Catlin Tucker

MARCH 28, 2021

In their new book, Teaching for Deeper Learning: Tools to Engage Students in Meaning Making , my friend, Jay McTighe , and his co-author, Harvey Silver , write about an active reading strategy that encourages students to engage with texts before, during, and after reading. Yet, reading is like any skill that we can improve with practice.

Activities 546

Activities Reading Learning Discussions 546

eSchool News

MAY 5, 2025

Sometimes they will cold call students, while other times they will ask students to share what they learned after theyve had a chance to read the assigned material or discuss it with their classmates in groups. Multiple times in any class period, teachers call on students to contribute to the lesson of the day.

Culture 276

Culture Feedback Languages Language 276

eSchool News

AUGUST 14, 2024

With better feedback mechanisms and more support, teachers could adjust their lesson plans, teach in near-real time, and deliver the help when it’s needed – without slowing down or backtracking the entire class to help the small group of students struggling with that day’s lesson.

Teaching 325

Teaching Gamification Feedback Intelligence 325

eSchool News

JANUARY 16, 2024

For example, one of our high schoolers, James, isn’t doing his assignments in World History class. By redirecting him with an assignment that piques his interest, the teacher helps James boost his confidence and understand that he is truly capable of doing the World History assignments.

Teaching 300

Teaching English Students History 300

Edsurge

MARCH 15, 2024

This fall, after a restless night overthinking an assignment for my upcoming class and drinking three cups of not-strong-enough coffee, I added the final touch on my latest assignment for students in my World History II class. But there are forces that get in the way. That will stop,” McEnerney said.

Assignments 199

Assignments Essay History Social Studies 199

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

As I’ve said in previous blog posts, teaching in a concurrent classroom is the most challenging teaching assignment I can imagine. Despite their best efforts, teachers feel like they cannot be successful in teaching and reaching all students.

Evaluation 546

Evaluation Feedback Writing Assignments 546

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 18, 2021

Instead of the teacher simply pre-teaching vocabulary or presenting a word bank or word wall of key terms, the pile of words strategy challenges students to engage in conversation, work collaboratively, and think critically about vocabulary. Step 2: Group students and give them time to discuss and define. Which words do they know?

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Online Learning Discussions Grades 546

Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 13, 2021

We also discussed the challenges of building community when learning is happening in part, or exclusively, online. If students are not participating in discussion or group work in breakout rooms, that may indicate that they are not feeling comfortable asserting themselves online. 3 Go Deeper with a Dialogic Interview Format.

Beliefs 494

Beliefs Discussions Assignments Blended Learning 494

Faculty Focus

OCTOBER 29, 2024

In my college-level Fundamentals of Business course, I’ve found success using unconventional but effective instructional strategies to teach leadership styles: superheroes. This assignment has four parts: Part I : An overview of the five leadership styles, where students understand, define, and analyze key characteristics.

Assignments 115

Assignments Teaching Ethics Fairness 115

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

Self-assessing Practice and Review Too often, when teachers assign review and practice in class or for homework, the responsibility for checking the accuracy of that work falls on the teacher. This reminds students that participating in discussions is their responsibility and that discussion itself is a skill they can improve on over time.

Evaluation 428

Evaluation Assignments Failure Discussions 428

Faculty Focus

MAY 20, 2025

In a course that requires out-of-class reading, that conversation is highly reliant on students doing their part and completing the assigned reading.However, in recent semesters, students engaging in focused reading in which they annotate text is dwindling. It seems as if a quick scan of one of the assigned pages is the best effort.

Instructors 95

Instructors Assignments Participation Students 95

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 24, 2021

Students who generally struggle to read at grade level could engage with this assignment in ways equal to their classmates who read at or above grade level. Each time I return to an assignment, I add strategies, like polling, discussion boards, and partner work to make the experience more engaging. What do you wonder about?

Blended Learning 397

Blended Learning Multiple Choice Questions Learning Discussions 397

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 12, 2023

auditory processing, attention deficit, lack of background knowledge or vocabulary, absences), teachers record video instruction and assign those videos for homework. The benefit of assigning video instruction for homework is that students can control the time, place, and pace of the learning experience when they watch the video at home.

