Vicki A. Davis's Blog, page 127
December 14, 2016
4 Ways to Cultivate Motivation in Your Students
How to Become a Master at Student Motivation
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Student self-motivation is, perhaps, the Holy Grail of teaching. In fact, the hardest days of teaching are when your students don’t care. In those circumstances, we start to wonder if we should care either. For example, have you heard some teachers complaining when student motivation is missing:
“My students never study.”
“My students just don’t care.”
“They don’t want...
December 6, 2016
Treat People with Dignity and Respect
Who Will Be the People to Bridge Racial and Cultural Distrust?
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Someone thought Dad was a poor dirt farmer. Here’s how they tell the story. You see, my father is a farmer in South Georgia. In the past, he’s been involved in various political campaigns in both political parties. One time it was during harvest and Daddy came to hear a candidate speak at the courthouse straight out of the field. Dad hadn’t listened to...
December 3, 2016
Cool Cat Teacher’s Gift List 2016 Edition
Some of the Things I Enjoy
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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If you’ve ever struggled to buy presents like I do, you probably ask people what they like to buy. Therefore, I am always looking at the blogs and newsletters of the edtech gurus and leaders I love to see what they love ALREADY. To help you with your buying, here are some things on my “enjoy” list and how I use them. I hope it gives you ideas.
Cool Gifts, Ideas, and Books 1. An Amazon Al...
How to Assign Homework without Wasting Everybody’s time
Answer the question "Why does my child have to do this homework?"
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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If you ever assign homework, you have likely dealt with the “Why does my child have to do this homework?” question from parents. In my experience, these complaints are often from parents who have different expectations about learning and the role of home and school than you do. Furthermore, parents now question teachers about homework more than ever...
December 1, 2016
4 Key Factors for Fantastic Formative Assessment
Practical Advice from Research to Classroom
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Too many times the research is completely disconnected from the classroom. But in today’s show, we talk about some very practical issues for teachers. First of all, we talk about the characteristics that make effective formative assessment. This includes some important tips for adjusting your instruction based upon formative assessment. Secondly, we also discussed standa...
November 30, 2016
How Do I Help My Substitute Teacher Make Progress with My Students?
Spotlight on Practical Everyday Teaching Problems
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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As a teacher, there are times many of us will substitute for our peers. Substitutes are fantastic professionals who do a tremendous service for schools. If you have some great substitute teachers, treat them well. But there are things you can do to help good substitute teachers be even better.
Listen to this show on: BAM Radio Network | iTunes Some teachers just l...
How to Understand Cyberbullying: From a Teen’s Experience
Are You a Teacher Kids Can Tell?
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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When bad things happen – do kids have someone they trust? Are you that someone? It breaks my heart when today’s brave teenager Sarah Beeghley speaks out about her bouts with bullying. Now a high school senior, Sarah talks about the heartbreaking journey she experienced. For this reason, I’m asking that you listen and discuss — she’s using her pain to help improve the world.
Listen...
November 29, 2016
How Do We Teach Kids to Use Smartphones Safely?
Digital Citizenship Spotlight
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Most students use smartphones with unfiltered access to the Internet. Even worse, many students have no filter when they consider what they should share. Schools and parents need to get smart about how they talk to kids about smartphones.
Listen to this show on: BAM Radio Network | iTunes In today’s show, we talk with digital citizenship pioneer, Dr. Mike Ribble, about a cutting-edge...
How to Teach Students Who Struggle with Self Control
Research Spotlight
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Misbehavior happens in the classroom. From time to time, it happens to every teacher or principal. You can get angry, or you can make progress.
With this in mind, Dr. Reggie Melrose explains a reason for some of the most difficult behavior. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, emotional dysregulation occurs in around 5% of students in the United States. Furthermore, 8% of kids...
November 28, 2016
What Does Supportive Teacher Centered Professional Development Look Like?
Research Spotlight with Dr. Matthew Kraft
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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When a teacher first starts teaching, we know that their learning improves dramatically. Learning to be a good teacher will happen in just about any school during those first few years. But, over time there are schools where teachers keep learning. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen in most schools. In this episode, we will study some important research that shows us the t...
