Blog
How to Keep Kids Off Their Phones While Homeschooling
By: Scott Wilson | Sep 2, 2026
The most reliable way to keep kids off their phones while homeschooling is to agree on a spot where the phone goes during schoolwork, out of reach and out of sight. Set a clear return point, keep the work surface phone-free, and switch off notifications before the session starts.
Teachers have been working on this problem for a long time. Now it's your kitchen table.
Eyes down ...
The Benefits of Bilingual Education: Models, Outcomes, Credentials
By: Kylie Hall | Oct 30, 2017
The benefits of bilingual education show up in three places: students hold onto their home language, they tend to do as well or better in English over time, and families stay more involved in school. Program models differ a lot, though, and the model a district picks matters more than ...
Establishing a Culture for Learning (Danielson Domain 2B)
By: Jon Konen | Oct 30, 2017
Establishing a culture for learning is Domain 2, Component B in the 2013 edition of Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching: it measures whether students, not just the teacher, treat learning as the point of the classroom. An exemplary classroom shows shared high expectations, student-led revision of weak work, precise academic ...
50 Field Trip Ideas for Teachers Across the U.S.
By: Kylie Hall | Oct 26, 2017
The best field trip ideas connect to a unit you're already teaching. This list covers 50 destinations across the United States, from national parks to a clown museum, with a direct link to each one's group-booking page. Sort by subject and grade band first, then check what's within driving distance. A ...
6 Questions for Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport
By: Jon Konen | Oct 24, 2017
Creating an environment of respect and rapport is component 2a of the Danielson Framework, and it measures two things: how a teacher interacts with students, and how students interact with each other. Both are judged on words and actions. Domain 2 evaluators look for warmth, consistency, and how fast disrespect ...
5 Questions That Help Build Our Reflective Capacity
By: Amy Konen | Oct 23, 2017
Building reflective capacity starts with asking better questions about your own practice, not doing more of it. Working from Pete Hall and Alisa Simeral's Teach, Reflect, Learn, I use five of my own: how aware I am, how intentionally I plan, whether I know my actions worked, how I respond, ...
How to Keep Students Engaged: 11 Classroom Techniques
By: Amy Konen | Oct 23, 2017
How to keep students engaged often comes down to structure: build a response step into the lesson so more students have to think and then show that thinking. Techniques like Think-Pair-Share, Quick-Writes and Chalkboard Splash need almost no prep and can give you a read on the whole room, not ...
How to Write IEP Goals: A Teacher’s Guide to Measurable Goals
By: Mary McLaughlin | Oct 20, 2017
IDEA requires IEP goals to be measurable, and a widely used way to get there is to name four things: the condition, the specific skill, the criterion for success, and the timeframe. Anchor all four to baseline data. "Billy will solve two-digit addition problems with 80% accuracy across three trials" ...
Parent Participation in IEP Meetings: What IDEA Requires
By: Mary McLaughlin | Oct 18, 2017
IDEA includes one or both parents as required members of the IEP team, and 34 CFR §300.322 places responsibility on the public agency to take steps to ensure parents are present or have an opportunity to participate. That means adequate notice, a mutually agreed-on time and place, and conference calls ...
Danielson 1f: Designing Student Assessments Explained
By: Jon Konen | Oct 10, 2017
Designing student assessments is Component 1f of the Danielson Framework, inside Domain 1: Planning and Preparation. It covers four elements: congruence with instructional outcomes, criteria and standards, design of formative assessments, and use for planning. In the Danielson Framework, 1f focuses primarily on assessment planning and design; how it is ...
Parental Tips and Advice to Get an IEP Approved for Your Child
By: Kylie Hall | Oct 4, 2017
Teacher.org asked a highly involved parent about the troubles with getting access to an IEP, specifically, "What kept you up at night?" We changed names to remain anonymous but this should take nothing away from the validity or circumstance of the concerned parent answering - these are her exact words. ...