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# Authentic Education

We believe that better learning begins with understanding.

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://authenticeducation.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Blog](https://authenticeducation.org/blog/)
- [Why Lunch is So Popular & Making It Count with the UbD Model](https://authenticeducation.org/why-is-lunch-so-popular-and-making-it-count-with-the-ubd-model/) - How can we apply an Understanding by Design mindset to lunch? Social connections are integral to development and a huge part of the learning that takes place within the school day.
- [The odd correlation between SES and achievement: why haven't more critical questions been asked? A call to action](https://authenticeducation.org/the-odd-correlation-between-ses-and-achievement-why-havent-more-critical-questions-been-asked-a-call-to-action/) - (Updated June 2026 to remove broken links.) We know that the link between a child’s socio-economic status (SES) and school achievement is real, it is a very tight link as such things go, and the link has existed for decades. Here, for example, is a recent Missouri report; here is a graph for PA PSSA
- [Go for the gain - a summer project](https://authenticeducation.org/go-for-the-gain-a-summer-project/) - One of my favorite stories concerns the legendary basketball coach John Wooden. He always gave himself a research project in the off season. As recounted in the insightful and practical book You Haven’t Taught If They Haven’t Learned, one year Wooden’s UCLA Bruins had done a poor job at shooting fouls. What did Wooden do?
- [Authenticity in assessment, (re-)defined and explained](https://authenticeducation.org/authenticity-in-assessment-re-defined-and-explained/) - What is “authentic assessment”? Almost 25 years ago, I wrote a widely-read and discussed paper that was entitled: “A True Test: Toward More Authentic and Equitable Assessment” that was in the Phi Delta Kappan. Download it here: Wiggins.atruetest.kappan89 I believe the phrase was my coining, made when I worked with Ted Sizer at the Coalition of
- [How AI Can Build Inquiry Skills in the Classroom](https://authenticeducation.org/how-ai-can-build-inquiry-skills-in-the-classroom/) - Practical considerations for helping students understand how AI works and ethical considerations for this technology and leveraging it to level up my classroom.
- [Game On! Part 2: First the End, Now the Beginning, and Finally, the Middle](https://authenticeducation.org/game-on-part-2/) - We created a timeline that would guide how students would learn about games, collect data for their own prototype, build it, revise it, and present it.
- [“Transferring” Traditional World Language Units into Essential Questions and Understandings](https://authenticeducation.org/transferring-traditional-world-language-units-into-essential-questions-and-understandings/) - Essential questions are the overarching questions that provoke thought and lead students to inquiry, meaning making and finally transfer, while understandings are the concepts and skills that students will use to be able to gain and draw inferences, make connections and apply the learning to new situations
- [Becoming a fearless mathematician is about as good as it gets](https://authenticeducation.org/becoming-a-fearless-mathematician-is-about-as-good-as-it-gets/) - A big breakthrough for me came in the form of UbD backwards design, and as I learned and adopted its framework, I reevaluated my intended goals for students as whole mathematicians.
- [Moving from tried-and-true to transformative: Reimagining Existing Lessons into a UbD Unit](https://authenticeducation.org/moving-from-tried-and-true-to-transformative-reimagining-existing-lessons-into-a-ubd-unit/) - I will share how I took an existing unit back to the drawing board to “UbD it” through workshops, feedback, and simple trial and error.
- [Read-Aloud Time—How to Make Sure You’re Picking the Best Read](https://authenticeducation.org/read-aloud-time-how-to-make-sure-youre-picking-the-best-read/) - If we're intentional about our read-aloud choices, we can maintain this time as one of both a regenerative calm period and as a tool for intentional learning.
- [Design Epic Field Trips Students Love With the UbD Framework](https://authenticeducation.org/design-epic-field-trips-students-love-with-the-ubd-framework/) - By integrating the UbD model into your curriculum, and applying it to field trips, both student success and logistical ease can be accomplished.
- [Neurodiversity Affirming Practices to Create Belonging for Your Students](https://authenticeducation.org/neurodiversity-affirming-practices-to-create-belonging-for-your-students/) - Education as a whole can better create belonging through school-based neurodiversity affirming practices.
- [Great web links on Essential Questions](https://authenticeducation.org/great-web-links-on-essential-questions/)
- [What is an Essential Question?](https://authenticeducation.org/what-is-an-essential-question/) - What is an Essential Question? An Essential Question is–well, essential: important, vital, at the heart of the matter–the essence of the issue.
- [What is a "Big Idea"?](https://authenticeducation.org/whatisabigidea/) - An idea is “big” if it helps us make sense of lots of confusing experiences & seemingly isolated facts. A big idea is a way of seeing better & working smarter.
- [⭐ AE & Humanizing History's Newest Workshop: Inclusive Curriculum Design](https://authenticeducation.org/icd-workshop-post2/) - Mike and Monique share why they have chosen to come together to develop their Inclusive Curriculum Design: Backwards Planning for Equity and Belonging workshop.
- [💡 Inclusive Curriculum Design: An Understanding by Design Workshop](https://authenticeducation.org/inclusive-curriculum-design-an-understanding-by-design-workshop/) - Register now to expand your thinking about best practices for including underrepresented voices, untold stories, and broader perspectives into your curriculum.
- [☑ Practical Tips for Designing Learning for All Our Students](https://authenticeducation.org/practical-tips-for-designing-learning-for-all-our-students/) - Taking time to reflect on the year ahead means thinking deeply about what’s working in our educational spaces and what needs to shift.
- [Curriculum Reviews are Powerful Tools for Improving Student Outcomes](https://authenticeducation.org/curriculum-reviews-are-powerful-tools-for-improving-student-outcomes/) - A curriculum review is illuminating and well worth the time. What we do with that information can have a huge impact on student learning and outcomes.
- [Teaching with Heart: Backwards Planning for Equity & Belonging](https://authenticeducation.org/backwards-planning-for-equity-belonging-sample-units/) - Sample UbD Units That Empower Learners and Promote Equity. All backwards designed with inclusivity, equity, & belonging front of mind.
- [Announcing AE's Summer 2025 Professional Development for Educators](https://authenticeducation.org/blog-summer-2025-professional-development-series/) - AE delivers engaging, consequential, and enriching professional development for educators & we are excited to announce our Summer 2025 PD series.
- [Announcing AE's Summer 2026 Professional Development Workshops: Register Now!](https://authenticeducation.org/announcing-ae-summer-2026-professional-development-workshops/) - Registration is now open for AE's Summer 2026 professional development UbD workshops. Early bird and group discounted registration rates are available.
- [Essential Questions: Essential from Day One](https://authenticeducation.org/essential-questions-essential-from-day-one/) - Educators introducing UbD into their classroom might should not worry that Essential Questions feel lofty or above an elementary understanding.
- [A veteran teacher turned coach shadows 2 students for 2 days - a sobering lesson learned](https://authenticeducation.org/a-veteran-teacher-turned-coach-shadows-2-students-for-2-days-a-sobering-lesson-learned/) - Hear from a veteran HS teacher who just became a Coach in her building. Because her experience is so vivid and sobering I have kept her identity anonymous.
- [On pacing guides](https://authenticeducation.org/on-pacing-guides/) - “What do you think about district pacing guides?” I am asked this question a lot. To answer it, let us consider the origin of the idea, in competitive racing. My daughter runs track. She is a fine miler, on course to break 5 minutes this spring (she ran 5:09 to win her league last spring).
- [The Two Biggest Mistakes in the Common Core Standards](https://authenticeducation.org/the-two-biggest-mistakes-in-the-common-core-standards/) - The Common Core Standards do a terrible job of justifying themselves to college & workplace readiness, & explaining what they imply for educational practice.
- [UbD in China: How do you say Essential Question in Mandarin?](https://authenticeducation.org/ubd-in-china/) - There was one clear Enduring Understanding from our experience: Intellectual understanding is impossible without openness to cultural & social understanding.
- [Transfer as the Goal of Education](https://authenticeducation.org/transfer-as-the-goal-of-education/) - Transfer happens only when we aggressively teach and test for understandings that are applied in situations.
- [The Futility of Trying to Teach Everything of Importance](https://authenticeducation.org/the-futility-of-trying-to-teach-everything-of-importance/) - The article "The Futility of Trying to Teach Everything of Importance," by Grant Wiggins first appeared in Educational Leadership magazine in November of 1989. Students cannot possibly learn everything of value by the time they leave school, but we can instill in them the desire to keep questioning throughout their lives. The aim of precollegiate
- [Growth in the Garden: A UbD Mindset for Outdoor Learning](https://authenticeducation.org/growth-in-the-garden-a-ubd-mindset-for-outdoor-learning/) - Developing nature-based curricula through the UbD framework takes outdoor learning from an exciting bonus to a meaningful practice.
- [🌟 Simple Adjustments for a Calmer, More Engaged Classroom](https://authenticeducation.org/simple-adjustments-for-a-calmer-more-engaged-classroom/) - Most teachers know, tricky student behaviors spike at this time of year. It can help to consider simple adjustments for a calmer, more engaged spring classroom.
- [Announcing the next chapter in Authentic Education’s work](https://authenticeducation.org/announcing-the-next-chapter-in-authentic-educations-work/) - As AE’s President, I am delighted and humbled to follow in the footsteps of Grant Wiggins and Denise Wilbur in this next chapter for Authentic Education.
- [How To Hold Ourselves and Our Students Capable](https://authenticeducation.org/how-to-hold-ourselves-and-our-students-capable/) - Let’s take the time to reflect on how to hold ourselves and our students capable through the ways we talk and think about our students.
- [Powerful Ways to Simplify Your Teaching Life](https://authenticeducation.org/powerful-ways-to-simplify-your-teaching-life/) - Letting go of activities in the classroom to simplify your teaching life is hard and it’s essential for growth, making space for new things, & to avoid burnout.
