Posts by Gretchen Schultek Bridgers

Teachers write lesson plans, but rarely do they actually DESIGN a learning experience. Why is this? Traditional teaching programs focus on the theory of teaching with a sprinkle of actual techniques for how to teach. Part of that how-to process is writing a lesson plan. The emphasis is on all of the components necessary to…

Standards-based grading is an approach used to evaluate classroom performance for students. Many schools are beginning to adopt this method because it provides a more accurate snapshot of how students are performing against expectations for their specific grade level. Before diving into how a teacher can be successful in the classroom when implementing a standards-based…

Are you wondering how to set up learning walks in your building? It is actually easier than you might think! The term “learning walk” refers to the act of walking through various classrooms within the same school building to learn about instructional best practices used by your peer.  It allows for colleagues to share what…

Do you need quick “get to know you” ideas to implement into your professional development sessions for teachers? It might seem silly to play a game or plan an activity for staff to mingle and chat prior to diving into learning.  But in order for teachers to get the most out of a professional development…

Succeeding in the classroom can be tricky. There is so much to learn, little time to learn it, and not much feedback when you try it out on your own. To make matters worse, everywhere you turn, there is advice for what the new best thing is to incorporate into your teaching methods. Where is…