Why I Stopped My Students From Practicing This Week

As I informally surveyed the ensemble to see who had listened to the piece we were rehearsing in between rehearsals, not a single hand went up. And that’s when it happened.
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When Teachers Bully Teachers

Originally posted on Pernille Ripp:
image from icanread Three years ago, I wrote an anonymous post and asked a friend to post it for me.  The story was burning up inside of me, but at the time I was too scared to publish it because I was in the middle of the situation, and terrified…

Mandating the mere posting of objectives, and other pointless ideas

Originally posted on Granted, and…:
As promised in a prior post and in response to reader queries: Yes, I am still working on my ideal accountability system (as follow-up to my criticism of most current test-score-based systems). In the meantime, I want to respond to a number of recent e-mails, observations in classrooms, and in-person…

Blended: Learning in Our Band Class

The dichotomy between practice and rehearsal is so great that students are sometimes discouraged when I explain what each really means. This was the reason for making the change. It took a leap of faith on my part to trust in my students to stay on-task during their individual-practice days. It took a leap of faith on their part to trust that less ensemble rehearsal could actually benefit the ensemble in the long-term. Continue reading →

Instructional Grouping in the Band Class

A band director myself, I have struggled with this concept for a long time. My standard response was always, “Intentional grouping? I do that. Clarinets are intentionally grouped with other clarinets.” I justified the whole ensemble as existing with the perfect blend of homogeneity and heterogeneity and that was intentional enough for me. Come full circle to the new evaluation models, there is a real need to demonstrate student groups or teams and to have those groups working collaboratively and with defined roles. With our flipped classroom experiment (#flipband) I stumbled upon a very organic way to intentionally or instructionally group students in the band class. Continue reading →

My EdTech Toolbox: What’s In Yours?!

Without making any lavish claims, this is my current list of ed tech that helps drive instruction in and out of my classes. I love suggestions for new technology and welcome them here. Comment away, and feel free to add your own EdTech Toolbox in the comments area. Continue reading →

First Thoughts on the Flipped Band Class

A serious approach to self-reflection (both in- and on-action) led me to consider there had to be something else I could offer my students. […] I started thinking again that more time was needed in class to supervise/facilitate practicing but that would mean seriously undercutting the rehearsal process. Continue reading →

If You’re Anything Like Me…

If you’re anything like me, you set out with the best of intentions, multitasking your way through your teaching load before heading home to multitask through family obligations, only then to multitask through work obligations you need to bring home before finally multitasking your way to sleep. Right. You’re like me. That is what happened … Continue reading →

A Conversation with Charlotte Danielson

This originally appeared in the Education Week blog, Finding Common Ground, on October 8, 2011. Blogger, writer, and elementary school principal Peter DeWitt interviewed Charlotte Danielson on the widespread acceptance of her teacher evaluation framework. As it stands, I am not a user of the Danielson model, nor has my district subscribed to her framework. … Continue reading →