educationrickshaw BLE, Design, Education, Inquiry, Learning, PD, Student, Teachers, technology

Summer’s Over. Now What?

Four years ago, I was just starting a PhD in online learning without ever having taught online. A few short years later and we are living in a world where almost every teacher has. When we first went remote, I was teaching Design Technology, a course for elementary students that was essentially "Makerspace" by another … Continue reading Summer’s Over. Now What?

educationrickshaw Education, Learning, PD, Teachers

Teaching WalkThrus 1 & 2: Game Changer or Paper Weight?

Teaching WalkThrus is a series of books by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli that aims to improve teaching and instructional coaching through text and visuals. After buying the first book (Yellow) back when it first came out, John Catt Educational graciously sent me a copy of the second (Blue) for review here. As a leader … Continue reading Teaching WalkThrus 1 & 2: Game Changer or Paper Weight?

educationrickshaw Education, Inquiry, Learning, Pastoral Care, Play, relationships, Teachers

Memories of a warm-strict “DI-KR” teacher

My first grade teacher's name was Ms. Wee. Other than her last name, there wasn't much else funny about her. Ms. Wee was someone I would characterize as a warm-strict, traditional teacher. I still remember the contrast between how carefully she controlled our entry into the classroom on the first day of school compared to … Continue reading Memories of a warm-strict “DI-KR” teacher

educationrickshaw Education, Inquiry, Learning, Math, Research, Teachers, technology

Solving Problems is an Inefficient Way to Learn How to Solve Problems

I am the Director of Educational Technology at an independent school, which in normal times means I do a lot of coaching and strategizing around technology-enhanced instruction. I chair a department and a committee of pedagogically savvy EdTech coordinators and teachers, and we work on ways to improve the academic program. However, due to some … Continue reading Solving Problems is an Inefficient Way to Learn How to Solve Problems

educationrickshaw Education, Inquiry, Learning, Student, Teachers

Are PBL and Direct Instruction Compatible?

A tweet from Edutopia titled, "Dispelling Myths About PBL and Direct Instruction" had me quite confused today. In the tweeted video, the speaker, Dr. Darling-Hammond, explained how it would be incorrect to assume that Project-Based Learning (PBL) and direct instruction are antithetical because they are actually complementary instructional techniques that mix well. If direct instruction … Continue reading Are PBL and Direct Instruction Compatible?

educationrickshaw Education, iPad, Learning, Papers and Podcasts, PD, Research, Teachers, technology

5 Research Articles for Amplifying Assessment and Feedback

I'm excited to announce that I am contributing a chapter on assessment and feedback for the upcoming book, Amplified Learning: A Global Collaborative! The book has quite an interesting concept: Each chapter begins by capturing the experiences of the contributing teacher through vignettes and examples before transitioning into the supporting research on a particular topic … Continue reading 5 Research Articles for Amplifying Assessment and Feedback

educationrickshaw BLE, Education, iPad, Learning, PD, Teachers, technology

Asynchronous Learning: The Answer to Mid-Year Monotony and Teacher Burn-Out?

By far the most popular blog on this site (in recent years) is the The Unproductive Debate of Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Learning post that I wrote right as COVID hit, a post that already seems out of date. In a close second is the Scheduling Remote Learning to Allow for “Flow”. In both posts, I … Continue reading Asynchronous Learning: The Answer to Mid-Year Monotony and Teacher Burn-Out?

educationrickshaw BLE, Education, Inquiry, iPad, Learning, motivation, PD, Play, Research, Student, Teachers, technology, Workshops

5 EdTech Myths We Should Leave Behind

This week I led a reading group session at my school on the article, "Have Technology and Multitasking Rewired How Students Learn?" by Daniel Willingham (here). Having led a lot of these, I'm convinced that reading groups are a more effective and enjoyable form of professional learning than ones that do not focus on a … Continue reading 5 EdTech Myths We Should Leave Behind

educationrickshaw Design, differentiation, Education, Inquiry, Learning, motivation, Play, Research, Student, Teachers

Why the Genius Hour Fad Died

When I first started teaching 9 years ago, there was a palpable buzz in the air around a pedagogical approach called "Genius Hour," also known as "20 Percent Time." This is where students choose a project that excites them, such as crocheting or building a rocket, and work on that project, unguided, every week during … Continue reading Why the Genius Hour Fad Died

educationrickshaw Education, guest posts, Interviews, Learning, PD, Research, Student, Teachers

Bridging the Gap Between Teachers and Researchers

Something I've been trying to do for more than a year is transition this blog from one about "Zach and Stephanie's latest thoughts on teaching" to one about evidence-informed teaching and learning design. Compare this older blog post, for example, to a more recent one to see the difference. I haven't been modeling this blog … Continue reading Bridging the Gap Between Teachers and Researchers