In my Best of 2008 post, I included 50 Cheap Mini-Lessons for Teachers, a compilation of the most important things I've learned about teaching in my short career. When I created the list, I sat down and thought about all of the things I always share with other teachers when asked, regardless of subject or grade level.
My list is certainly lacking in many areas, and in fact I may be wrong on some things. I'm sure I forgot some key items that I would have remembered immediately had I written this list after school had started. To put it another way, while it was written for the benefit of others, it is still my list, skewed to my unique perspective. There is so much more untapped knowledge out there that I could never write myself.
The Project
So today I am announcing the start of an ambitious new project called 52 Teachers, 52 Lessons.
Once a week for a year, I'm going to share an essential lesson submitted by teachers, for teachers. 52 different "mini-lessons" will answer the question:
How to Participate
Once a week for a year, I'm going to share an essential lesson submitted by teachers, for teachers. 52 different "mini-lessons" will answer the question:
"What is the most important advice you can give to other teachers?"
How to Participate
Email me (teachforever AT gmail DOT com) a short, 100-300 word submission along with your name, where & what you teach, and your blog or website (not required). I will omit any information you don't want published--you can be anonymous if you'd like (but please email all the information anyway, as it is interesting to me).
There are no qualifications to write besides being a current (or retired!) teacher; you can submit no matter your subject, grade level, school type, or country. Just try to write with the largest number of teachers in mind (all of them if possible). I do reserve the right to choose what will or won't be published (just like the Carnival of Education) and will likely post things in the order they were submitted (although I am flexible).
You can only submit once this year, so make sure it's your best advice!
The Lessons So Far
- Learn, Grow & Balance by Dorit Sasson (The New Teacher Resource Center)
- You Are a Connector by Jen Carbonneau (Jen Carbonneau's Web Log)
- Smile by Tammy Gilmore (Treasure Chest of Thoughts)
- Sometimes Quitting Is The Best Thing You Can Do! by Joel (So You Want to Teach?)
- Put The Technology Down by Kate (f(t))
- Try Subbing First by Miss Cal.Q.L8
- Do The Same Lesson Over & Over by Keith Schoch (Teaching That Sticks and Teach With Picture Books)
- The Elements of Teaching by Matt from Massachusetts
- Engaging Students by Maddy (Mad Hot Math)
- Clear Expectations by Lauren Teather from South Korea
- Trust Yourself by musicteacher (Teaching Music)
- Never Stop Learning by AtlantaTeacher1976 (Awesome Resources for Curious Teachers)
- Humility by Amy Strecker (One Seventeen Media)
- Pick Your Battles by ms_teacher
- Bring Your Enthusiasm & Energy by Ryan Kaden
- On Homeschooling by Jim Jenkins
- Integrate Visual Arts by This Brazen Teacher
- Just Answer The Question by Sandra Kee
- Don't Reinvent The Wheel by Loretta Khayam
- Apologize by teachin' (I'm a Dreamer)
- Take Advantage of Vacations by Siobhan Curious
- Teach in a Dynamic Environment by Shelly Terrell (Teacher Boot Camp)
- Give Your Students More Control by Marcy (Pensamientos)
- Collective Knowledge by Jovan Miles
- Don't Be Afraid to Switch Gears by Paige Lahaise (Paige's Prose)
- Collaboration on a Massive Scale by Patrick Black (Teaching All Students)
- Most Critical Ideas & Skills by Alison
- Never Stop Being Inquisitive by Amanda
- Behavior Communicates a Need by Karren Colbert (The Write Brained Teacher)
- Best Practices for Teaching Vocab by Kelly Lichoff from Memphis, TN
- Distance Yourself From Negativity by Jessica from Ohio
- Never Miss a Teachable Moment by Jenny (Annecdotes)
- Sorting and Classifying by Carol Hynes from Leominster, MA
- Discovery Learning by Julie (School of Blog)
- Learning to See by Ms. Alston
- It's All About Relationships by Lindsey Croston
- Bucket o' Fun by Jessica Lepore
- Build a Classroom Library by M Dahms (A Reader's Community)
- Using YouTube by Alison Robinson (Tech Tips, Tools and More!)
- Take Your Students Outside by Ms. Chen (red pen revisions)