David and I had an exchange on X about this blog: I’ve written several blogs about Think Pair Share in the past, because I think it’s such an important teaching routine for teachers to… Keep reading He suggested he wouldn’t do some of the things I’ve suggested and was curious to explore the reasons further … Read more

. . You think you’re just going for a bike ride, and then The Universe gives you a Big Message for the day. Michelle has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at More Art 4 All, and one of my favorites — a Red-winged Blackbird! (image via Unsplash)

Celebrating student success in the classroom is an important way to recognize and reinforce positive behaviors and achievements. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate student success in the classroom. Verbal praise: One of the simplest ways to celebrate student success is to give verbal praise. This can be as simple as saying “well … Read more

Summer is a strange time for teachers. Those who are not teachers, can never really fully understand the pressure and stress that the end of year brings within a school. Let me give you an example. I love reading! Up to 20th May this year I had read 23 books (I log them all on … Read more

Earlier this week I shared a handful of ways to use Book Creator this fall. At the bottom of that blog post I mentioned Book Creator’s #clearthelist campaign. If you missed it, it’s a free opportunity to have Book Creator clear your classroom Amazon wishlist of up $500. All you have to do is enter … Read more

This is just a quick post to share 5 very short ebooks that have been taken from my award winning ebook – Digital Video – A Manual for Language Teachers. Winner of the 2016 British Council Award for Innovation in Teacher Resources The ebooks come from chapter 9 of the manual which contains 12 more … Read more

Ok, I know this list can be EXTENSIVE. There are a TON of beginning of year books.  Here are JUST A FEW (ha!) of my favorite Back to School books! Get ready, settle in, and prepare to scroll – ha! Do Onto Otters – I’ve had this book ever since it was a Florida Sunshine Junior … Read more

Dramatic play centers are a great way to foster language development, imagination and creativity. Creating dramatic play centers can be simple or elaborate. It all depends on how much time effort and money you want to put into it. No matter what you create, the outcome is worth it. The grocery store dramatic play center … Read more

I have been doing a lot of thinking about homework recently. Homework is a divisive topic. Teachers generally don’t like homework because it creates more work, more follow-up, more opportunities for students to not complete something so a sanction would have to be applied, more marking to add to the pile. Parents think that homework … Read more

Good morning from Maine where it’s overcast and drizzly, again. It has been that kind of summer. Nonetheless, it has been a good summer filled with fun things for me and my family (my miserable cold not withstanding). I hope that it has been a good summer (or winter) for you as well.  We have … Read more