Math phobia: Let’s begin by reiterating one of my favorite phrases as a math teacher, “Everyone’s a math person.” Individuals who appreciate puzzles, sports, video games, and problem-solving can’t genuinely harbor a dislike for math. What breeds disdain is the culture surrounding math which creates such distress that many prefer to avoid it altogether. Renowned […]
Mathematics
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Lebron James’ I Promise School: Test Scores Don’t Always Tell the Whole Story
With the recent headlines about the failing state test scores of students in Lebron James, I Promise school, many point their proverbial “blame and shame” fingers. There is so much to unpack in the negative light painted in the focus on the fact these upcoming eighth graders “hadn’t passed the math portion of their state […]
Posted inPedagogy
Combine the World Cup and Learning in Your Elementary Classroom
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Students have been buzzing in my fourth-grade class since the World Cup began on November 20. It was evident this was an event they were interested in, but knowing very little about soccer, I was unsure how I could share […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Elementary School, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Coach Files, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Mathematics, Middle School, Pedagogy
They’re Not Lazy: A Closer Look at Students Who Refuse to Try
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As teachers, we’ve all seen it before. You’ve taught a lesson, modeled the practice together, and then all the students get started. Or, at least most of them do. Sitting there quietly, hoping not to get noticed, is a […]
Posted inInterviews
Voices from the 2%
An Interview with Black Male Math Teacher Jason Lee Morgan Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Nationally, only two percent of America’s teachers are Black men. Veteran Philadelphia Educator and Director Shariff El-Mekkii established the Center for Black Educator Development to “dramatically change the face […]
Posted inPedagogy
Spark STEM Learning with The James Webb Space Telescope
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Like millions around the world I was thrilled to see the first images of the James Webb Space Telescope. Images called the cosmic cliffs showed the birth of a star. I was amazed at the capabilities of this new […]
Posted inPedagogy
How to Incorporate Social-Emotional Learning Into Any Content Area
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Whether it’s unregulated and disruptive behavior or an overall malaise with regard to school, it’s clear that many kids are not all right, and parents and educators are taking notice. Some students are struggling to compensate for losses sustained over nearly […]
Posted inBack to School
Digging Into Learning: Using Archaeology in the Classroom
There are some subjects that fascinate us. Archaeology is one such subject. Archaeology can take us to Egypt and the tombs of the Pharaohs, or unravel the mysteries in our own backyards. Many people go through an archaeology phase, though few become archaeologists. Plus, everyone likes digging in the dirt. The Society for American Archaeology […]