by John McCarthy | Mar 20, 2015 | Differentiated Instruction, PBL, Pedagogy, Project Based Learning, resources
Spending 2 days at MACUL conference 2015 was a pleasure and good learning experience. I appreciate the diverse topics that MACUL addresses. As an instructional technology organization MACUL does an excellent job of nurturing the dialog around instruction and learning...
by John McCarthy | Oct 27, 2014 | Differentiated Instruction, Pedagogy, strategies, Writing
In a previous series of posts I wrote about RAFTs, a powerful strategy that engages students into writing, a means to coach students to improve writing, and an approach that when differentiated helps students at varying skills to success at a respectful pace. By...
by John McCarthy | Oct 18, 2014 | curiculum, Differentiated Instruction, Driving_Question, Game-Based Learning, PBL, Pedagogy, Writing
Game ON – How kids want to learn by John McCarthy, Ed.S. This past spring my two teenagers got me involved in playing Clash of Clans. It’s a game played on smart phones and tablets. It’s free, which is a major criteria for my cost-conscious kids,...
by John McCarthy | Jul 27, 2014 | Differentiated Instruction
In my travels visiting many schools, I learn about and share strategies that help students learn. That’s the best part of my job–giving and receiving ideas that educators take back to their staff and students, while carry forward new ideas to the...
by John McCarthy | May 5, 2014 | Differentiated Instruction, strategies, Writing
In the previous two articles, we explored RAFTs (Role, Audience, Format, and Topic + Strong Verb) as an instructional strategy, and how to use RAFTs for coaching writers on writing. RAFTs can ignite engagement and context for learning. Planned with forethought,...
by John McCarthy | Apr 14, 2014 | Assessments, Differentiated Instruction, Formative Assessments, strategies, Writing
During workshops, I sometimes survey the teachers in the room: Rate yourself on a 5 pt scale. A five equals, “I can write for publication with confidence.” A one equals, “I do not like to write, preferring to avoid it when I can.” Yes, I know… rating scales...