- [Break Free: Bidding Farewell to Nightly Worksheets with the UbD Model](https://authenticeducation.org/bidding-farewell-to-nightly-worksheets-with-the-ubd-model/) - Despite questions on homework 1 thing is certain: it must be structured with the same intention as classroom learning (in our case, UbD) if it's to be of value.
- [Unpacking World Language Standards: Knowledge and Skills](https://authenticeducation.org/unpacking-world-language-standards/) - Unpacking world language standards into what we want our students to KNOW (knowledge) and be able to DO (skills) narrows our focus.
- [Is UbD for me even if I don’t teach a core class?](https://authenticeducation.org/is-ubd-for-me-even-if-i-dont-teach-a-core-class/) - A primary goal of UbD is to make meaning of learning by way of “big ideas” and to transfer learning and this can be applied to all subject areas.
- [Commit to Backwards-Planning New Year's Resolutions](https://authenticeducation.org/commit-to-backwards-planning-new-years-resolutions/) - Resolutions provide a perfect model to bring reflection into the classroom through the backwards-planning framework of Understanding by Design (UbD).
- [Beyond the Reading Wars - How do we keep moving forward?](https://authenticeducation.org/beyond-the-reading-wars-how-do-we-keep-moving-forward/) - Supporting exploration and knowledge building rather than rushing to adopt a new curriculum is leading to better results for students.
- [Cultivating tools to find and get “what’s missing”](https://authenticeducation.org/cultivating-tools-to-find-and-get-whats-missing/) - Materials, resources, tools & training providing effective, research-based instruction to develop all aspects of literacy for many kinds of students.
- [Learning to look critically at our curriculum](https://authenticeducation.org/learning-to-look-critically-at-our-curriculum/) - Let’s dive deeper into how to look critically at our curriculum in order to cultivate a more flexible, thoughtful and inclusive approach to teaching reading.
- [The power of evidence: ‘How do I know?’](https://authenticeducation.org/the-power-of-evidence-how-do-i-know/) - One of the most powerful tools educators have is asking ourselves “How do I know?” We must interrogate evidence we come across even in our own classrooms.
- [Who is my student as a reader…and what do they need?](https://authenticeducation.org/who-is-my-student-as-a-readerand-what-do-they-need/) - The power of knowing my students as readers and leveraging this knowledge to help guide and shape their journey as readers and spellers has been transformative.
- [Why the “reading wars” mindset fails our students](https://authenticeducation.org/why-the-reading-wars-mindset-fails-our-students/) - Fights over whether teaching systematic phonics & word study is essential pulls focus away from doing the actual work of learning about what our students need
- [Game On! Part 4: Assessments and Feedback & Grading, Oh My!](https://authenticeducation.org/game-on-part-4-assessments-and-feedback-and-grading/) - Frameworks like UbD and PBL have been instrumental in shifting ways in which we organically incorporate assessments and feedback.
- [Game On! Part 3: Engaging the Community to Engage Students ](https://authenticeducation.org/game-on-part-3-engaging-the-community-to-engage-students/) - Students engage more and are more motivated when they realize their impact on the world through direct community involvement.
- [Game On! Part 1: How UbD Supports and Enhances Project-Based Learning](https://authenticeducation.org/game-on-part-1/) - UbD helps us think beyond test scores and memorization to better support students develop thinking and questioning skills that will benefit them in the future.
- [A brief post on NAEP Civics and History Test Results](https://authenticeducation.org/a-brief-post-on-naep-civics-and-history-test-results/) - Yes, we know: kids "don't know much about history" in the words of the immortal Sam Cooke. The weak NAEP results are basically unchanged since this test began - ironically, under Diane Ravitch. There might be another irony here: are the poor results perhaps related to history teachers talking too much - the question I raised that generated more lengthy
- [Teaching in 2023 — Finding Hope in the ‘Small Picture Moments’](https://authenticeducation.org/teaching-in-2023-finding-hope-in-the-small-picture-moments/) - EdWeek’s “The Teaching Profession in 2022 (in Charts)” article by Madeline Will explored the challenges that teachers faced in 2022 and what it means for teaching and learning in 2023 and beyond. AE’s Sawyer Henshaw offers her take on how connecting with our students through the small moments can offer us hope for what lies
- [Feedback: How Learning Occurs](https://authenticeducation.org/feedback-how-learning-occurs/) - Feedback is a word we use unthinkingly and inaccurately. We smile at a student, say "good job!" and call it feedback. We write "B-"at the top of a paper and consider it feedback. We share a score on the state test with a student and his parents and consider it feedback. But feedback is something different. It is
- [Poll Everywhere - better than buying clickers](https://authenticeducation.org/poll-everywhere-better-than-buying-clickers/) - Text Message (SMS) Polls and Voting, Audience Response System | Poll Everywhere. Save money on those cool feedback clickers! Use this site and cell phones instead. We do in our workshops and conferences. Check out Eric Mazur's work at Harvard in Physics to show their power.
- [A grumpy weekend post on intellectual property](https://authenticeducation.org/a-grumpy-labor-day-weekend-post/) - I was going to happily recommend my latest piece of writing to you but I can't. Not because i don't like what I wrote but because you can't afford to read it. My latest published article (a chapter) is in the Routledge International Handbook of Creative Learning. Check out the price at Amazon: almost 200 dollars
- [Bor-ing](https://authenticeducation.org/bor-ing/) - Boredom: the sadly inevitable reality of most high schools and many middle and elementary schools. Why can't educators face up to this most basic reality, famously illustrated with just a tad of hyperbole, by Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller's Day Off? I have sat in dozens of classes over the years and most have been
- [Intelligent Grouping: It's Time](https://authenticeducation.org/intelligent-grouping-its-time/) - How would you like to be competing on Master Chef as a novice where all the other students are semi-pro’s? Didn’t think so. In our proper criticism of student tracking we have completely lost sight of the sound idea of user-friendly grouping. Tracking is a dead-end for many; grouping smartly helps everyone reach their goals
- [Soccer as Model for Understanding](https://authenticeducation.org/soccer-as-model-for-understanding/) - Can getting your youth soccer license educate you in how to teach for understanding?
- [Oh you can't measure that](https://authenticeducation.org/oh-you-cant-measure-that/) - Oh, you can’t measure that... I hear this in almost every conversation about assessment of long-term educational goals. “Critical and creative thinking – oh, you can’t measure that.” Why are educators so quick to say things like this? On its face the claim is a bit odd: if we can measure AP art portfolios, the
- [The dismal state of mathematics education](https://authenticeducation.org/the-common-core-math-standards-they-dont-add-up/) - Math - a big problem. I love math, but mathematics education is failing miserably. Don't take my word for it: from the results of our student survey - over 7300 students, 6 -12 - we find that math is the least favorite subject by a good margin - almost 28% of all students. The comments
- [A Concern about the recent Common Core ELA Publishers' Criteria](https://authenticeducation.org/a-concern-about-the-recent-common-core-ela-publishers-criteria/) - Recently David Coleman and Susan Pimentel, the authors of the Common Core ELA Standards, issued what they titled Publishers’ Criteria for the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy. As they note, the intent is to "guide publishers and curriculum developers to ensure alignment" of any proposed materials and the Standards. Their warning is firm
- [Teacher standards-based grading gets an F](https://authenticeducation.org/teacher-grading-gets-an-f/) - I find it unbelievable that 20 years into the Standards movement you can count on one hand the number of teachers, schools, and districts that give grades against Standards in the middle and high schools where it matters greatly. How in the world will a big majority of students (and schools) meet Standards if no
- [Why do you teach?](https://authenticeducation.org/why-do-you-teach/) - As summer vacation winds down for teachers it is perhaps a good idea to spend a day or two thinking deeply about this most basic question: why do you teach? I am not asking this question in the sense often assumed, i.e. why do you personally want to teach? That kind of egocentric stuff never
- [What is a curriculum and why are almost all current ones doomed to fail? (Tyler redux)](https://authenticeducation.org/what-is-a-curriculum-and-why-are-almost-all-current-ones-doomed-to-fail-tyler-redux/) - All of the recent discussion about curriculum and the Common Core Standards seems to me to miss the most basic point: we still do not know how to write curriculum to make it useful for all teachers and effective at causing Mission and other educational goals (including Standards). Since curriculum is a genre of writing,
- [The absurdity and harm of so-called pacing guides](https://authenticeducation.org/the-absurdity-and-harm-of-so-called-pacing-guides/) - In many large districts there are now so-called pacing guides provided with or within the curriculum. The idea is clear enough: given a far-off goal (end-of-year performance), we often need reminders about where we are now vis a vis the goal and where we "need to be" if we want to achieve the goal. Perfectly
- [2nd best use of the first week of school: pre-assess against end of year goals](https://authenticeducation.org/2nd-best-use-of-the-first-week-of-school-pre-assess-against-end-of-year-goals/) - When I was a Varsity soccer coach, we spent a very busy week before school started doing twice-a-day pre-season workouts (as all sports now routinely do). The goals were simple: get people back in shape, and find out who could do what. In other words, almost everything about that first week involved pre-assessment: What kind
- [A manifesto: stop blaming others](https://authenticeducation.org/a-manifesto-stop-blaming-others/) - The following is an edited version of a post I made on John Merrow's blog in which I explained why I was not going to the rally in Washington in July, even though invited to do so by the organizers. Some may be offended by my remarks; try to keep an open mind: I see
- [The Common Core Standards: good but simply not yet good enough](https://authenticeducation.org/the-common-core-standards-good-but-simply-not-yet-good-enough/) - As I have said numerous times in conferences and on this blog, I am a fan of Common Core Standards. We need to rationalize the crazy-quilt demands so that student mobility does not yield a crisis for families, so that Standards can be raised everywhere (as they need to be), and so vendors of materials
