Years ago when I was teaching reading and writing to elementary school children, I often incorporated songs into our lessons. It was fun and helped many of the children a lot. Most small children haven’t internalized ideas like “can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” so singing comes easily to them. Some children learn melodies more readily than sentences. I found that children … [Read more...] about What Teachers Study
Elementary School
Teaching to the Top
A Daily Discussion An elementary school teacher, Ms. K, said this about the discussion she leads first thing each morning: “In this time period, I teach to the top. It sets the standard for what I want. They know what they are striving for. Some people say that you should teach to the middle.” She shrugs. “I think it is very frustrating for them when you start in the middle … [Read more...] about Teaching to the Top
In Room 103
Throughout my teaching career, I alternated between periods of teaching and periods of learning about teaching. That’s how I found myself in Room 103, an elementary school classroom, observing. Each day, for the first hour of the day, for the first months of the school year, I parked myself in a corner and took notes. It was the teacher, Ms. K,* who suggested that I come at … [Read more...] about In Room 103