Blended Learning 467

Blended Learning Students Assignments Lecturing 467

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 24, 2018

I want them reading, thinking about, and discussing hot topics that impact their lives; however, engaging students around online articles hasn’t always been easy. I decided to use InsertLearning to add highlights, notes, questions, and discussion prompts to the article. Teaching students active online reading strategies.

Discussions 419

Discussions Critical Thinking Reading Assignments 419

Ask a Tech Teacher

JULY 16, 2024

How do assignments made by online professionals get good scores? Here are tips to make your assignment look professional, from the Ask a Tech Teacher international team: Top Tips And Tricks To Make Your Assignment Look Professional Introduction One of the most important aspects of an assignment is how you present your report.

Assignments 158

Assignments Plagiarism Essay Attention 158

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 7, 2020

Teachers juggling the concurrent classroom with some students physically attending class and others joining remotely via video conferencing are trying to balance the demands of teaching in two learning landscapes simultaneously. Present-Pause-Discuss. Teaching is a challenging profession on the best of days.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Coaching Feedback Discussions 546

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 18, 2023

However, I often hear the question, “Can I use the flipped classroom if I don’t assign homework?” Some teachers do not assign homework. Despite these potential pitfalls, flipped instruction retains its value even when videos are not assigned for homework.

Lecturing 433

Lecturing Knowledge Assignments Writing 433

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Key points: Literacy is critical for students–and elementary years are a pivotal time These online tools help students develop essential literacy skills See related article: How efficacy studies improve literacy instruction For more news on literacy, see eSN’s Innovative Teaching page Fall is the best time of year in Montana.

Elementary School 339

Elementary School Elementary School Schools Quizzes 339

Ask a Tech Teacher

OCTOBER 17, 2024

_Gather students on the class rug and discuss the meaning of ‘ digital citizen ’. Discuss the internet’s etiquette as it relates to a first grader. Discuss why they use a password to access the computer. Once on the assigned website on their devices, don’t click on links outside it (yes, you understand they can do this at home.

Teaching 179

Teaching Internet Discussions Assignments 179

Teach Hub

APRIL 30, 2025

If youre looking for something new to try, one simple yet powerful strategy might surprise you: take your teaching outside. So instead of trying to overhaul your entire teaching approach to make outdoor learning work, with a little planning and flexibility, you can incorporate outdoor teaching in a manageable and fun way.

Activities 78

Activities Teaching Learning Attention 78

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 30, 2020

For teachers using StudySync in combination with Google Classroom, I’ve described three strategies that educators can use to capitalize on the activities in the StudySync First Read lesson plans to engage students in online discussions, collaborative research projects, and online vocabulary review. #1 You can check them out here.

Collaborative Research 370

Collaborative Research Students Knowledge Assignments 370

eSchool News

AUGUST 13, 2024

Group work fosters collaborative learning through projects and discussions, thereby encouraging students to consider different viewpoints and ideas. In secondary education, challenging students with abstract thinking, encouraging debate and discussion, and assigning independent projects are key strategies for promoting deeper learning.

Cognitive Development 300

Cognitive Development Students Secondary Education Assignments 300

eSchool News

JUNE 28, 2024

It takes only seconds to plug a writing prompt into a generative AI tool and receive a completed assignment. The bottom line: When students are confident in their writing skills, they will be less tempted to run directly to AI to generate a writing assignment.

Writing 328

Writing Essay Plagiarism Assignments 328

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 14, 2021

The PLCs are composed of teachers who teach similar grade levels and/or subject areas. Teachers in one subject area, at one grade level, or teaching in one community are likely to face unique challenges and have different interests. What is challenging about their teaching assignments? Evaluate: Assess the Effectiveness.

Teachers 427

Teachers Blended Learning Learning Evaluation 427

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 5, 2021

My work focuses on supporting leaders, coaches, and teachers in transitioning from traditional teaching practices to blended learning. Students may lose points on homework assignments or practice activities because they answered questions incorrectly. Blended learning is the combination of active, engaged learning online and offline.

