How Single-Point Rubrics Can Help Deeper Learning
How Single-Point Rubrics Can Help Deeper Learning by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education Developing and using rubrics with students has long been a challenge for educators. Sometimes it's an afterthought for teachers once they've planned their lesson...
6 Ways To Reduce Student Stress In the Classroom
6 Ways To Reduce Student Stress Students can face a variety of stressors leading to anxiety in the classroom. The pressure to excel academically, coupled with the challenges of personal and social life, can take a toll on their mental well-being. It can be helpful for...
Creating A Brain-Friendly Classroom with Inquiry Teaching
Creating A Brain-Friendly Classroom with Inquiry Teaching Creating a brain-friendly classroom means not only optimizing the physical environment but also implementing effective teaching and learning strategies. Inquiry teaching and learning play a significant role in...
The Power of “Habits of Mind” in Project Based Learning
The Power of "Habits of Mind" in Project Based Learning Project Based Learning (PBL) is an educational methodology that empowers students to engage in real-world problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. However, to truly maximize the benefits of PBL,...
Student Engagement: Both Cognitive And Behavioral
Student Engagement: Both Cognitive And Behavioral by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education Engagement is a buzzword in education. While behavioral engagement and capturing student imagination, which involves visible actions and participation,...
8 Traits of a Great Teacher
8 Traits of a Great Teacher Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the future of individuals and society. Beyond the subject matter they teach, great teachers possess certain characteristics that make them stand out and leave a lasting impact on their students. 1....
9 Rules To Be An Exceptional School Principal
9 Rules To Be An Exceptional School Principal School principals navigate a myriad of challenges as leaders of learning. While it may seem like they have lots of autonomy to make changes and 'get things done' this isn't generally the case as their school board, upper...
4 Keys To Sustainable School-Wide PBL
4 Keys To Sustainable School-Wide PBL by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education How can we create a sustainable PBL implementation plan? That's the question we use to help school leaders lay the foundation for introducing and growing project based...
12 Questions Students Should Ask About ‘The News’
12 Questions Students Should Ask About 'The News' When students are reading news, it's important for them to approach the information critically and thoughtfully. Here are some questions that students can ask to evaluate and analyze the news: 1. Who is the source?-...
5 Examples Of Project Based Learning Protocols
5 Examples Of Project Based Learning Protocols by Michele Mattoon, Director of the National School Reform Faculty Have you worked with project based learning protocols? Schools design Project Based Learning (PBL) because the process helps engage students in learning...
How To “Pull” Deeper Learning Through PBL
How To “Pull” Deeper Learning Through PBL by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education One criticism of constructivist, some might say progressive, education (and in particular PBL) is that it lacks 'real content' learning by students. This might be true...
Why We Should Make It Easier–Not Harder–To Be A Teacher
Why We Should Make It Easier–Not Harder–To Be A Teacher by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education Recently, I tweeted a reflection about the challenging nature of being a teacher. Because I like to be precise with my language and thinking it struck me...
How Effective Instruction Increases Long Term Memory
How Effective Instruction Increases Long-Term Memory The phrase "memory is the residue of thought," often attributed to Daniel T. Willingham, encapsulates the idea that our memories are intricately linked to our thoughts. The process of long term memory formation...
Want To Make A Difficult Conversation Productive? Use A Protocol
Want To Make A Difficult Conversation Productive? Use A Protocol contributed by Michele Mattoon, NSRF Director Each year, I train scores of educators and professionals to become Critical Friends Group© Coaches, and sometimes I lead shorter workshops around the proper...
5 Tips For Teaching With Art In Any Subject Area
5 Tips For Teaching With Art In Any Subject Area by Nicola Giardina Art inquiry is a powerful way to engage students with diverse learning needs, improve critical thinking and social-emotional skills and make learning relevant to students’ lives. Yet many teachers shy...
PBL Exemplar – The Straw Project
ThoughtStretchers Education PBL Exemplar - The Straw Project by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education In our Foundations of PBL Workshops, we help educators grow their project based learning understanding by designing a project for implementation in...
What An Episode Of King Of The Hill Taught Me About Good Teaching
What An Episode Of King Of The Hill Taught Me About Good Teaching by Matthew Byars There’s an episode of the animated TV show King of the Hill in which Hank, the curmudgeonly, old-fashioned father of the family, becomes an emergency substitute shop teacher at his son...
6 Tips For PBL Planning Across Content Areas
6 Tips For Powerfully Integrated Projects by Mike Kaechele, One of the weaknesses of our modern education system is that content has become so siloed that students rarely see the connections between subjects or connections with their world. Integrated projects can...
3 Group Work Strategies That Help Hold All Students Accountable
3 Group Work Strategies That Help Hold All Students Accountable by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education We love and encourage collaborative work between students (and teachers) and this is a staple in project based learning to be sure. it can be a...
This Student Says Project Based Learning Is The Key To Sustainability
This Student Says Project-Based Learning Is The Key To Sustainability by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education It should be no secret that we’re big fans of project based learning. Helping schools and teachers grow their practice through PBL is the...
5 Levels Of Student Engagement
5 Levels of Student Engagement Student engagement stands as a pivotal factor that determines the depth of learning, academic success, and overall personal development. As educators strive to create vibrant learning environments, understanding the various levels of...
The Importance Of Knowledge In Progressive Education
The Importance Of Knowledge In Progressive Education by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education I recently recorded a podcast that explored differing approaches to the role and importance of knowledge in teaching and learning. In the podcast, the claim...
Assessment of Learning vs. Assessment for Learning
Assessment of Learning vs. Assessment for Learning Assessment plays a crucial role in the education system, providing valuable insights into students' progress and understanding. Two key approaches to assessment, often distinguished in educational circles, are...
PBL: Are You Pushing Or Pulling Students In Your Classroom?
Are You Pushing Or Pulling Students In Your Classroom? by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education At the risk of characterizing teaching and learning in a factory context let's face it, classrooms are a kind of marketplace system with an exchange of...
5 Ideal Traits Of A Project Based Learning Teacher
5 Ideal Traits Of A PBL Teacher by Mike Kaechele, ThoughtStretchers Education In the past few years, I have worked with many teachers introducing the components of Project Based Learning (PBL) and helping them design their own projects. Sometimes it has been a...
HS Teacher Responds To YouTuber Jake Paul’s Video Dissing Teachers
HS Teacher Responds To YouTuber Jake Paul's Video Dissing Teachers by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education Let's be clear, school hasn't always been engaging and empowering for students but as I've said many times, teachers are passionate about their...
3 Ways To Differentiate In Project Based Learning
3 Ways To Differentiate In Project-Based Learning by John McCarthy, EdS, TeachThought PD Facilitator Differentiation in Project-Based Learning Units Project Based Learning (PBL) units are a perfect structure for differentiation so all can learn. The role of Student...
4 Key Takeaways From “What School Could Be”
4 Key Takeaways From "What School Could Be" by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education I first met Ted Dintersmith a few years ago in a meeting in downtown Louisville, KY (ThoughtStretchers Education is located in Louisville) to which I was invited to...
5 Reasons Why PBL May Not Be Working At Your School
5 Reasons Why PBL May Not Be Working At Your School by Drew Perkins, Director of ThoughtStretchers Education Is the project based learning at your school happening, but not working? You’ve read the books, liked and retweeted the tweets, listened to the podcasts, drank...
10 Reasons To Use Inquiry Based Learning
10 Reasons To Use Inquiry Based Learning Inquiry based learning is a term used broadly that can take different forms in the classroom and is often conflated with discovery learning by those who advocate against it and for more direct and explicit instruction. While...
