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Empowering Educators, Inspiring Learning
Teaching is an art and a science. Here, we explore strategies that foster engagement, equity, and student agency. Join the conversation and take your practice to the next level.
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Are you tired of lessons that aren’t working? Do you feel like you’re pouring time and energy into planning only to face disengaged students, inconsistent progress, and widening learning gaps? Are you struggling to differentiate learning experiences and […]
Guest Blog by Jeff Hennigar The evolving needs of our students demand innovative solutions. With Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as our goal, we can create inclusive learning environments to help all students be successful in school. While […]
Episode 100 Description In our 100th episode of The Balance, I sit down with educator and bestselling author Matt Eicheldinger, whose heartwarming and relatable stories about small, everyday moments as a teacher have gone viral on Instagram and […]
Classrooms are filled with diverse learners, but most educators are stuck trying to make a one-size-fits-all model work in a world where it doesn’t. Some students struggle to keep up, others coast because they’re not being challenged, and […]
By Noelle Gutierrez I recently collaborated with teachers on station rotation lessons, and a few asked how I have incorporated social-emotional learning into the stations I’ve developed. Teachers can include various SEL activities in their stations that focus […]
I recently received a request on Instagram to write a blog post about concept maps. While I often touch on concept mapping in my workshops and writing, I’ve never dedicated an entire blog post to unpacking why this […]
In 2016, I wrote a blog about using myShakespeare with students. As a lover of Shakespeare, it was challenging to get students to look beyond the unfamiliar words and embrace these timeless stories of love, betrayal, friendship, and […]
While working with a group on designing choice boards, a teacher expressed concern about maintaining the integrity of student work in an era of AI. She did not want students to rely on AI to produce the work […]
Block scheduling has become increasingly popular in the United States at the middle and high school levels. This scheduling model allows for longer periods, typically 75-120 minutes, enabling teachers to dive deeper into lessons and employ varied instructional […]
This post is a collaboration between Noelle Gutierrez & Catlin Tucker. In today’s educational landscape, the emphasis on inclusion and creating the least restrictive environments for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) has significantly reshaped classroom dynamics. This […]
Feedback is critical for helping students enhance their conceptual knowledge and skills. Despite its value, with the time constraints and the large number of students in classrooms, providing focused, actionable, and timely feedback often feels unattainable. Feedback is […]
Do you feel like our current approach to teaching and learning is working for either teachers or students? If you answered, “no,” we are on the same page. This belief is what drove me to develop my TEDx […]