Catholic Teachers' Lounge
Latest Episodes
Parent Partners
Tough talk on the reality of partnering with parents when it comes to school policies and missing classroom time. Are we empowering bad behavior or we effectively collaborating with families? Who suff
Outside Connections
Making time for connecting with kids (and their families) outside the classroom at sporting events, school performances and other activities take relationships to a new level as you show interest in t
House Communities
Breaking up grade levels with the creation of house communities for students to grow and connect in new and different ways with other students at different ages and stages. Can be themed by saints or
Peer Feedback
Peer editing is ripe for difficulty, but one teacher cracked the code of peer feedback with groups of four to effectively navigate the process of constructive criticism, using reading papers and ideas
Teaching Beyond the Text
It's important for students to see teachers as real people with real talents beyond being subject matter experts. Learn about the possibilities surrounding a Day of Engagement where teachers put away
Real World Classrooms
Student engagement has to be deeper than simply a desire to please the teacher. When the stakes are higher, we see students perform better and with more effort. Opportunities abound with online public
Action and Expression
In addition to presenting content to students, there are many flexible ways to allow students to present the content back to the teacher. Opening the door to adaptive technology and adaptive measureme
Mindset of Universal Design
Universal Design is not a methodology, but instead it is a mindset or awareness. Many teachers are practicing it in some forms. Representation is a great example, as teachers consider how a variety of
Engaging Students
Student engagement is the holy grail of every classroom. Historically, differentiation was identified as the path to successfully connecting with every child, but this is not sustainable for even the
Crying Over Homework
"This shouldn't be so hard." "This shouldn't take so long." But it's never really about the homework. Stress, feeling tired and overwhelmed, clunky technology or whatever the real reason, calls for sp