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End-of-Course Surveys: Using Feedback to Improve Instruction

Teacher Life Teaching Ideas

End-of-Course Surveys: Using Feedback to Improve Instruction

Someone once said that “Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions,” and I fully agree. (Don't tell Wheaties!) That’s why I end every school year with end-of-course surveys, where students can give me detailed feedback. Here are some tips for doing so.

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Five Reasons to Teach Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

British Literature Five Reasons To Teach Series Teaching Ideas

Five Reasons to Teach Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

 Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift is a classic of British Literature, and in spite of its many sub-par adaptations (I’m looking at you, Jack Black), it remains a timeless tale full of lessons for modern readers. So here are five reasons to teach Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.  Satire is a tricky art form, and its undisputed master is Jonathan Swift. I mean, he even has an adjective named for him: “swiftian” meaning "darkly humorous." Gulliver’s Travels, written in 1726, lampoons everything from religious infighting to political parties to the monarchy itself. Swift was an ordained Irish priest who did not...

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World Myth Speed Dating: Exploring 32 Myths from Around the World in a Single Class Period

Mythology Teaching Ideas World Literature

World Myth Speed Dating: Exploring 32 Myths from Around the World in a Single Class Period

What can a myth tell you about a culture? Maybe a better question would be, what can't it tell you? Social customs, traditions, beliefs, and values–they're all embedded there within the story. Myths are windows into cultures, but with such a wide variety of cultures in the world, how, within the time constraints of a high-school course, do you achieve a panoramic look at myths from all corners of the globe?  That question led me to the idea of World Myth Speed Dating. Based on information I've gleaned from sitcoms, Speed Dating is a social gathering where singles pair up time...

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Gamify Your Classroom: Try a Social Deduction Game

Gamification Teaching Ideas

Gamify Your Classroom:  Try a Social Deduction Game

Social deduction games are more than just “filler.” They teach non-verbal and verbal communication, course content, and critical thinking–and, hey, they’re fun, too! Gamify your classroom with one today!

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A “Super” Easy Way To Give Writing Feedback: Saving Time with the “Level Up Your Writing” Scoring Guide on Student Writing

Teaching Ideas Writing

A “Super” Easy Way To Give Writing Feedback: Saving Time with the “Level Up Your Writing” Scoring Guide on Student Writing

Learn how to improve student writing using the Super Mario Bros characters in this free, teacher-friendly scoring guide that gives students speedy feedback.

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