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...
by John McCarthy | Mar 24, 2014 | Assessments, Differentiated Instruction, Formative Assessments
“Differentiation is making sure that the right students get the right learning tasks at the right time. Once you have a sense of what each student holds as ‘given’ or ‘known’ and what he or she needs in order to learn, differentiation is no longer an option; it is an...
by John McCarthy | Jan 18, 2014 | Differentiated Instruction, Game-Based Learning, PBL, Voice
Last week during the snow days, or rather the Freeze days of -30+ degree weather, my son spent those two days writing and revising a proposal, sharing its content with his peers, and analyzing work by others for critical logic flaws and idea development. The weekend...