- [The harmful myth that teaching ability is a natural gift](https://authenticeducation.org/the-harmful-myth-that-teaching-ability-is-a-natural-gift/) - This year’s annual Kappan survey of the American public on their views about schools and education is out. Once again, people like their local schools but have bad things to say about all those other schools. (This year Kappan finally asked them – uh, you know that since everyone says this, it doesn’t quite add
- [Freedom and obligation in teaching](https://authenticeducation.org/178-2/) - In a recent blog post I commented on my dismay at the result about teaching in the just-released annual Kappan poll on education. Most American think teachers are born not made; I disagreed. Today I want to comment on what to me was another troublesome finding: the public’s view (presumably held by many teachers) about
- [Formative vs summative assessment - and unthinking policy about them](https://authenticeducation.org/formative-vs-summative-assessment-and-unthinking-policy-about-them/) - I received a nice query by email the other day and I thought readers might find my reply helpful. Within my district there is quite a debate going on about the difference between formative and summative assessments. Specifically, the administration in my school district has developed a common syllabus for our teachers this year which
- [National Standards and local grading: an F for the failure to discuss it](https://authenticeducation.org/national-standards-and-local-grading-an-f-for-the-failure-to-discuss-it/) - Yet another document related to national standards has been released: the SMARTER balanced assessment consortium report. There are some nice points in it about the different kinds of evidence needed, given the Standards; and there are (finally) sample assessments in mathematics, albeit only for Grade 8. Alas, one again looks in vain in these national
- [Technology snake-oil and school reform](https://authenticeducation.org/technology-snake-oil-and-school-reform/) - Here’s a stunner from the weekend New York Times, in a front-page article, no less: “schools are spending billions on technology, even as they lay off teachers, with little proof that this approach is improving basic learning.” I’m shocked, shocked! Who in their right mind thinks that spending $5000 per classroom on a whiteboard is
- [What's the best use of class time? Not what most HS teachers think](https://authenticeducation.org/whats-the-best-use-of-class-time-not-what-most-hs-teachers-think/) - If that’s the goal, what’s the best use of class time? is a question at the heart of Understanding by Design. The question, which I often ask in workshops, was newly prompted in a slightly different form after I recently watched a few videos on Newton’s Laws from the Khan Academy website. As you may
- [Report on NY test security overlooks a vital argument](https://authenticeducation.org/report-on-ny-test-security-overlooks-a-vital-argument/) - A report just released by the NY Regents in response to recent testing scandals proposes a common-sense set of improved security measures. The chief recommendations are that teachers would no longer individually score their own students' work, and test administration would be limited to a single day instead of a week's window of time. The
- [A 21st century approach to writing reports - and homework](https://authenticeducation.org/a-21st-century-approach-to-writing-reports-and-homework/) - What if you read the following in the sports section: “WISCONSIN appears to be in the driver’s seat en route to a win, as it leads 51-10 after the third quarter. Wisconsin added to its lead when Russell Wilson found Jacob Pedersen for an eight-yard touchdown to make the score 44-3." As reported in the New
- [Working with Understandings](https://authenticeducation.org/working-with-understandings-in-teaching/) - Arguably one of the more difficult aspects in teaching for understanding is to decide when to teach the desired understanding! In other words, to put it as an essential pedagogical question: When should you state the Understanding and when should you engineer students to come up with it “by design”? Whether we consider the famous
- [Feedback: what it is and isn't](https://authenticeducation.org/feedback-what-it-is-and-isnt/) - For an upcoming workshop for ASCD on feedback I spent a few days re-reading various books and articles, and looking at some online resources. Alas, yet again I encountered basic confusion on the meaning of feedback, and sloppiness in the use of the term. Loosely speaking, of course, feedback means anything we say back to
- [My radical view of the just-released SAT data and the perpetual correlation of test scores with SES](https://authenticeducation.org/my-radical-view-of-the-just-released-sat-data-and-the-perpetual-correlation-of-tests-scores-with-ses/) - It is a longstanding ugly fact in education: the child’s socio-economic status is tightly correlated with test scores. The just-released SAT data from the College Board are right there for all to see and contemplate with the telling pattern visible for the umpteenth year: for every additional 20,000 dollars in parental income, scores rise in
- [Learning about learning from soccer](https://authenticeducation.org/insight-about-teaching-and-learning-from-soccer/) - It being the fall, my thoughts have turned to soccer – a topic near and dear to my heart and one surprisingly relevant to UbD. The other day I was having a conversation with my older son about the big ideas of soccer. He was an accomplished school player, still plays in men’s leagues, and
- [The French mystery, solved](https://authenticeducation.org/the-french-mystery-solved/) - The mystery: the French eat and drink everything, yet have lower heart disease rates. And are clearly thinner than we are. And portion sizes are not tiny. Want proof about the eating? Here is what Denise had for lunch yesterday in St. Remy: a goat-cheese-french toast-and-bacon salad. The guy next to us ate an entire
- [Standards, Part 1: Why a standard is really three standards in one](https://authenticeducation.org/why-a-standard-is-really-three-standards-in-one/) - A recent piece in Education Week on the need to ensure that Standards are pegged in a K-16 way reminded me that people are still confused about what standards are. There are three different aspects to a so-called standard; a standard is not just one demand. Whether stated or implied in standards documents, when we
- [A minor rant on a recent article on question-based teaching - this is new?????](https://authenticeducation.org/a-minor-rant-on-a-recent-article-on-question-based-teaching-this-is-new/) - Stephen Lazar has written a perfectly nice article on how to use good questions and inquiry to teach history. But how depressing that something so obvious, so often said over the last 75 years, should be an article in a national educational publication! Is there NO memory in this field? Are we to assume that
- [Standards, part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/standards-and-rigor-part-2/) - In my previous post on standards, I pointed out that though we talk of “a” standard, it would be more accurate to talk about the three different kinds of standards involved in any standard: content, process, and performance. The key point about performance standards is that rigor must be established in two different ways: by
- [The must-read classic books in education](https://authenticeducation.org/the-must-read-classic-books-in-education/) - My daughter prompted today’s column on the classic texts every educator should have read. In a reply to an earlier post of mine on how we keep reinventing the wheel in education, she wrote: I confess to being part of that woefully ignorant generation of teachers. I hesitate to admit this, but I still haven’t
- [On not teaching for understanding](https://authenticeducation.org/on-teaching-for-understanding/) - A cardinal principle in aiming at understanding is that understanding requires different pedagogy than acquisition of knowledge and skill. Knowledge and skills are best developed by direct instruction and reinforcement if we want recall and fluency. Understanding, however, involves something beyond mere acquisition for later straightforward use. To understand, students must do something with, adapt, and
- [Brief thoughts on think tanks and hiring](https://authenticeducation.org/brief-thoughts-on-think-tanks-and-hiring/) - On think tanks: A national scourge. Find a bunch of money from donors with an axe to grind and flood the media with 'serious' one-sided papers. The latest offense? The Fordham Foundation's report on the new draft science standards. What could be more predictable than that the writer would bemoan any discussion of hands-on work
- [Standards, Part 3: The Arbitrary Single Grade or Score](https://authenticeducation.org/standards-part-3-the-arbitrary-single-grade-or-score/) - In my previous two posts on standards, I pointed out that though we talk of “a” standard, it would be more accurate to talk about the three different kinds of standards involved in any standard: content, process, and performance. And in Part 2 I talked about the important challenge of figuring out to anchor our
- [The Student Voice - Part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/the-student-voice-part-2/) - In my previous post about the extensive student survey we conducted, I noted a few oddities that I want to address in this post with actual samples of student comments. The first oddity was that math was both the most favorite and least favorite subject on the list. I also noted that English fared poorly
- [The student voice - our survey, part 1](https://authenticeducation.org/the-student-voice-our-survey-part-1/) - I am a big fan of student surveys. How can we achieve educational goals without the student’s perspective? We cannot. Decades ago, as a young teacher, I learned a great strategy from my colleague Duane. Every Friday he handed out 5 x 7 index cards and asked: on one side, state what worked for you
- [The student voice, Part 3. The most interesting work of the past year](https://authenticeducation.org/the-student-voice-part-3-the-most-interesting-work-of-the-past-year/) - One of the most interesting and revealing questions on our survey of middle and high school students involved their answer to the question: what was the most interesting work/task/project you had last year in school? The results were fascinating and quite helpful for teachers, particularly if you ask yourself as you read: what do all
- [The student voice - our survey, Part 4: "I learn best in class when..."](https://authenticeducation.org/the-student-voice-our-survey-part-4-i-learn-best-in-class-when/) - IIn our continuing look at what works and doesn't work for students, based on our 7300+ student survey reponses, we consider their answer to the prompt: I learn best in class when... There are few real surprises in the findings: they learn best when there is hands-on experience, lots of examples, discussion, order, visual aids.
