In my recent Edutopia article, “Drawings as Formative Assessment”, I promote the use of drawings as assessments because of the insights they offer teachers about what students do and do not understand. 

As I read through the comments on the Facebook post of the article, I...

In an age where information is readily available to anyone at any time, we can leverage communication channels to break down the school-as-fortress attitude and move to support each other for the benefit of our kids.

Flattening the walls of your school entails eliminating the communication...

Having strong self-awareness is essential to beating burnout because if you don’t know who you are, it’s impossible to get your feet under you and figure out how to go forward.

And although you used to have a reason for teaching, burnout has turned your identity into a pile of ashes....

By Stefani Roth

This morning, I was reading Times Ten's newest book, Hacking Flex Teaching, and I couldn’t help but smile as author Hollie Woodard describes her initial struggle, even rejection, of educational technology. She explains the root of that struggle – which most...

By Stefani Roth

When I was younger, older folks told me, “Time goes faster as you age.” And, like most young people, I mostly ignored their warnings and probably thought my life would be different. Of course, it wasn’t.

Educators know back-to-school time often means struggling...

The world is changing fast, and education hasn’t caught up. Teachers know schools need more innovation, change-making, and relevance. But HOW?

Blanchet and Bakkegard grew tired of everyone telling teachers what to fix without sharing the “how,” so...

The frenetic pace of the typical school day brings a cornucopia of noise and distraction.

Sure, this is the nature of school and some chaos should be embraced, but at some point during a teacher’s day, quiet is needed for planning, grading, and simply getting centered.

In fact, most...

When making a big change like throwing out grades, many people will not “get it” and may push back in ways that impede the progress of students.

Schools and colleges have supported the traditional grading system for far too long, making it challenging to suggest this seemingly...

After twenty years of teaching and more than fifty marathons, Mike Roberts is still chasing greatness. In his book, Chasing Greatness, Roberts shares his experiences while showing you, teacher and/or marathoner, how to run the most enriching race of your life.

The Warmup: Change Is Good...

By Stefani Roth

One of my favorite movies is Harold and Maude. A little-known gem about a young man coming of age meeting and falling in love with a vivacious, soon-to-be 80-year-old woman.

Wait, what? Yup, all kinds of things to unpack in that storyline, but the most important, as is usually the...