Commit to Lead Browse Random ideas

I have been in charge of piloting five iPads in my resource room setting for the past three years. Due to the testing scores my students received, my principal bought 40 more iPads. I have spent numerous hours independently investigating ways to best use iPads at the elementary level to reach the top of Blooms Taxonomy. As my iPad use has expanded so have my views on how to use iPads as tools towards higher level thinking,... more »

I will be focusing on helping my coworkers overcome mental stressors from major changes that have been taking place around our school. We all need to step back from the struggles that we are facing and focus on the most important issue: our mental health. I do believe that if we are able to overcome this mountain that we are faced with at the present moment at our school and can be more focused on the positives, our... more »

Let's elevate the role of NBCTs by creating professional learning teams in every state. NBCTs would work with state departments of education, the U.S. Department of Education, and other organizations to design and deliver professional growth initiatives for teachers in their state. NBCT teams, called Engines of Change, would consult with counties, districts, and school sites to support professional learning in America's... more »

My school has a small recess yard and cafeteria which causes many staggered recesses and lunches by grade level. The classrooms are also situated in the wings of the school roughly by grade level. All of this leads to teachers connecting only with other teachers at their grade level for most of the day. This builds little sense of community amongst the teachers in the school. One way that we are working to end this... more »

Our county in SC has appx 26,000 veterans who served. In a mission to capture as many of their stories as possible, we have began a project to interview a portion of the population (we have committed 68 vets to meet with our students) and create documentaries about each of the. In small groups. Students will film, scan in veteran artifacts, and then create an e book page about their person. We have set up several items... more »

End poverty instead - students who come from high income homes do much better on tests than their poverty stricken peers. The simple solution is to end poverty. And every teacher will be rated effective.

Teachers new to the district will be given a survey during orientation. Many topics that would be beneficial for a new hire would be listed such as school policies, grade book, incorporating common core, classroom management, etc. They will identify eight sessions that would be most beneficial to them. Results will be compiles and the topics with the most votes will be offered. Master teachers will be hired to prepare... more »

It is often said that math instruction in the United States is "a mile wide and an inch deep." Still, there are major concepts that are introduced at each grade level, and mastery of these concepts forms the foundation that students will need for the algebra and geometry they will encounter in middle school (and higher level math beyond). We'd like to engage teachers from K-6 in our building to analyze these major concepts,... more »

There are many components to teaching in an urban environment outside of curriculum and classroom management. Many teachers entering urban education lack the knowledge of family background, family and community struggles, community dynamics, and how to assist families in their academic, social, and emotional journey. In order to better prepare and retain urban teachers, a scaffolded mentoring and professional development... more »

Students love choice when it comes to what they can read. Giving them the opportunity to choose a book they are interested in motivates them to want to read. In conjunction with reading the same text with other classmates, students have an opportunity to engage amongst eachother and have conversations about what they are reading. I would like to invite my fellow colleagues to try reading cirlces in their classrooms... more »

I don't think educators typically have leadership skills. They need to learn how to think and act strategically when it comes to new ideas, changing practice, and learning together. There is lots of research available in this regard and if teachers learn how to advocate and lead, they not only will impact schools with greater skill, but they will also model these leadership skills for the students they teach.

In a growing multicultural and multilingual society the number of students with a second language will increase and teachers will need to become more effective and productive. Soon, the majority of teachers in USA will serve a member in their community (student or parent) who will speak a second language. My idea is to create a Coaching/ Mentoring Program for any teacher who serves in these communities. We will brainstorm... more »

Educator to Educator feedback on teaching and learning is an effective tool for increasing educator effectiveness, for both the peer educator and observed educator, and supports educator leadership through the identification of peer educators.

Our idea supports the use of peer educators, as Qualified Peer Observers (QPOs), to provide feedback to our educators who are on peer observation portion of a two year educator... more »

As a PE instructor I believe that kids learn better when they are given the time to be creative and use their imaginations. I do not referee games nor do I keep score. I teach kids the importance of good sportsmanship and teamwork. We play to have fun not to win or lose. I feel that when kids have the freedom to explore their skills, they are better able to figure out their strengths and weaknesses.
At the elementary... more »

There are so many different ideas and opinions about how to improve schools, teaching, and learning. We hear from parents, educators, administrators, policy makers, and everyone who has access to a soapbox. The one voice we rarely hear is that of students. This idea is to institute a regular questioning process with students to gather insight into a school's progress, to collect new ideas for new directions, and to empower... more »