- [The Student Voice, Part 6: 1 last piece of learner advice](https://authenticeducation.org/the-student-voice-our-survey-part-6-1-last-piece-of-advice/) - In the previous posts here, here, here, here, and here, I have summarized student views on a number of current practices. The last question on the survey asked them to provide advice: Finally, if you could give teachers just 1 piece of advice on how to make their classes and the work more interesting and
- [The Student Voice, Part 5 - Common Practices That Don't Work](https://authenticeducation.org/the-student-voice-our-survey-part-5-common-practices-that-dont-work/) - One question from our student survey that generated very specific and (I think) helpful responses was: What is a very common teacher practice that occurs all the time in class but just does not work for you? Here is a representative sample of the responses: Taking notes of the projector and it doesn't work because
- [What works in education - Hattie's list of the greatest effects and why it matters](https://authenticeducation.org/what-works-in-education-hatties-list-of-the-greatest-effects-and-why-it-matters/) - [UPDATE February 2015: Over the past few years, numerous people have commented on my last paragraph as being an overstated and overheated conclusion, unwarranted by the data and of no help in advancing reform. Fair enough: I have come to think that they are correct. So, a new concluding comment is attached, with the old concluding
- [Transfer as the point of education](https://authenticeducation.org/transfer-as-the-point-of-education/) - The critical goal of transfer. Arguably transfer is the aim of any education. Given that there is too much for anyone to learn; given that unpredictability is inevitable; given that being flexible and adaptive with one’s repertoire is key to any future success, it stands to reason that we should focus our ‘backward-design’ efforts on
- [On accountability](https://authenticeducation.org/on-accountability/) - A thought-provoking stance on accountability from a well-known educator: “A friend has been accustomed for many years to urge that there exists only one sure measure for the real progress of education. The test, he has said, is the possibility of bringing suit at law to compel payment of damages by educators to educatees for
- [the research on transfer and some practical implications (Transfer, part 2)](https://authenticeducation.org/the-research-on-transfer-and-some-practical-implications-transfer-part-2/) - In my previous post on transfer, I discussed what it is and isn't. Here, I draw from the research and highlight the key teacher 'take-aways' in terms of what the research suggests for practice. Most of the quotes come from Chapter 3 in How People Learn and the Halpern & Hakel article. These and other
- [A visit to Harvard and Exeter: problem solving done right](https://authenticeducation.org/a-visit-to-harvard-and-exeter-problem-solving-done-right/) - I had a very busy and interesting week recently. I spent a day with Harvard Physics professor Eric Mazur and his design and research team. I then took the train north where I spent the next day visiting math classes at Phillips Exeter Academy where the entire program is problem-based. Mazur, as many readers know,
- [A summary of our views and tips on transfer goals in planning and teaching](https://authenticeducation.org/a-summary-of-our-views-and-tips-on-transfer-goals-in-planning-and-teaching/) - Jay McTighe and I drafted a summary paper on the subject of transfer goals - what they are, how to write them, examples of them, etc. You can get a free copy of the paper Transfer Goals Clarification Feb 2012 by clicking on the link.
- [A postscript to my comment about kids having trouble with the distributive property](https://authenticeducation.org/a-postscript-to-my-comment-about-kids-having-trouble-with-the-distributive-property/) - In my most recent blog entry I described how even the very able students at Exeter, working in a problem-based environment, have trouble avoiding common misconceptions. I happened to see and cite an example concerning the distributive property. I thought I would check out released test items. Here's a 10th grade item from the PSSA
- [On assessing for creativity: yes you can, and yes you should](https://authenticeducation.org/on-assessing-for-creativity-yes-you-can-and-yes-you-should/) - I tweeted yesterday an interesting news item in Erik Robelen's blog in Education Week that a few states (Oklahoma, California, Massachusetts) are seriously looking into some sort of assessment of creative thinking as part of the whole 21st century skills/entrepreneurship movement. I think it is a great idea, with a lot of potential for leveraging change.
- [Close reading of the text demanded in the CC - Hardly new, so why the fuss?](https://authenticeducation.org/close-reading-of-the-text-demanded-in-the-cc-hardly-new-so-why-the-fuss/) - Catherine Gewertz in her excellent Ed Week blog recently reported on a meeting at the Aspen Institute where school leaders from around the country got the word about how the new English standards in the Common Core place a heavy emphasis on having students do a ‘close reading’ of the text without too much teacher
- [Everything you know about curriculum may be wrong. Really.](https://authenticeducation.org/everything-you-know-about-curriculum-may-be-wrong-really/) - UPDATE: Cool. This post was nominated and made the shortlist for Most Influential Post of 2012 by edublog. I'm really honored! What if the earth moves and the sun is at rest? What if gravity is just a special case of space-time? Following both counter-intuitive premises revolutionized science and ushered in the modern world. Could
- [More tests with higher stakes? Then, more test prep! Uh, no: bad logic. The problem is not the tests but our response.](https://authenticeducation.org/more-tests-with-higher-stakes-then-more-test-prep-uh-no-bad-logic-the-problem-is-not-the-tests-but-our-response/) - Can we stop the hysteria about testing, as if asking kids to take tests is inherently harmful and unfair? Perhaps not, but let me try by posing a more focused question in this plea for reason. Can we please stop the bogus logic that says that the growing demand of tests requires that the local
- [Rethinking Curriculum Writing, Part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/652-2/) - I was delighted to see that so many people not only read my last post on curriculum but offered such great comments, too. Let's press on! The 1930s saw an explosion of educational innovation, as my reference to Ralph Tyler in the last post reminds us. In fact, one of the most extraordinary experiments in
- [Just back from a whirlwind at ASCD and Harvard University](https://authenticeducation.org/just-back-from-a-whirlwind-at-ascd-and-harvard-university/) - 6 days on the road and I'm a gonna make it home tonight.... (great old song) 4 days at ASCD annual conference in Philly and 2 days giving workshops at Harvard University to a series of groups from around the University... Once I catch my breath I will respond to the fantastic array of comments
- [Some responses to replies to my posts on curriculum reform](https://authenticeducation.org/some-responses-to-replies-to-my-posts-on-curriculum-reform/) - I have received a number of interesting questions and comments in response to my 2 blog posts on curriculum. Before I respond directly to some of them I want to make a few general comments to address a few misconceptions. Numerous writers said – well, sure: voc. Ed. and art have been doing this forever.
- [On Accountability, part 2: how to do it right](https://authenticeducation.org/on-accountability-part-2-how-to-do-it-right/) - Many commenters on my piece about VAM accountability asked for me to propose an alternative. Here it is: When I think about a sensible accountability program, I think back to my experience as a teacher at Buckingham Browne & Nichols (BB&N), a prep school in Cambridge, MA. I was a graduate student at Harvard in
- [Value added - why its use makes me angry (OR: a good idea gone bad, again, in education)](https://authenticeducation.org/value-added-why-its-use-makes-me-angry-or-good-idea-gone-bad/) - I have been so angry about the head-long rush into untested and poorly-thought-out value-added accountability models of schools and teachers in various states all around the country that I haven’t found a calm mental space in which to get words on paper. Let me now try. Forgive me if I sputter. Here’s the problem in
- [A nagging doubt about national standards](https://authenticeducation.org/a-nagging-doubt-about-national-standards/) - I have in general been a fan of the movement toward national standards. There is obvious sense in it: there is no such thing as Georgia algebra or Oregon reading. We are one (mobile) country, and local control of curriculum and assessment has led to a hodge-podge of courses and tests that have little relation
- [On Feedback](https://authenticeducation.org/on-feedback/) - My article on feedback is the lead article in this month's Educational Leadership. I provide a clear definition of what feedback is and (especially) what it ISN'T. Feedback is not advice (e.g. Use more detail!), nor is it evaluation (e.g. Good job!) even though many people write and talk as if it were. This conflation
- [Thinking about a lack of thinking](https://authenticeducation.org/thinking-about-a-lack-of-thinking/) - Lately I have been thinking a lot about thinking. More specifically, I have been thinking hard about the absence of thought in education. The absence of thought in students, teachers, administrators and policy-makers. This year’s political discourse is a wider-world reminder of the ubiquitous lack of thought on the part of otherwise educated adults.
