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Engaged Or Compliant?

It’s not surprising that one of the most consistent findings in educational research is that the more time students spend engaged during instruction, the more they learn. It also won’t surprise staff who work in schools that the more engaged students are, the less stressful it is. Instead of trying to ‘manage’ students to comply, engaged students are on-task and ‘in the zone’. As they are interested and actively involved in the learning experience they don’t require ‘management’. This lowers the demands on the teacher and reduces our stress level. ‘An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure!’ (editor’s note – the metric conversion – ‘A gram of prevention is better than a kilogram of cure’ doesn’t…

Directions For Recalculating From the GPS Girl

May 20, 2021

What does it mean to Recalculate? When we are in the car and we hear the voice in the GPS say “Recalculating” we know we have taken a wrong turn.  The satellites work their magic and in a few quick turns we are headed toward our destination. In fact, by the time we even hear the word “Recalculating” we are already back on track. I want you to think of this word as good news! We can Recalculate in life when things are not going as planned. When will I know it is time to Recalculate? Often an emotional response will be your best way to “notice you are off route.”  You may be frustrated, upset, overwhelmed, disappointed or angry. This is…

Data isn’t just a four letter word

May 6, 2021

Like it or not, data cannot be dismissed as “just another four letter word”. Now, more than ever, gathering, synthesising, analysing and reporting on data is an intrinsic part of working in education. Therefore it is both essential and wise to invest time in developing strategies and systems to not only cope, but thrive, in the data-informed school environment. Here are some ideas for lightening the load: Work backwards – start where you hope to end up. Know WHAT you need to assess, WHEN you need to report on it and WHO you are sharing that information with. Understanding the difference between formative and summative assessment is critical to this step. Leaders need to ensure staff are clear on their…

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