In Preventing Polarization, Michelle Blanchet and Brian Deters explore ten skills and outline 50 strategies that any teacher could employ in the classroom that promote constructive dialogues, civic-mindedness, and (hopefully) engaged adults who can work together and find consensus to...

Creating a mentoring program is not a goal, but a process of training the best mentors to support your new educators. Finding the best teachers to become mentors, matching them the mentee they will work best with, and training them properly are integral parts to creating the perfect mentorship...

Angela Stockman on emergent writing curriculum. 

Standardized programs and curriculum maps initially appear to have several great advantages. First they provide common, coherent, and comfortably linear pathways through learning experiences. They also emphasize outcomes, which helps...

There are moments in every day life when we feel like we have reached the lowest point and there is no point in continuing. This is called the Quit Point: the moment when an individual's productive energy toward a specific goal drops, causing withdrawal or minimized effort.

As students...

Reluctant writers are students who may harbor a negative attitude toward writing, lack confidence in their abilities, or find the writing process overwhelming. As educators, it is crucial to recognize the challenges these students face and implement strategies to help them overcome their writing...

In every classroom, you'll find a diverse group of students with unique personalities and learning styles. Among them, introverts are a group that often feels misunderstood and overlooked.

Many people, teachers included, believe that introverts share common characteristics of being shy,...

Grades have long been the primary measure of student achievement; however, there is countless amounts of research proving the ineffectiveness of grades. In a process-based class where students are engaged in project-based learning, grading is particularly challenging and does not have much of a...

Michelle Blanchet and Brian Deters on sense-making.

Let's say you are at the store and overhear a child talking to their mother. "Mom, can I have that toy?" The mother swiftly responds, "If you use your own money." 

The child looks to be about five, and you can see the confused look on their...

Writing workshops provide valuable opportunities for students to develop their writing skills and express their creativity. However, a simple writing workshop is limiting to students who need more tools for their creativity to thrive. By incorporating elements of a maker space into the writing...