Peter DeWitt is the founder and CEO of the Instructional Leadership Collective. A former public school teacher and principal, he now facilitates professional learning in the United States and abroad based on the content of many of his best-selling educational books. Former superintendent Michael Nelson is a frequent contributor to this opinion blog. He is the co-leader of ILC and a former superintendent who has been an educator for more than 40 years.
Education
Opinion
4 Symptoms and Remedies for Hacking Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning has a low effect size because it's often done incorrectly. In this blog. 4 ways are given to make sure the PBL is done right in the classroom.
Education
Opinion
Do Educators Need Media Literacy as Much as Students Do?
Too many adults, which includes educators, are contributing to fake news being posted on social media. Let's continue to teach our students about media literacy, but take some time to re-educate ourselves on it as well.
Education
Opinion
Why Collaborative Inquiry? Professional Learning That Makes a Difference
Do you want deeper professional learning? Are you tired of professional development that wastes your time? Have you tried collaborative inquiry? If you don't know what collaborative inquiry is, this is the blog for you.
Education
Opinion
Teachers Make the Worst Parents
We have all had our fair share of difficult parents over the years, but are parents who are also teachers the most difficult?
Education
Opinion
School Climate: Why Avoiding Tough Conversations Limits Our Learning
School climate is very popular these days in educational circles. The only issue with that is school leaders often avoid talking about the topics that will make their climates better.
Education
Opinion
8 Reasons Educators Should Reconsider Using Social Media Right Now
Social media was supposed to provide us with a venue to share our thoughts, and learn from one another. It gives us insight into atrocities happening in communities we don't live in. Unfortunately, not everyone uses social media properly, and here are 8 reasons they should probably stop.
Education
Opinion
Whole-Child Journey: Why We Bumped Recess Up to 40 Minutes a Day
Our students need more...not less. And when we say more...we mean mindfulness and recess.
Education
Opinion
Does Self-Efficacy Really Matter?
Ashton and Webb (1986) found that, "Teachers with low teaching efficacy don't feel that teachers, in general, can make much of a difference in the lives of students, while teachers with low personal teaching efficacy don't feel that they, personally, affect the lives of the students." Yeah, I'd say self-efficacy matters.
Education
Opinion
Lower Your Status. Raise Theirs.
Status can prevent us from getting to the heart of the issue with a student or another adult, and sometimes it's based in having a low level of self-efficacy. If we want to have the best conversations with others, and focus on learning, we need to lower our status and help raise theirs.
Education
Opinion
Is the Internet the New Sex Education?
When it comes to sex education most teachers charged to teach it focus on keeping students safe. Are we doing the same thing when it comes to internet research?
Education
Opinion
4 Lessons Principals Can Learn From Their Staff
If you want a hard hitting blog post about how schools need to change, this is not the one for you. However, if you want to read some ways I learned from my staff when I was a principal, give this one a click.
Education
Opinion
When That Last Name Appears on Our Class List
Christopher Emdin says,"Our unwillingness to engage young people in trouble is an indictment on us, not them." And it starts with what we do when we read their names on our class list, says DeWitt.
Education
Opinion
What Schools Should Be Looking At Is Beyond Measure
The most important things we should be looking at in school are beyond measure.
Education
Opinion
5 Reasons Principals Should Be Coached
If coaching is beneficial to teachers, it should be beneficial to principals as well, and there are at least five reasons why.