The iTeach Blog

Hey Coach, I love using stations, voice, and choice in my classroom, but I am having trouble managing behavior. Do you have any suggestions? Sincerely, Struggling with Stations Dear Struggling with Stations, Kudos to you for giving your students voice and choice in how they learn! Managing behavior is a common issue teachers face when implementing stations, so know that you are not alone. Keep in mind that all behavior is a form of communication, so it’s important to reflect on why students are exhibiting a specific action. Figuring out why the behavior is occurring will help you determine how to address it. We know that’s hard to do in the moment, but we can train ourselves to be better at this. Some common messages your students might communicate during your stations are: I’m confused about this task. This is too hard/easy for me. I’m having a hard time working with my partner/group. I’m frustrated. I don’t know how to use this tool. Teaching executive function ...

Hey Coach, I’ve heard a lot about personalized learning, but what is it? Is personalized learning just another educational initiative? Sincerely, Not Another One Dear Not Another One, If you have been in education for more than a minute you’ve seen half a dozen educational initiatives come and go, so your question isn’t without merit. I want to give you a straightforward answer, but it gets a little tricky. If you haven’t already, check out the Personalized Learning white paper by Dr. Anissa Lokey-Vega and Stephanee Stephens. It explains personalized learning and breaks down the essential conditions for a personalized learning environment. Also important to note, as the authors do, the white paper is subject to iteration as research and experiences inform pedagogy and the vision of personalized learning becomes refined. Personalized learning has some core tenets that set it apart from the traditional educational model. You can see an overview of these tenets on our Essen...