- [Grit, character and academic success: thoughtlessness, part 3](https://authenticeducation.org/grit-character-and-academic-success-thoughtlessness-part-3/) - As readers may know, a new book is getting a lot of national press these days: How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, by Paul Tough. I well recall the NY Times article that led to the book because it featured my friend Dominic Randolph, Head of Riverdale. And the other day,
- [Thoughtlessness, part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/thoughtlessness-part-2/) - What is thought-provoking is then not anything that we determine. According to our assertion, what of itself gives us most to think about, what is most thought-provoking is this -- that we are still not thinking. -- Heidegger Thoughtlessness is thought-provoking. It presents thought with a problem: when smart people do thoughtless things it
- [A White Paper on the Common Core Standards](https://authenticeducation.org/a-white-paper-on-the-common-core-standards/) - Jay McTighe and I have written a white paper on implementation of the Common Core Standards entitled From Common Core Standards to Curriculum: Five Big Ideas. In it we propose a strategy for ensuring that the Common Core Standards are appropriately addressed in curriculum and assessment design locally. We also highlight common misconceptions about what the
- [The harm of local grading in a world of standards: what NAEP reveals (Thoughtlessness part 4)](https://authenticeducation.org/the-harm-of-local-grading-in-a-world-of-standards-what-naep-reveals-thoughtlessness-part-4/) - Once again the recently released NAEP results reveal that American student achievement in writing is far worse than local report cards would have us believe. If the new assessments for Common Core are going to be as demanding as NAEP tests are – a likely bet - then we have a disaster in the making:
- [Questions from the French Bac in Philosophy](https://authenticeducation.org/questions-from-the-french-bac-in-philosophy/) - Teachers interested in preparing students for the Common Core Standards, especially those in English related to writing, should take a gander at the The French Baccalaureat – especially the Philosophy exam that is part of it. The Bac is well-known around the world as a big intellectual challenge for French students, far more important than
- [A clarification of the goal of transfer and how it relates to testing](https://authenticeducation.org/a-clarification-of-the-goal-of-transfer-and-how-it-relates-to-testing/) - There is some understandable confusion about the goal of transfer. When we say we want students to be able to “transfer” their learning, there are two possible meanings to our aim. We might mean that transfer involves a high-level ability that is thus somehow different content from low-level content. Or we could mean that for
- [A Roman aqueduct and the teaching of history (thoughtlessness Part 5)](https://authenticeducation.org/a-roman-aqueduct-and-the-teaching-of-history-thoughtlessness-part-6/) - I had no interest in the study of Roman history as a boy. It seemed utterly pointless and not as superficially related to American history as was the world of the Greeks. Nor was it taught well – just a slog through names, dates, and a tour of the Empire that might as well have
- [History Teaching, part 2: the new AP US History Framework](https://authenticeducation.org/history-teaching-part-2-the-new-ap-us-history-framework/) - In my last post I mused on the difficult challenge of teaching history. I want to follow it with a brief update from the just-announced framework for AP US History. As readers may know, I played a small role in helping the Advanced Placement program move toward the depth-over-breadth focus that now underlies all future
- [On Feedback: 13 practical examples per your requests](https://authenticeducation.org/on-feedback-13-practical-examples-per-your-requests/) - As readers may know, my article on feedback in the September edition of Educational Leadership has been one of the most widely read and downloaded articles of the year, according to ASCD data. That's gratifying feedback! I blogged about it here, while also providing the longer article I originally provided the editors - they cut
- [Escaping Isolation: Twitter and transparency](https://authenticeducation.org/escaping-isolation-twitter-and-transparency/) - I have become a big believer in the power of crowd-sourcing ideas via social media, despite my initial skepticism. A few times, now, I have used Twitter to get a bunch of great suggestions in response to queries within an hour of my post. The other day, working under the guidance of my colleague Chrissi
- [Reform, humility, and thanksgiving](https://authenticeducation.org/reform-humility-and-thanksgiving/) - As I hunker down to focus on more elemental things such as stuffing and sweet potatoes with pecans & clementines, I thought I would share a few odds and ends that are related in some way to school reform and the season. I just returned from Oxford, Ohio where I was a plenary speaker at
- [Good vs. great teachers: how do you wish to be remembered?](https://authenticeducation.org/good-vs-great-teachers-how-do-you-wish-to-be-remembered/) - There are endless articles, blogs, essays on the difference between good and bad teachers. All the frameworks for teacher evaluation highlight the shades of difference. But to my eye there are far too few adequate analyses of the difference between good and great teachers. I actually find that latter distinction more interesting, in
- [How do you plan? On templates and instructional planning](https://authenticeducation.org/how-do-you-plan-on-templates-and-instructional-planning/) - How teachers plan – This is one of the more interesting ‘black boxes’ in education. There are few studies of it, yet it is clearly one of the most vital elements of the enterprise. Winging it is sometimes fun, but it’s a bad way to run a family, a business, or a classroom. Marzano reports
- [The 31 most influential classic books in education - a crowd-sourced list](https://authenticeducation.org/the-31-most-influential-classic-books-in-education-a-crowd-sourced-list/) - With the holidays soon upon us, I thought it appropriate to provide a list of what are arguably the most historically influential books in education, as we ponder gifts for colleagues, friends and loved ones who are educators. This list came from a crowd-source appeal via Twitter and an email to colleagues and friends. Each
- [Is that story about me? Latino children, books, and literacy](https://authenticeducation.org/is-that-story-about-me-latino-children-books-and-literacy/) - Is every story ultimately about me? Must a story be about me to be a good story? These are two essential questions that we have often given out when ELA teachers ask for examples of essential questions for use with younger students. A key issue behind the questions is in the news. The New
- [Math as artistry: an interview with Steve Strogatz, mathematician](https://authenticeducation.org/math-as-artistry-an-interview-with-steve-strogatz-mathematician/) - I have a treat for readers today, an interview I did recently with Steven Strogatz, mathematician and writer on math extraordinaire. Strogatz is the Schurman Professor of applied mathematics at Cornell University. He is the author, most recently, of The Joy of x, a lovely book on math that grew out of his series of
- [2012 in review](https://authenticeducation.org/2012-in-review/) - The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here's an excerpt: 19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 94,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that
- [Avoiding stupidification](https://authenticeducation.org/avoiding-stupidification/) - Stupidification (n): 1. A deadly illness in which perfectly good ideas and processes are killed as a result of thoughtless interpretation and implementation. 2. The reducing of intricate issues and processes to simplistic, rigid, and mandated policies, in the impatient quest for quick fixes to complex problems. No, it’s not a real definition, but it’s
- [Intelligent vs. thoughtless use of rubrics and models (Part 1)](https://authenticeducation.org/intelligent-vs-thoughtless-use-of-rubrics-and-models-part-1/) - It was not that long ago when I did a workshop where the staff from the Dodge Foundation (who were funding my work at the time) took me aside at the break because they were concerned with my constant use of a term that they had never heard of – rubric. Those of us promoting
- [hiring: what we can learn from a sushi restaurant](https://authenticeducation.org/hiring-what-we-can-learn-from-a-sushi-restaurant/) - My elder son is a musician, recently moved to New York City after completing his education at Musician Institute in Hollywood (that culminated in his debut CD, hearable here). He went job hunting while band-forming gets underway and got an interview as a sushi cook for a midtown restaurant (based on his having been a
- [UbD and serendipity: why planning helps rather than hinders creativity](https://authenticeducation.org/ubd-and-serendipity-why-planning-helps-rather-than-hinders-creativity/) - A recent query via Twitter asked a question we often hear: isn’t UbD (or any planning process) antithetical to such approaches as project-based learning and inquiry-based learning, since you can’t and shouldn’t plan for an unknown serendipitous result? More generally, isn't there something faintly oppressive and hampering of creativity in such planning approaches? In short:
- [On Rubrics and Models, Part 2: A Dialogue](https://authenticeducation.org/on-rubrics-and-models-part-2-a-dialogue/) - To continue our look at rubrics and models, I offer below a revised version of a dialogue I wrote 20 years ago to attempt to clarify what a rubric is and what differentiates good from not so good rubrics. You can read more in MOD J in Advanced Topics in Unit Design. [I further revised
- [On genuine vs. bogus inquiry - using EQs properly](https://authenticeducation.org/on-genuine-vs-bogus-inquiry-using-eqs-properly/) - We had a delightful visit to The School of the Future in New York City the other day. Lots of engaged kids, a great blend of instruction and constructivist work, and an obvious intellectual culture. And as the picture illustrates, everywhere we went we also saw helpful visual reminders of the big ideas and essential
- [hiring, part 2: A friend responds with an interesting example in medicine](https://authenticeducation.org/hiring-part-2-a-friend-responds-with-an-interesting-example-in-medicine/) - Many readers resonated with my post on hiring. But the best response is worthy of its own guest post. The following ironically came from the mother of Justin's girlfriend, after she saw the post on Justin's experience in getting hired as a sushi chef. Thanks, Kathy! Though I am out of your industry, my industry
- [Autonomy and the need to back off by design as teachers](https://authenticeducation.org/autonomy-and-the-need-to-back-off-by-design-as-teachers/) - My greatest learning as a teacher came on the soccer field. We had been working for a few weeks on the same key ‘moves’ on the field related to creating ‘space’. After a few practices, the team looked good in the drills – they’ve got it! Next two games? Nothing: like we never learned
- [The budding mathematicians at East Tipp Middle School and the mystery of the lost information](https://authenticeducation.org/the-budding-mathematicians-at-east-tipp-middle-school-and-the-mystery-of-the-lost-information/) - I received an email a few weeks ago from a math teacher: Hello, Dr. Wiggins -- My students and I sent a question to Prentice Hall in hopes that they would forward it on to the book's editors. As several weeks have passed, we were not sure that the message was sent or received. So
- [The E. Tipp middle school problem solvers, part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/the-e-tipp-middle-school-problem-solvers-part-2/) - As readers of the blog know, I had a delightful exchange recently with Tom Rice and his middle school algebra sleuths which can be found here. Tom promised some pictures. Here they are, with his notes: Sorry for the delay, but we’ve had a hard time lately of getting everyone together for a picture. It’s
- [The E. Tipp middle school problem solvers, part 3](https://authenticeducation.org/the-e-tipp-middle-school-problem-solvers-part-3/) - Readers of the blog have come to know and love hearing about the algebra whiz kids from East Tipp Middle School in Indiana (see here and here). They have just solved the most recent problem I gave them in all sorts of ingenious ways. Here was the challenge: We all know that the Pythagorean Theorem states
- [On so-called 'reading strategies' - the utter mess that is the literature and advice to teachers](https://authenticeducation.org/on-so-called-reading-strategies-the-utter-mess-that-is-the-literature-and-advice-to-teachers/) - Note: I made a few edits for clarity to this post, based on some early feedback. strat·e·gy [strat-i-jee] noun, plural strat·e·gies. The science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations. A plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific
- [The power of modeling and performance: a guest post on the Suzuki method of music teaching](https://authenticeducation.org/the-power-of-modeling-and-performance-a-guest-post-on-the-suzuki-method-of-music-teaching/) - As I lay on the beach in Costa Rica chillin' with my friend and colleague Jay McTighe, I have a treat for readers today: a guest blog post from Susan Fine. Susan has been a teacher, an administrator, a writer, and a cellist (briefly). She currently serves as a curriculum consultant for the Tech International Charter
- [On strategy, part 2: response to feedback on earlier post about the mess of 'reading strategies'](https://authenticeducation.org/on-strategy-part-2-response-to-feedback-on-earlier-post-about-the-mess-of-reading-strategies/) - I received a big batch of e-mail, blog replies, and face-to-face feedback in response to my recent post on the confusions around so-called reading strategies. The good news: almost everyone thought the discussion of the difference between strategy and tactics was helpful. But most people wanted more specific examples to help them understand what to
- [Webinar on design thinking](https://authenticeducation.org/webinar-on-design-thinking/) - On Thursday, we did a live webinar on design thinking involving me, David Jakes, Don Buckley; and moderated by my colleague, Kristen Swanson. It was a nice blend of talk and tweets! You can see the recording and look at Twitter highlights of the event by clicking on the link below: [View the story "Open
