When I am running or on the treadmill or driving, I like to listen to podcasts or books which are both good for me and keeps me interested. Need some ideas? I am constantly asking my friends for good content. Actually, one of these was even shared with my by […]
Category: Instructional Design
What Makes a Great School?
I have been a student, a teacher, and the parent of a student. My family has earned degrees which range from business to education to medicine to engineering. We value great education. Here are some things we look for when selecting great schools: As a youngster, I had the privilege […]
A Devotion: I Corinthians 13
This verse has been on my mind recently. I was once asked to write my Philosophy of Education. It was embarrassingly slick w/ lots of buzz words from that era. But if I had to rewrite it, I would simply reference I Corinthians 13 – all of it. No matter […]
Frank Lloyd Wright Unit Study
From my youngest days, I always wanted to be an architect. I let someone talk me into engineering school while in high school. No offense to my engineering friends, but it is one of the great regrets of my life. At heart I am a writer, an artist, and a […]
Dr Joe Vigil and the Measure of a Man
In my family, I doubt there is a person who has had more influence on our family’s running practices and athletic philosophy than Joe Vigil. Joe passed away a few weeks ago, but not after helping to rebuild American distance running. Vigil is known for building a XC dynasy at […]
Every Student Needs a Clean Slate w/ Each New Year
One year as a young teacher, I had a family who had been somewhat difficult to deal with the previous year. I mentioned to my principal that I was worried about it. This principal happened to be the best person I have ever worked for in any job. She was […]
The Feuerstein Method and the Power of Teaching Thinking
If there is a common theme in this blog, it is innovation. Part of the goal of this blog is to go past what we are currently doing in education, and explore what comes next. How are we going to teach? How are we going to enable students to learn […]
How To Choose Topics for Writing in Literacy
I did not like writing when I was growing up. Diagramming sentences was a foreign language to me, and I had to do a lot of it. If you know me and you read this blog, you know editing is not my strength. But hey, with the typos at least […]
The Masterpieces of the MoMA Part II: A Starry Night and a 5-Story Tapestry
Masterpiece. When one hears that word, it speaks of greatness. An original. Something so remarkable that it is set apart for generations to see. When I as a kid, I didn’t have great appreciation for modern art. It was only when I took a class at the university level (about […]
The MoMA: Museum of Modern Art Part I
Back on task! As I noted in the first NYC article, we need to have our students in mind when we have great experiences. Take photos and videos on your trips to amazing places. Use that information when school reconvenes. Some kids never get to travel outside of their own […]