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When to Be Lazy

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2011 04 9

John T. Spencer

3 Comments

One Word

A post I wrote on Teach Paperless: I'll take up Shelly's challenge and sum it up in one word: love Let that be the foundation and you'll see humility. Start with humility and you'll see authenticity. Let those be your guide and you'll have paradox. Real Read More...
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2011 04 3

John T. Spencer

7 Comments

It's Okay to Love Technology

I wrote this after reading a thought-provoking post on the Spicy Learning Blog . When I first began blogging, I felt like a lone Luddite in a techno-wilderness. While writing about the greatest "killer apps" (sadly, not nun-chucks), I wrote about the Read More...
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2011 03 5

John T. Spencer

4 Comments

5 Questions for Education Reformers

If someone says they want to change education, I’m open to it. I see that the system is in need of change and I will include my school within this. However, first, I need to know the following: 1. When was the last time you were wrong? When was the last Read More...
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2011 02 26

John T. Spencer

13 Comments

Live What You Teach

I’m fixing my bike up again and preparing to ride it to school each day after coming to terms with my own contradictions between what I value and what I tell my own children. I’m realizing that I can’t talk about healthy choices, eco-friendly decisions, Read More...
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2011 01 16

John T. Spencer

9 Comments

Shame and Behaviorism

Bill Gates and I will never see eye to eye on education. As long as it speaks of it as "an investment" or pontificates on the need of teachers to "fit into the right system," I will ignore him. He believes education is a private investment. I believe Read More...
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2010 12 21

John T. Spencer

4 Comments

Passing the Test

A few of my beliefs seem strange to people. Namely the fact that I don't agree with grades, that I am ardently opposed to standardized tests, that I generally downplay awards ceremonies (despite being hopeful and then crushed by the Edublog Awards) and Read More...
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2010 12 18

John T. Spencer

6 Comments

Football Metaphor

During our professional development, every group draws a poster about vertical collaboration. Most of the posters have steps or ladders and have a few phrases about the importance of sharing information from grade to grade. One, however, seems to resemble Read More...
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2010 12 10

John T. Spencer

3 Comments

Kill and Drill

I understand that students need to master certain skills in reading. I'm not opposed to being told to have students make inferences, develop clarifying questions, or understand the author's purpose. I don't doubt that students should make predictions Read More...
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2010 12 9

John T. Spencer

5 Comments

10 Things I Didn't Learn in College

I had great professors when I was in college, so none of this is meant as a gripe. Instead, it's the realization that so much of what I value in teaching I learned on the job: 1. Humility is one of the most powerful traits of a quality teacher and yet Read More...
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2010 12 7

John T. Spencer

4 Comments

All Assessment Is Formative and Summative

Often, I hear the distinction between formative and summative this way: Formative assessments measure what they are learning in the moment to help plan future instruction. Summative assessments measure what they have already learned at the closing of Read More...
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2010 12 6

John T. Spencer

8 Comments

Teach Less

"How can splitting something that's so small no one can see it turn into an explosion that can destroy a city?" a girl asks. I begin to explain the science as best as I can until I admit, "I don't really understand all of it. I know why it scared people Read More...
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2010 12 5

John T. Spencer

5 Comments

Ed Camp Blythe

I once attended a conference in Las Vegas. Surrounded by the lights and glamour and faux clouds and make believe canals, it was easy to forget the context of my classroom. Add to this, the magic formula solutions of the peppy speakers and I had to pull Read More...
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2010 12 4

John T. Spencer

1 Comments

Teaching Style

I used to hate the term "teaching style." Often, it had to do with the context of the conversation. One would say, "that's just his teaching style" to justify snide remarks or angry outbursts or stacks of worksheets. The term seemed to derive from a misconception Read More...
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2010 11 29

John T. Spencer

5 Comments

Rethinking Motivation

What really drives people to do the things they do? Why do we act the way we act? What are the cultural misconceptions about motivation versus the scientific facts? The following is by no means an exhaustive list, but it seems that the major theories Read More...
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2010 11 27

John T. Spencer

2 Comments

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