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Related Podcast Episode When state testing season arrives, classroom routines can quickly fall apart. Schedules shift, instructional time is cut, and students often sense the disruption. It’s easy for learning to take a backseat, but it doesn’t have to. In this blog, I’ll share six strategies that encourage students to explore, create, reflect, and connect—even […]
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This is the second blog in a series focusing on strategies teachers can use DURING instruction to actively engage students, facilitate meaning-making, and create more dynamic and responsive learning experiences. The first blog in the series, “MTSS: Setting the Stage for Strong Tier 1 Instruction,“ can help teachers prepare for effective Tier 1, so check […]
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This is the first blog in a series that explores high-leverage instructional practices that can enhance Tier 1 instruction, helping teachers design more accessible, inclusive, and equitable learning experiences. Each blog will focus on a different phase of lesson design—before, during, and after instruction—providing concrete strategies that can be applied, whether you are building a […]
In my previous blogs on MTSS, I have provided an overview of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports as it relates to instruction. I’ve highlighted how differentiated small group instruction can improve the effectiveness of Tier 1 instruction, reducing the need for Tier 2 support and Tier 3 intervention. I have also presented strategies teachers can […]
Related Podcast Episode Every teacher has faced a similar challenge: delivering a whole-group lesson to the entire class and watching the mixed reactions on the students’ faces. Some grasp the concept immediately, while others struggle to comprehend it and clearly need additional support. Approximately 20% of students in a classroom will need more than Tier […]
An increasing number of schools nationwide are shifting to more inclusive instruction, keeping students with special needs, individualized education plans (IEPs), and diverse learning profiles in mainstream classrooms. This shift toward inclusive classrooms is driven, in part, by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that requires public schools to provide students […]
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 powerful AI tools like Gemini and ChatGPT can enhance teaching practices, they often lack the structure 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 on the CASEL Framework‘s five competencies, and Catlin provides several strategies for each of the five competencies […]
Related Podcast Episode 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 for them. She worried that if students were self-pacing through a choice board while […]
Do you feel like our current approach to teaching and learning is working for either teachers or student If you answered, “no,” we are on the same page. This belief is what drove me to develop my TEDx Talk titled “Education Reimagined: Student-Led Learning.” Right now, we are facing an educational crisis with more teachers […]
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As students move through a lesson, some acquire information and skills more quickly than others. Some students will need additional support, scaffolds, feedback, or reteaching to understand key concepts and apply specific strategies, processes, or skills. We must collect formative assessment data in each lesson to understand our students’ progress and respond to their needs. […]
In my work helping teachers to shift from whole group, teacher-led lessons to differentiated small group student-centered learning experiences, I am asked questions that seem grounded in the belief that students cannot learn without the teacher. When I work with teachers designing lessons using the station rotation model, for example, some teachers struggle to understand […]