I was talking with a teacher in my school district yesterday who said, “I just don’t know if we should try this again in class. It seems like lots of…
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I came across a story about Tracy Musser, a bus driver in Penn Manor school district. I couldn’t help but smile as I read about Tracy (who never liked to…
As I work with students and teachers there is one common thread that the “stand-out” classrooms share: They take risks. Not only do these students and teachers take learning risks,…
Raise your hand if you have spent over 14,000 hours in school during your lifetime. If you grew up in the Unites States, or a country with similar education philosophy,…
Have you heard of “The Innovator’s Mindset” MOOC, happening over a six week period? This awesome opportunity will begin on September 17, 2016 and finish at the end of October…
Last weekend, as we were digging out of the twenty inches of snow, my kids were sledding in the backyard and hiding out in their igloo. My 4-yr old son…
Note: This is the final article in a four-part series answering the question, “Does education really need to change?“. You can read the first, second, and third posts here. It…
Two years ago I launched “The Innovative Teaching Toolbox” as a free download for all of my email subscribers. You see, as an email subscriber you get my best articles…
“Is this real, Mr. J?” The question came from the back of the room. Todd rarely spoke up in class, but today he seemed visibly upset. “Yes, it is real….
Inquiry and Innovation in the Classroom is Here! First, I want to say how thankful I am to so many of you that have helped me with my book, asked…
This week, my book — Inquiry and Innovation in the Classroom: Using 20% Time, Genius Hour, and PBL to Drive Student Success — will finally be available. I’m excited, a bit nervous for people…
My daughter is five years old, and she has no problem saying, “I don’t know.” In fact, that is what makes her such a good learner. She openly admits to…
I’ve got that feeling. My stomach is in knots. My head keeps spinning. Running scenarios through my mind. But most of all, I’m anxious and a bit scared. I’m about…
When I sat down to talk with Todd Nesloney about mentors in the classroom, he was just coming off an amazing day with students meeting mentors. As a teacher, we…
Why are you using technology? Or more importantly, how are you using technology to better the learning in your classroom and/or school? If you are like me, then you’ve had…
You may have missed it along the way, but your class has a story. You might have been caught up in the everyday grind, or overwhelmed, or possibly just enjoying…
This is the third post in the “Innovative Teaching Challenge” series. The world just got a lot smaller. It shrunk when nations started sailing across the seas to faraway lands….
This is the second post in the “Innovative Teaching Challenge” series. To get every challenge sent to your inbox, sign up here. Ahh, the sweet smell of failure. As students…
I spent a lot of time as a teacher figuring out new ways to inspire and motivate my students. Sometimes my antics worked, but often I would fail to reach…