- [An excerpt from our just-released book on Essential Questions](https://authenticeducation.org/an-excerpt-from-our-just-released-book-on-essential-questions/) - The following is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of the just-released book Essential Questions: Opening Doorways to Student Understanding, written by Jay McTighe and me, and published by ASCD. Now that you have a better sense of the characteristics of Essential Questions and ways of designing them, we turn to the question of implementation. How,
- [Radical test prep](https://authenticeducation.org/radical-test-prep/) - April is test-prep month (apparently). So, what better use of my blog than to provide harried readers with some test-prep tips? But beware: the tips I am going to provide are very different than the thoughtless and passive-aggressive ones you get from most people offering such tips. “I’d love to teach for understanding, but there’s
- [Guest post: more on strategy and tactics in teaching (in this case, English)](https://authenticeducation.org/guest-post-more-on-strategy-and-tactics-in-teaching-in-this-case-english/) - While I am out in the sunshine playing hooky after this long winter, Adam Fachler, a fine teacher in New York City, is guest blogging today as part of my ongoing consideration of strategy vs tactics in teaching. Recently, I have begun to pursue connections between Grant Wiggins’ work and the work of George Hillocks,
- [The Standards and creativity - compatible](https://authenticeducation.org/the-standards-and-creativity-compatible/) - Why do people insist on viewing the Standards as inconsistent with teacher creativity and choice? I am baffled by such uncreative thinking. That's like saying the architect cannot be creative because every house has to meet building code. Indeed, the whole point of mandating standards as opposed to curriculum is to free people up
- [My 100th post. So why not bash algebra?](https://authenticeducation.org/my-100th-post-so-why-not-bash-algebra/) - Hard for me to believe, but this is my 100th blog post. That's the equivalent of a 300 page book - with much less pain, and lots more fun interaction: thanks to all my loyal readers and responders! And hooray for the Internet for permitting easy and rich discourse about one’s ideas. To celebrate I
- [Dereliction of duty by HS teachers](https://authenticeducation.org/dereliction-of-duty-by-hs-teachers/) - From a recent Ed Week article: A survey by ACT finds that 89 percent of high school teachers report their students are "well" or "very well" prepared for college-level work in the subject they teach, while just 26 percent of college instructors say incoming students are "well" or "very well" prepared for entry-level courses. I
- [The break-things-into-bits mistake we have been making in education for centuries - happening today with standards](https://authenticeducation.org/the-break-things-into-bits-mistake-we-have-been-making-in-education-for-centuries-happening-today-with-standards/) - In the just-released Math Publisher’s Criteria document on the Common Core Standards, the authors say this about (bad) curricular decision-making: “’Fragmenting the Standards into individual standards, or individual bits of standards … produces a sum of parts that is decidedly less than the whole’ (Appendix from the K-8 Publishers’ Criteria). Breaking down standards poses a
- [Beginnings, and their educational importance](https://authenticeducation.org/beginnings-and-their-educational-importance/) - “You know that the beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a young and tender thing.” – PLATO, The Republic, Book II. Where to begin? – an essential question in all story-telling and thus, also, in curriculum writing. Where, how should we begin a long intellectual journey? What
- [The Common Core Standards: a Defense](https://authenticeducation.org/the-common-core-standards-a-defense/) - Tis the season to bash the Common Core – to the point of some over the top heated rhetoric. Let’s remind ourselves why the Common Core is just common sense. There is no Nebraska algebra or Virginia reading. There is little disagreement about what constitute good outcomes in reading writing and math, yet by allowing
- [20 years later: the immorality of test security, revisited](https://authenticeducation.org/20-years-later-the-immorality-of-test-security-revisited/) - The title of this post refers to the title of an article I wrote twenty years ago: The Immorality of Test Security. It is basically immoral to hold people accountable for improved results on tests that are so secure that teachers aren’t even allowed, in some cases, to see them. And as more states back off
- [What, exactly, is close reading of the text?](https://authenticeducation.org/what-exactly-is-close-reading-of-the-text/) - Readers of the blog no doubt know that the title of this post refers to the general discussions taking place nationally around the ELA Common Core Standards – especially, in light of the firm words from David Coleman himself about what close reading does and does not mean. But this brief post is prompted by
- [On close reading, part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/on-close-reading-part-2/) - What is close reading? As I said in my previous blog post, whatever it is, it differs from a personal response to the text. But let's now read a bit more closely on close reading to determine what it is. Here is what the Common Core ELA Standards say: Students who meet the Standards readily
- ["I didn’t know they could think!"](https://authenticeducation.org/i-didnt-know-they-could-think/) - “I didn’t know they could think!” an excited high school principal blurted out. The principal was reacting to what he had just witnessed: his 9th grade students engaging in their first-ever Socratic Seminar, facilitated by my colleague and wife Denise a few years ago in a Louisiana district. It was a poignant moment (even though
- [The challenge of responding to off-the-mark comments](https://authenticeducation.org/the-challenge-of-responding-to-off-the-mark-comments/) - I have been thinking a lot lately about the challenge we face as educators when well-intentioned learners make incorrect, inscrutable, thoughtless, or otherwise off-the-mark comments. It’s a crucial moment in teaching: how do you respond to an unhelpful remark in a way that 1) dignifies the attempt while 2) making sure that no one leaves
- [Cheating or not?](https://authenticeducation.org/cheating-or-not/) - Cheating or not? As the school year ends and many of you have student papers due, here’s an ethical challenge related to such assignments, put to the New York Times Ethicist last Sunday: When I was in college, I’d sometimes write a single paper that would satisfy assignments in more than one course. For instance,
- [A 4th of July reflection on student intellectual autonomy](https://authenticeducation.org/a-4th-of-july-reflection-on-student-intellectual-freedom/) - NOTE: The current version is edited from the original. I realized the need to clarify a few points, based on some early feedback. The 4th of July: a great time to think about independence. No, not yours or mine; the students’ independence. What curricular plan do you have for giving students increasing intellectual autonomy next
- [10,000](https://authenticeducation.org/10000-2/) - I awoke this morning to find that I have 10,005 followers on Twitter. In the grand scheme of things that fact isn't worth a wet paper towel but I confess it gave me a little thrill. Ten thousand - a big number. It conjured up an image of all 10,000 breathlessly awaiting my next 140
- [Better seeing what we don't see as we teach](https://authenticeducation.org/better-seeing-what-we-dont-see-as-we-teach/) - When Stanford Professor Lee Shulman was first enmeshed in the research that led to Board certification of teachers by NBPTS, I asked him – in a hotel bathroom, of all places – what interesting findings were turning up about great teachers as compared to the rest. He replied: “Well, you might not find this such
- [Some common sense on the heels of the release of NYS tests](https://authenticeducation.org/some-common-sense-on-the-heels-of-the-release-of-nys-tests/) - How high should we set the bar? How good is good enough - especially in a world where 40% of HS graduates need remediation in college? That leads directly to a practical question of great (and current) significance that is overlooked at present: What is a valid and helpful local grading system in terms of
- [Bored? Tough. (Hard to believe this is published in a major Ed publication)](https://authenticeducation.org/bored-tough-hard-to-believe-this-is-published-in-a-major-ed-publication/) - Jeesh. Do these college guys ever stop to ask themselves whether what they are doing is good enough? Why not blame both kids and high schools for everything - in public! I am referring to this absurd Commentary in Education Week this week in which a college professor not only tells bored students to like
- [A Dialogue With Patrick Honner on Rigor](https://authenticeducation.org/a-dialogue-with-patrick-honner-on-rigor/) - A Conversation About Rigor — Part 1 This is the first post in a dialogue between Patrick Honner and me concerning rigor, testing, and the new Common Core Math Standards. Each installment in this series will be cross-posted both here and at MrHonner.com. We invite readers to join the conversation. Please post any comments at Patrick's
- [What is a Course?](https://authenticeducation.org/what-is-a-course/) - In my 100th blog post I complained about the course called 'algebra'. Some commenters misunderstood the complaint. Though I said a few times in the article that my critique was not about the content called algebra but the aimless march through stuff that makes up almost every algebra course in existence, some thought I was bashing the
- [Some resources for math teachers in need of a little nudge (and some re-direction)](https://authenticeducation.org/some-resources-for-math-teachers-in-need-of-a-little-nudge-and-some-re-direction/) - A number of math teachers have complained either directly or indirectly recently that I have offered criticisms but no solutions to the problem of poorly-designed math courses, especially at the secondary level. For example: “In my opinion the writer suggests that textbooks are merely a collection of topics with examples of exercises under each and
- [Standards? Yes! Current Implementation? No!: How we have re-invented Soviet-era wheat quotas](https://authenticeducation.org/standards-yes-current-implementation-no-how-we-have-re-invented-soviet-era-wheat-quotas/) - Readers know that I am a strong supporter of Standards generally and the Common Core specifically. To me it is simply a no-brainer: there is no such thing as Georgia Algebra or Montana Writing. In a mobile society, and based on economies of scale, common national standards make a lot of sense. But no friends
- [4 Big ideas of algebra - a reply to my challenge, and my response](https://authenticeducation.org/4-big-ideas-of-algebra-a-reply-to-my-challenge-and-my-response/) - In a blog post a while back, I threw down the gauntlet to algebra teachers: identify four big ideas that could ground the course and make it more intellectually worthy. My new virtual friend Patrick Honner took me up on it here. The 4 ideas he identifies are: 1) Algebraic Structure 2) Binary Relations 3)
- [A simple move to avoid 'coverage' and make time for more learning](https://authenticeducation.org/a-simple-move-to-avoid-coverage-and-make-time-for-more-learning/) - We have all said it and we have all heard it: there's just no time to slow down and [fill in the blank], I have so much to cover... This, despite the fact that we all know, at some level, that it is not the 'teaching' that causes learning but the attempts by the learner to
- [Beyond teacher egocentrism: design thinking](https://authenticeducation.org/beyond-teacher-egocentrism-design-thinking/) - As teachers we understandably believe that it is the ‘teaching’ that causes learning. But this is too egocentric a formulation. As I said in my previous post, the learner’s attempts to learn causes all learning. The teaching is a stimulus; the attempted learning (or lack of it) is the response. No matter what the teacher
- [Design Thinking, postscript: the importance of the teacher](https://authenticeducation.org/design-thinking-postscript-the-impor/) - In my last post - widely viewed and commented on in various places - I proposed that it was a bit egocentric to think of education in terms of the teacher and the teaching since the teacher is only one element in the design. Many commenters protested that while this may be true overall, they
- [Block](https://authenticeducation.org/block/) - I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back in again. —Oscar Wilde Easy reading is damn hard writing. —Nathaniel Hawthorne I don't want to go on about this too much, but there is a passage in each
- [It's time to retire E D Hirsch's tired refrains](https://authenticeducation.org/its-time-to-retire-e-d-hirschs-tired-refrains/) - The time-consuming test prep with endless exercises on “finding the main idea” and “questioning the author,” exercises that are supposed to help improve verbal abilities, have become the chief cause of today’s curriculum narrowing. Paradoxically then, emphasis on reading and reading tests have helped to cause low reading scores among school leavers. E D Hirsch
- [Experiential Learning](https://authenticeducation.org/experiential-learning/) - I recently visited Thetford Academy in Vermont (one of the few and interesting public-private academies in New England) where they have a formal and explicit commitment to "experiential learning." So, the leaders of the school asked me to visit classes that were doing experiential learning and to talk with staff at day's end about it.I
- [To my critics](https://authenticeducation.org/to-my-critics/) - To all my critics, some who either posted comments to my open letter to Diane Ravitch or tweeted them or blogged them: thanks for the discussion. Many of you made thoughtful points that can be summed up in this post: Even though this blog is addressed to Diane Ravitch, I don’t think you are
- [Is significant school reform needed or not?: an open letter to Diane Ravitch (and like-minded educators)](https://authenticeducation.org/is-significant-school-reform-needed-or-not-an-open-letter-to-diane-ravitch-and-like-minded-educators/) - I have always admired you, Diane, as a scholar and clear-headed thinker, even when I disagreed with you. Now? I am saddened by your Manichean view of the education reform world. You now consistently write and speak as if all would-be reformers have nothing but selfish or devious motives for advocating significant changes in public
- [Standards? Yes! Current Implementation? No!: How we have re-invented Soviet-era wheat quotas](https://authenticeducation.org/standards-yes-current-implementation-no-how-we-have-re-invented-soviet-era-wheat-quotas-2/) - Just to remind people of my views on current policies, I am re-posting this entry from the summer. And please read these older ones: On the immorality of test security. And this one on the value added fiasco.
