Critical thinking skills are essential for students to succeed in the classroom and beyond. These skills involve analyzing information, evaluating arguments, and making informed decisions based on evidence. By building critical thinking skills in the classroom, teachers can help students become more engaged and independent learners who are better equipped to navigate the complexities of the world around them. In this video, you will learn: ● The gap in a student's ability to use critical thinking skills to learn ● What critical thinking is ● What are the higher-order thinking skills? ● The t ..read more

This podcast episode discusses the three primary assessment and evaluation types for teachers: diagnostic, formative, and summative. Diagnostic assessment is used to identify a student's strengths and weaknesses at the beginning of a school year or course to inform instruction. This can take many forms, such as diagnostic tests, skills assessments, and individualized learning plans. Formative assessment is used to monitor and improve student learning in real-time. It's an ongoing process that helps teachers gauge whether students understand the material being taught and allows students to rec ..read more

This is a video about How To Mark Using a Rubric In this episode, learn about - How to establish goals and success criteria - Determine the performance levels  - How to mark and score the rubric fairly - How to provide feedback for students.  Check out www.madlylearning..com/243 for the show notes, including some of my favourite rubrics for various subjects and links to our best units that feature these rubrics. To find our highly effective, time-saving resources Checkout our Madly Learning Store at www.madlylearning.com/store Checkout our Teachers Pay Teachers store Join our FREE ..read more

Managing your time as a teacher is not easy. But if you know what to do, it can be done! Teaching is an important job that requires lots of energy and focus. It also takes a lot of planning and preparation. Here are some tips for managing your time as a teacher. Set Goals. Setting goals is one of the first things you should do when starting out with teaching. You need to set goals so that you know where you want to go. If you don’t set goals, then you won’t know how to reach them. Plan Ahead. It’s also important to plan. This means planning lessons, assignments, and projects before you star ..read more

Did you dread teaching a split grade...wishing that you could just be in a single-grade classroom again?  Teaching a split-grade classroom doesn't have to be twice the work and double the hassle.   In this episode, we share why we embrace teaching a split-grade classroom and why you should too.   Why split grades make you a better teacher How teaching a split can better support your students with Special Educations needs Why a straight-grade classroom isn't better than a split. How a split grade classroom helps you focus on the needs of the student not the needs of the curric ..read more

What techniques and strategies should teachers use in their math programs if they want to teach math effectively? In this episode, we share a few techniques that you can use to spiral the curriculum, differentiate throughout the year, assess more efficiently, and engage your math students. In this episode we explore:  Why teachers should have high expectations How to build students who are willing to take risks in their learning. How to use assessment to inform your instruction The importance of differentiated instruction in the math classroom.  Strategies to help students become b ..read more

Did you get a notice that you were going to be TPA'd this year? It's a good reminder that we should be TPA ready now.  It's time to set yourself up for success by ditching those worksheet workbooks we relied on so much during 2020-2022 and start to get back to the art of teaching.   In this episode, Patti covers what questions you should be asking yourself now to get TPA ready now so that when your evaluation comes you are ready to rock it without the stress and pressure. - Learn what questions to ask so you are ready to show a commitment to student learning.  - Learn what prof ..read more

How do you teach two grades in your math class at the same time? This episode is all about how to approach teaching math in a split-grade classroom.  These are my suggestions and strategies for teaching a split-grade class without constantly feeling like you’re doing two jobs at once. None of us have time for that!  You don’t have to double your workload to teach a split-grade classroom. I want to show you how to keep your workload the same as it would be if you were teaching a straight grade. You might have to tweak things here and there, but I promise you don’t have to start from s ..read more

Do you spend hours trying to make everything fit on your bulletin boards and look good at the same time? I’m taking you through my process of putting together a bulletin board and teaching you how to plan it out in advance so that you know everything will fit in the space that you have.  Creating a mockup to scale is the simplest way to plan out your board, and you can use software to make it even easier. It will save you a ton of time because you know exactly what your board will look like before you start putting it up.  I’m covering everything from planning color, text, shapes, an ..read more

It’s time to start getting ready for back-to-school season! I want to talk about what it means to get your classroom back-to-school ready and how to make it manageable and realistic in the time you have. I know that you don’t want to spend half of August prepping for September, so I want to help you make it simple.  We’re talking about things like arranging your space, decorating without going over the top, making resources accessible, and so much more.  What do you do to get your classroom ready for a new school year? If you need some ideas, tune in to this episode.  Show notes ..read more