Lisa WestmanOct 13, 20164 minDo your EdTech Tools Really Innovate Student Learning?In 2009, after a brief hiatus to stay home with my young children I returned to the classroom. I taught a 6th grade gifted integrated Eng...
Lisa WestmanOct 6, 20165 minActually, I Wasn’t Listening to Anything You SaidThis post was originally published in @PeterMDeWitt‘s blog Finding Common Ground in Education Week. Today’s guest post is written by freq...
Lisa WestmanSep 21, 20165 minHow to Differentiate for Success on Standardized TestsThis post was originally published on Corwin Connect. Recently I wrote a guest blog post on differentiation for Peter DeWitt’s blog Fin...
Lisa WestmanSep 20, 20164 minInstructional Coaching: Finally, an Easy ChoiceThis post was originally published in @PeterMDeWitt‘s blog Finding Common Ground in Education Week. Want more posts like this? Please rea...
Lisa WestmanSep 1, 20164 minLast I Checked, Compliance Isn’t a Learning StandardThis post was originally published in @PeterMDeWitt‘s blog Finding Common Ground in Education Week. Today’s guest post is written by Lisa...
Lisa WestmanAug 25, 20162 minThe Next Great Tool for Teachers? Instructional Coaches“When teachers stop learning, so do students.” Jim Knight, Unmistakable Impact: A Partnership Approach for Dramatically Improving Instruc...
Lisa WestmanAug 15, 20165 minYes, Differentiation is Hard. So, Let’s Get It Right. For other posts on differentiation, read these posts: Why Differentiation Misses the Mark for Gifted Students Differentiation: Attainable...
Lisa WestmanAug 8, 20163 minBoys will be boysAziz Abdur-Ra’off and Connie Hamilton Ed.S. The topic “addressing the needs of boys in our classrooms” is one that is near and dear to my...
Lisa WestmanJul 28, 20165 minThank you for making me cryMy first year teaching was one of the best and worst years of my career. I was hired to teach 7th and 8th grade gifted humanities in a sm...
Lisa WestmanJul 20, 20164 minWhere I found my “balance”Heads up, this post is going to be about “working out”. Six years ago, as a reader that would have been enough information for me to deci...
Lisa WestmanJul 5, 20163 minDo as I say, not as I do. In-house professional development (otherwise known as instructional coaching) is gaining popularity in the field of education. There is q...
Lisa WestmanJun 23, 20163 minSet your reading logs adrift I need to admit something. I hate reading logs. I hated them as a student. I hated them as a teacher, and I hate them as a parent. Howeve...
Lisa WestmanJun 16, 20162 minThe Pendulum Is Not Swinging BackWhen I first started teaching a veteran teacher told me, “If you stick around long enough, you’ll see everything come and go and come bac...
Lisa WestmanJun 10, 20162 minThe Candyland™ EffectWritten from my parent/educator perspective for other parents. As an educator, I am often intrigued by parents’ opinions of their child’s...
Lisa WestmanJun 1, 20164 minDifferentiation: It Just Makes SenseIt’s no secret that there are two things I love: education and analogies. Oh, and people and shopping. Ok… that’s four. Luckily, for t...
Lisa WestmanMay 18, 20164 minSometimes we need to color outside of the lines to read in between themTips for facilitating effective project based learning units I am a huge fan of projects and project based learning. I love how PBL is a...
Lisa WestmanMay 9, 20161 minDynamite Data DashboardsI truly believe that (if used correctly) data can help students learn and teachers teach best. Teachers have always used various forms of...
Lisa WestmanMay 1, 20162 minStudent Portfolios: A new take on an old traditionUsing student portfolios as a tool to help increase student learning in addition to showcasing final projects is a relatively new take on...
Lisa WestmanMay 1, 20162 minTime is more valuable than moneyAs an educator, this quote really hits home. In fact, in a survey of 20,000 teachers, 76% said that if they had to identify one thing tha...
Lisa WestmanMay 1, 20161 minThe Purpose of Flexible GroupingCarol Ann Tomlinson explained, “[an] important principle [of differentiation] is that of flexible grouping… you need to systematically mo...