A lifetime of reading, research and hands-on work in K-12 education has led me to recommend ten resources/focus areas that would provide a sound platform from which any teacher could benefit. While the list it is not all-inclusive, it does represent the best thinking and available evidence from the work…

Professor: What? Yes, you heard me correctly. Probabilistic Epigenesis! Students: Grumbling and squirming in their seats. Professor: Okay. Perhaps you would prefer the more commonly used term, Whole-Child Development. Students: Cheering! There is a movement afoot in the U.S. education community that has received a good amount of positive response…

It’s true. According to a substantial body of educational and psychological research, boredom kills! Kills motivation to learn, that is. Students who find their classroom work to be a waste of time, lacking in any intrinsic motivation, not challenging, and not engaging will simply go through the motions of participating…

Professor: As you know, we spend most of our hours together talking about what we can do to improve the academic performance of students in grades PreK-12. But today I want to take a look at a recently published book that has received a lot of attention, Why Are We…

Professor: Does everyone in our class agree that supporting the social and emotional learning of the students in your classrooms is important? Students: Most of the students raised their hands in agreement. Professor: John, I noticed your hand did not go up. Can you offer us an explanation? Student (John)…

Professor: If I was to walk into your school on Monday, how do you think I would feel after being there and walking around for a half hour? Student A: I think you would say it’s a well-organized school, where kids are actively working. Student B: I think you would…

Professor: I have previously spoken to you, at length, about The Science of Reading, an approach to instruction that is based on research-validated teaching strategies and has been shown to lead directly to improvement in reading achievement. I know of little that could be more important than helping teachers to…

Professor: My enrollment data shows that everyone in this class is an experienced, currently employed elementary teacher. How many of you use the Whole Language approach in your language arts instruction? Students: 26 hands go up from the 30 students present. Professor: Almost all of you are using Whole…

Learning Styles-Based Instruction (February, 2022) Dialogue overheard in a graduate education class: Professor: Does it make sense for a teacher to provide instruction in a manner that is closely matched to the way in which a student is most comfortable and capable of learning? Student: Uh…lemme guess. Yes? Professor: Well…