Higher-Powered Learning Blog

Roses are red, violets are blue, I love blended learning, and you should, too!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I am taking some time to think about the reasons why I love blended learning. Of course, blended learning yields an extensive list of...

How Mountain Biking is Like School Change

Mountain bikers must consider many factors to maximize their workouts, but the most important factor is fun maximization. Similarly, when instituting a change like blended learning in an entire school...

How to Make Your PD Stick

The research on professional development (PD) is clear: change is tough! Research funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on PD states that "far too many teachers have reported...

Teacher Talk: Tips for Small-Group Math Instruction

I distinctly remember the first time I walked into Rebecca Buller's middle school math classroom at Saint Alphonsus Catholic School in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The energy was electric and students...

3 Literacy Ideas to Spark Joy in Your Classroom

My classroom layout matched the colorful, vibrant personalities of my students. And similar to the lovely, ever-changing, adolescent personality, my classroom was constantly changing. I am a big fan of...

Reteaching: Giving Students Extra Scaffolding to Reach their Goals

You finish a class and think to yourself, "Wow! What a wonderful lesson. I can't wait to grade these exit tickets." However, after grading, you find a handful of your...

Creating Equity Through Small-Group Instruction

Some may wonder, "If I have blended-learning, what is the point of pre-teaching concepts if I can go back and remediate?" In response to this question, a significant element of...

The Sacredness of Small-Group Instruction

As an educator, small-group instruction time was always sacred. Students knew there had to be an emergency if they interrupted my dedicated time with a small group of their peers...

Innovation Spotlight: Archdiocese of New Orleans

St. Cletus School in New Orleans Minneapolis/St. Paul and New Orleans share some obvious similarities: both are cities on the Mississippi River, both are home to musical legends (Louis Armstrong...

How Does Homework Fit into a Blended-Learning Classroom?

As a former secondary English teacher, I battled the homework question many times throughout my ten years of teaching. On the one hand, homework, particularly reading homework, was necessary for...