcome Chris Bronke from Chicago as we take a look at different approaches to supporting literacy and communication skills across all subjects areas in high school. One of the barriers we tend to come up against as secondary teachers, is that we don’t necessarily receive formal training around literacy support. It can be difficult to figure out how to diagnose and close reading gaps for students when we don’t have that background knowledge. We are, after all subject specialists, with degrees in math, history, biology,  and so on. That’s what makes Literacy a great place to start because we can all grow together to reduce barriers for our students while supporting the communication skills in our courses.

This is a place for anyone who is interested in having conversations about how we teach, and finding ideas about how we can improve both the teaching and learning experience. By opening up these conversations about our collective successes while acknowledging the barriers we face, educators will be inspired to find something new, even just one small thing to try, that might make a positive difference for students.