- [More on student boredom - from students](https://authenticeducation.org/more-on-student-boredom-from-students/) - Last week I tweeted out a request for teachers to find some students willing to write about needless boredom in schools and received a number of replies. (This is a follow-up to my student survey results.) Sarah Gross, a teacher at High Tech. HS in NJ, collected some great writings. Here are excerpts from two of
- [Expectations and little kids](https://authenticeducation.org/expectations-and-little-kids/) - I like Carol Burris and appreciate what she is doing to rally educators against what she sees as the errors being made by New York State officials and the implementers of Common Core Standards in general. As I have often said, it is up to every educator to be pro-active about change, whether it be
- [November 22nd](https://authenticeducation.org/november-22nd/) - I don't usually blog about current events or the big social issues of our lives, but today is a special day for me and for all of us of a certain age. You young-uns just cannot imagine what a shocking event the assassination of President Kennedy was on November 22, 50 years ago today. It
- [Genuine vs. sham accountability](https://authenticeducation.org/genuine-vs-sham-accountability/) - The following is from a WORD file on my computer: Imagine if school basketball seasons ended in a special test of discrete drills, on the last day of the winter, in which the players – and coaches – did not know in advance which drills they would be asked to do. Imagine further that they
- [Listen to the students, policy-makers and pundits](https://authenticeducation.org/listen-to-the-students-policy-makers-and-pundits/) - Readers of this blog will recall that I routinely look at issues of student engagement via our surveys, news articles, available research, and comments offered by students. In this post we again here from students directly concerning the positive role that teachers and school can play for students in difficult personal and neighborhood surroundings. The
- [Exemplary Teacher Evaluation, Part 1](https://authenticeducation.org/exemplary-teacher-evaluation-part-1/) - To develop a teacher evaluation system that is exemplary, there have to be clear, valid, and robust standards for such a system. So, before offering my particular version, as promised recently, I offer below a set of standards for use in building, critiquing, or improving any such system – including my own, to be posted
- [2013 in review](https://authenticeducation.org/2013-in-review/) - The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog. Here's an excerpt: The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 270,000 times in 2013. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 12 days for that many people to see
- [Mandating the mere posting of objectives, and other pointless ideas](https://authenticeducation.org/mandating-the-daily-posting-of-objectives-and-other-dumb-ideas/) - As promised in a prior post and in response to reader queries: Yes, I am still working on my ideal accountability system (as follow-up to my criticism of most current test-score-based systems). In the meantime, I want to respond to a number of recent e-mails, observations in classrooms, and in-person discussions with educators about the
- [final exams vs. projects - nope, false dichotomy: a practical start to the blog year](https://authenticeducation.org/final-exams-vs-projects-nope-false-dichotomy-a-practical-start-to-the-blog-year/) - Let’s begin the new year with a nuts and bolts educational issue. (My New Year’s Resolution is to say less about hot-button political issues and make fewer needless enemies...). In this post I consider the place of final exams. In the next post I consider the place of lectures in teaching. Exams vs. projects? UbD
- [Apartheid [a deleted post]](https://authenticeducation.org/apartheid-a-deleted-post/) - [This was the original post that caused so much distress; I took it down and re-wrote it. This apology refers to it, and the re-write is here.] Well, I am breaking my New Year's Resolution after a mere 10 days…. This is very brief post - a tiny little provocation - that has been bugging me for years,
- [2nd class citizens](https://authenticeducation.org/apartheid/) - Throughout history, some humans have forced other humans to live a second-class existence based on some arbitrary rule or standard. In so doing they violate the Golden Rule (or, if you are more philosophically inclined, Rawls' Veil of Ignorance): we would never accept for ourselves the fate we mandate for others. For example: unfair laws;
- [An apology and an explanation](https://authenticeducation.org/an-apology-and-an-explanation/) - Apartheid (Afrikaans pronunciation: [ɐˈpartɦɛit]; an Afrikaans[1] word meaning 'the state of being apart', literally 'apart-hood'[2][3]) The definition above, from Wikipedia, is my rationale for using the word in my previous post. I was describing a system that forbade the mingling of peoples in the most common of living situations. If you read closely, you would see that I deliberately
- [Meetings](https://authenticeducation.org/meetings/) - A few years ago, when I was working in a district near my home (a very fine district by most conventional measures), I received a call from my contact: "The head of the science department is eager to talk with you about a problem." I naturally thought it was about some design or implementation issue
- [Change and challenge: tips on moving forward in the face of resistance](https://authenticeducation.org/change-and-challenge-tips-on-moving-forward-in-the-face-of-resistance/) - I received the following email recently about the difficulty of dealing with resistant or challenging people in workshops: I serve schools as a math and data coach throughout the State. I am writing you looking for some ideas. I generally work with low-achieving schools and often a staple of the school culture in these schools
- [Lectures, part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/lectures-part-2/) - As I mentioned in Part 1, numerous attempts to improve the lecture have been proposed and implemented over the past 100 years. So much so that in some cases the “lecture” has disappeared – even if the learning is taking place in a lecture hall and some teacher talk is still happening. All of these
- [The lecture](https://authenticeducation.org/the-lecture/) - I recently wrote that Understanding by Design is agnostic about any specific method or pedagogy. The bottom-line question has to do with validity: given the goals, what follows? Thus, it makes little sense to say “I never lecture” or “I always do authentic assessments” as if it were a question of ideology or personal taste.