Blended Learning 506

Blended Learning Feedback Coaching Achievement 506

Edsurge

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

Since the earliest days of colleges experimenting with teaching over the internet, the goal has been to replicate as closely as possible the physical classroom experience. And now that campuses are back from pandemic restrictions, many instructors are trying to incorporate those remote practices into their in-person teaching.

Teaching 218

Teaching Lecturing Blended Courses Instructors 218

Edsurge

AUGUST 1, 2024

As more instructors experiment with using generative AI to make teaching materials, an important question bubbles up. When Marc Watkins heads back into the classroom this fall to teach a digital media studies course, he plans to make clear to students how he’s now using AI behind the scenes in preparing for classes.

Teaching 217

Teaching Education Ethics Instructors 217

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

Using edtech in teaching, educators and school leaders can reduce environmental impact while enhancing student engagement and creativity. Rethinking teaching methods in the digital age Teaching methods have undergone significant transformation with the rise of educational technology.

Teaching 174

Teaching Teaching Methods Gamification Textbooks 174

Catlin Tucker

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

Last week it dawned on me that I can assign homework to be completed in pairs and groups virtually. Not only did students complete the assignments, but they were excited about it. Third, I would assign partners or groups during our synchronous sessions or post them in Google Classroom. The results? A smashing success!

Assignments 318

Assignments Schools Middle School Middle School 318

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

Related content: 6 strategies for teaching SEL remotely. This is not a time for discussions of missing assignments, test grades, or behavior issues. In my work with gifted students, I’ve had the opportunity to develop strategies and purposeful activities for exploring and strengthening social emotional learning.

STEM 347

STEM Assignments Testing Discussions 347

Edsurge

OCTOBER 13, 2023

For instructors who have had the opportunity to participate in pedagogy learning groups, there may be a lot of overlap in what they already know about teaching and what changes AI might bring to the classroom. The concept of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is another one that instructors might benefit from thinking about.

Teaching 204

Teaching Instructors Knowledge Writing 204

Faculty Focus

MAY 18, 2025

Creating a classroom in the service of social justice (The Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, 2008) requires a profound understanding of the impact of human diversity on teaching and learning (Cushner et al., Create community guidelines for discussions that include intention and impact/anti-bias language.

Accessibility 97

Accessibility Disabilities Learning Disabilities Special Education 97

eSchool News

MARCH 19, 2025

For the past 13 years I have been honored to teach at Agora Cyber Charter School. Teaching in the cyber environment can sometimes present obstacles to presenting content in a way that students will engage with and will want to be involved in during classes. This is especially felt in the 5 th grade science and math classes I teach.

Teachers 311

Teachers Learning Science STEM 311

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 8, 2024

Key points: Edtech tools can be a valuable resource to build media literacy skills Teaching ethical edtech for future innovators How to help students build critical success skills For more news on media literacy, see eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub Media literacy has emerged as a critical skillset in today’s digital landscape.

Skills 306

Skills Ethics Critical Thinking Evaluation 306

Ask a Tech Teacher

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Best practices now suggest that instead of cocooning students, we teach them to be good digital citizens , confident and competent. Discuss what this looks like. Have a discussion with students about passwords — they probably use them to log onto their computers and some websites or apps. It didn’t work.

Grades 180

Grades Teaching Internet Discussions 180

eSchool News

OCTOBER 13, 2023

Key points: ChatGPT is here to stay, and it’s wise to now consider it a part of learning In fact, every assignment moving forward must be graded with ChatGPT in mind See related article: How educators can navigate AI-driven plagiarism You may have heard of ChatGPT. What it does mean is that we must assume that they might.

Essay 337

Essay Plagiarism Assignments Learning 337

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 24, 2020

As I support teachers struggling to navigate the demands of the concurrent classroom, I find myself continually returning to the station rotation model as a strategy to design and facilitate learning for this challenging teaching assignment. First, I want to identify a few of the challenges I observe in concurrent classrooms.

Attention 546

Attention Blended Learning Activities Feedback 546