Professional learning has long been a pain point in education, typically characterized by teachers spending hours in sit-and-get sessions with no guarantee of lasting improvement to their teaching practice. Not to mention the time-consuming elements of traveling to a district location or the frustration teachers can face of being restricted to specific course offerings due […]

The reach of our schools goes far beyond academics, as we have witnessed more during this global pandemic than ever before. Florida was an early national leader in ramping up distance learning options for students, and sharing the lessons learned from that experience will help ensure that all students are able to receive a high-quality […]

Throughout May and June you’ve been hearing from Florida teachers in a series of Insight posts with recommendations for summer learning focused on their area of expertise. With today’s Insight post, we wrap up this series but will continue to highlight and support Florida’s teachers. Stay tuned for a new series launching soon!    Creativity: […]

This summer is going to be unlike any summer we’ve ever seen.  There is so much going on in our daily lives, but we’ve got more time on our hands so I can’t think of a better time to write.  I LOVE writing, however, in my twenty years as an educator I have found that it is a passion many of my students lack.  Sadly, most children are exposed to writing in a way that has tainted their view of it.  “Let’s write for fun,” said no one, ever! Yet, writing for fun is exactly what I’m proposing. Writing can bring words alive so that they can dance across your brain, encompass your heart and captivate your soul.  

I began teaching Astronomy in 1997 and have always believed the goal is to not only teach the wonders of the Universe, but to allow students to learn new technologies, collaborate in a work-place like environment, and express their own creativity in the process of doing so. Even with the social distancing and distance learning we are experiencing, it presents an opportunity for us to look up and tap into an interest that your kids may have and that you may  learn together. 

It’s National Teacher Appreciation Week again, but this year feels a whole lot different. Parents everywhere (this one included) are hitting the wall trying to recreate the elements of a productive learning environment that existed in our children’s schools just a few months ago. As we attempt to successfully navigate the matrix of information and […]

Part 5: Shifting from “I Don’t Know” to “I Can Figure It Out” Parent Pedagogy 101 is focused on sharing how the skills used by master teachers in their classrooms can also be used by parents to support learning from home. These skills include asking questions to guide learning, highlighting mistakes as part of the […]

During this current period of COVID-19 and social distancing, parents are stepping up in tremendous ways to help their children through the ups and downs of distance-learning. In our Parent Pedagogy 101 Series, we take a close look at skills master teachers utilize in the classroom and showcase how they can be used at home. […]

In this week’s Parent Pedagogy 101, we will discuss the power of wait time, a strategy to provide your child with time to think and process information. It is a skill used by master teachers that can be applied at home, too. Wait time also blends seamlessly with the use of the what, how, and […]

Parent Pedagogy 101 is a multi-part Insights series that focuses on strategies that serve as the foundation for great learning, whether at home or at school. In this series we discuss methods for questioning, normalizing mistakes, incorporating wait time, and keeping it positive, even when you don’t know the answer. Our hope is this can […]

During this unprecedented time of learning from home, there are resources from teachers, schools, education companies, and even museums. Families have access to materials, but now must decide how to implement them in the best possible way for their children.  As an educator who has taught children from age 5 to twelfth grade, and in […]

It’s hard to believe we officially turned 1 year old on February 28! As we reflect back on this past year, we are amazed and humbled at the passion and hunger with which Impact Florida has been embraced by practitioners, leaders, and other important education stakeholders. Not only did we establish our mission, values, and […]

In February, Impact Florida held its fifth and final Learning Walk of the inaugural Districts for Impact cadre, hosted by Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). Cadre leaders came together to learn how the district has developed a systematic approach for the professional learning of its teachers and leaders – one of Impact Florida’s Five Conditions […]

In February, Impact Florida held its fourth Learning Walk in the School District of Palm Beach County. On this visit, cadre leaders came together to learn about how Palm Beach County schools are increasing access to high-quality instructional materials – one of Impact Florida’s Five Conditions That Support Great Teaching – to empower each student […]