- [Lectures, part 3](https://authenticeducation.org/lectures-part-3/) - It can be said flatly that the mere act of listening to wise statements and sound advice does little for anyone. In the process of learning, the learner’s dynamic cooperation is required… Teachers, since it is their avowed objective to extend the knowledge boundaries of others, are particularly beset by the temptation to tell what
- [Validity, part 1 (revised)](https://authenticeducation.org/validity-part-1-revised/) - [ Note: I have made a number of line edits for clarity since this was first posted. Please refer to this version rather than the original version. Part 2 and Part 3 in this series on assessing can be found by clicking on the links.] I have found from doing assessment work with educators over
- [Testing and thinking](https://authenticeducation.org/testing-and-thinking/) - We interrupt this general look at test validity to comment on very important educational research that was just made public (though the news of the findings was made known a few months ago on the APA website). In an exhaustive study that used MCAS test scores from Massachusetts and various tests of cognition (related to
- [What if…? Part 1: Staffing](https://authenticeducation.org/what-if-part-1-staffing/) - What if we hired and placed teachers completely differently? I have been thinking about this issue for a long time. The assigning of one person to one classroom, in isolation from all other teachers, has always seemed to me to be a profound error. It hampers ongoing professional development, it breeds egocentrism, and makes it
- [Validity, part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/validity-part-2/) - In the first post in this series, I defined what validity is and why it is more tricky to determine than one might think. I also warned that many educators do not understand how test-makers judge validity, and to beware of just looking at any test question to determine it. What matters is the link
- [Reliability](https://authenticeducation.org/reliability/) - The blog gods are very fickle. I had almost put the finishing touches on Validity Part 3 - in which I offered a lengthy discussion of the SAT - and then the College Board today announces an overhaul of the test. And interestingly, the chief rationale is validity: But beyond the particulars, Mr. Coleman emphasized
- [Still alive and well; just swamped](https://authenticeducation.org/still-alive-and-well-just-swamped/) - A few loyal readers wrote worried emails: Grant, are you OK??? Yes, I'm just fine. Alas, I have been swamped by work and travel demands (back and forth twice to Europe as well as to LA for ASCD) in the last month. I plan to get back into the blog swing of things shortly. A
- [What feedback is and isn't](https://authenticeducation.org/what-feedback-is-and-isnt/) - The research is clear: good feedback is essential to learning at high levels. Alas, too few people understand what feedback is and isn’t. Don’t believe me? Here’s a true/false quiz: which of the following 4 statements is feedback? “Nice job on the project, Sheshona!” “Next time, Sam, you’ll want to make your thesis clearer to the
- [Engagement and Personalization: Feedback Part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/engagement-and-personalization-feedback-part-2/) - We know the relationship between feedback and achievement is strong. What about the relationship between feedback, personalization and, hence, motivation? The recently-released Gallup poll on American education in which hundreds of thousands students and teachers were polled is quite revealing. Personalized learning and feedback – and, more specifically, personal recognition for work well done –
- [Conceptual Understanding in Mathematics](https://authenticeducation.org/conceptual-understanding-in-mathematics/) - The Common Core Standards in Mathematics stress the importance of conceptual understanding as a key component of mathematical expertise. Alas, in my experience, many math teachers do not understand conceptual understanding. Far too many think that if students know all the definitions and rules, then they possess such understanding. The Standards themselves arguably offer too
- [On argument, open-mindedness, the Common Core, and educational discourse in the blogging era](https://authenticeducation.org/on-argument-open-mindedness-the-common-core-and-educational-discourse-in-the-blogging-era/) - Singin songs and a carryin’ signs. Mostly say “hooray for our side” Stop. Hey, what’s that sound? It’s the sound of – Most bloggers and tweeters speaking only to their allies in a bubble. Not of “argument” but “cherrypicking facts” to support immovable strong opinions attempts to persuade not discuss endless ad hominem and snarky remarks
- [A modest proposal for when Common Core testing collapses](https://authenticeducation.org/a-modest-proposal-for-when-common-core-testing-collapses/) - If you agree that the track we are going down on high-stakes one-shot testing of every student in terms of Common Core is unproductive and unsustainable, I have a modest proposal to make about how to ditch the tests but move common core standards forward. Let’s use matrix sampling in national testing, as NAEP has always done
- [Fixing the high school - Student Survey, Part 1](https://authenticeducation.org/fixing-the-high-school/) - [lightly edited since the original posting to achieve greater clarity and to add links by request] I recently had a pleasant back and forth with Michael Petrilli of the Fordham Institute on what ails the high school. He was reviewing the recent disconcerting NAEP results that once again show high school achievement is resistant to reform. On
- [The Typical HS - Student Survey, Part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/the-typical-hs-student-survey-part-2/) - In the previous post, we looked at student survey data from a typical US high school. In this post I want to provide some interesting demographic breakdowns before turning to student constructed response answers at the bottom here and in the next post. First, let's look at results by gender: Now let's look
- [The Typical HS: Student Survey, Part 3](https://authenticeducation.org/the-typical-hs-student-survey-part-3/) - As I noted in Part 2 of this blog series on student survey results, English as a subject is not well liked by many students. And it is a particular problem for boys. Indeed, the gap between boys and girls in English (in terms of liking) is great than the gap between girls and boys in Math.
- [The Typical HS: Student Survey, Part 4 (revised)](https://authenticeducation.org/the-typical-hs-student-survey-part-4/) - Please use this updated version if you send it around. Want to know what kids need in order to learn better? Ask them: Here are the first 50 answers, unedited, from our typical HS. I learn best when the teacher – Has us do work hands on and with more discussion. It just seems like
- [The Typical HS: Student Survey, Part 5](https://authenticeducation.org/the-typical-hs-student-survey-part-5/) - In my final post from students at a typical US High School, I end on an upbeat note: what students say is the best assignment they have had this year. Again, I picked the first 50 answers at random: Earlier in the school year, we dissected frogs. Although they smelled, it was pretty fun. In
- [My thoughts on the Vergara tenure/work rules decision](https://authenticeducation.org/my-thoughts-on-the-vergara-tenurework-rules-decision/) - I was originally going to write a lengthy blog post on the Judge’s decision in the Vergara case concerning teacher tenure and job rights vs. student rights to a quality education. But June in Paris makes one less interested in lofty policy debates and more interested in trying out that new boulangerie that supposedly has
- [Some pithy wisdom from W H Auden](https://authenticeducation.org/some-pithy-wisdom-from-w-h-auden/) - “As readers, we remain in the nursery stage so long as we cannot distinguish between taste and judgment, so long, that is, as the only possible verdicts we can pass on a book are two: this I like; this I don't like. For an adult reader, the possible verdicts are five: I can see this
- [Middle School Students Survey Responses: Most Interesting Work Last Year](https://authenticeducation.org/middle-school-students-survey-responses-most-interesting-work-last-year/) - A number of people have tweeted or emailed me to post survey responses from middle school students specifically. So, here you go: a random sample from 1400+ answers – What was the MOST INTERESTING work (activity/project/test/lab etc.) you were asked to do in any class in the last few months? Describe what made it so interesting (so
- [A few summer thoughts](https://authenticeducation.org/a-few-summer-thoughts/) - As Dave Barry used to say, "alert readers will have noticed" that I have been MIA in my blog. I had a good excuse: my last week of work in Paris at ASP and 3 straight weeks of Summer Institutes. I finally have some down time, so before I head to the back porch with
- [What's the job of teacher? The crying need for a genuine job description.](https://authenticeducation.org/whats-the-job-of-teacher-the-crying-need-for-a-genuine-job-description/) - A rarely discussed weakness in education is the lack of a true job description for teachers in hiring. Being told that “you will teach US History” or “we are hiring you to be a 4th grade teacher” is not a job description. It doesn’t say what you are responsible for causing. It merely describes the
- [How do you plan? redux](https://authenticeducation.org/how-do-you-plan-redux/) - The post below is a greatly revised version of a 2-year-old post. I thought it worth doing in light of a recent comment to the previous post on the teacher job description. Here is the comment: For myself, I haven’t ever been a slave to a textbook, and go through the process you describe every
- [Assessment, grading and rigor: toward common sense and predictable outcomes on tests](https://authenticeducation.org/assessment-grading-and-rigor-toward-common-sense-and-predictable-outcomes-on-tests/) - Over the last few months I have worked with a number of high schools and middle schools where the grading and assessment practices simply do not work in a world of standards. The schools are not making local assessment rigorous enough in their concern with demoralizing students through low grades. The solution is straightforward: don’t
- [A Guest Post from Jim Burke in Response to my Post on Planning](https://authenticeducation.org/a-guest-post-from-jim-burke-in-response-to-my-post-on-planning/) - Jim Burke, fine author and teacher, was kind enough to write a lengthy email, with handouts, on my prior blog entry on planning with its request for more info on how teachers plan: When I read the bit about Gawunde I decided I had to share the page I use as a Checklist idea that I
- [UbD and Inquiry - a Response to 2 Questions](https://authenticeducation.org/ubd-and-inquiry-a-response-to-2-questions/) - Over the past few weeks I have received a few interesting queries on Twitter, and Labor Day weekend seems like a nice time to respond to them and reflect on the school year ahead. Two of the questions concern the relationship between inquiry and UbD: Q1: Do you consider UbD to be inquiry learning? Q2:
- [Vacation Reading and Inferencing](https://authenticeducation.org/vacation-reading-and-inferencing/) - from – How Not To Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking, Jordan Ellenberg, Penguin, 2014:The methods of calculus are a lot like linear regression: they’re purely mechanical. Your calculator can carry them out, and it’s very dangerous to use them inattentively. On a calculus exam you might be asked to compute the weight of
- [Wanted: real curriculum leaders, not just managers](https://authenticeducation.org/wanted-real-curriculum-leaders-not-just-managers/) - What is leadership in curriculum? Whatever the answer, the question should not be confused with a related but far different query: What is management in curriculum? Yet, I suspect that few people with curricular responsibilities appreciate how different the questions and answers are – and why real leadership is rare yet sorely needed now. Management.
- [Our job as mentors](https://authenticeducation.org/our-job-as-mentors/) - Tom Friedman wrote a highly-read and forwarded op-ed piece in the New York Times recently in which he summarized the key findings in a recent Gallup/Purdue poll. The survey looked at success in life and the workplace through the lens of a few key factors in one's college experience. The survey found, among other things,
- [Wanted: Feedback, wish list, and stories for 3rd edition of UbD](https://authenticeducation.org/wanted-feedback-wish-list-and-stories-for-3rd-edition-of-ubd/) - Jay and I are beginning the challenge of developing the 3rd edition of Understanding by Design and we would love your input. We know some things we want to accomplish: Reflect the national standards Offer more practical advice about good design, editing, and improving designs Shorten the book Offer template options based on sound principles
- [What would you do? A Thought Experiment in Supervision](https://authenticeducation.org/what-would-you-do-a-thought-experiment-in-supervision/) - Here is a little provocation for all readers of this blog who play or would like to play some sort of supervisory or coach role. What would you do? I have been working off and on for a few years in a high school nearby. As a result of so much work, I have gotten
- [A PS to the guest post on shadowing HS students (and the author revealed)](https://authenticeducation.org/a-ps-to-the-guest-post-on-shadowing-hs-students-and-the-author-revealed/) - So... Over 650,000 read the previous guest post on the shadowing of two HS students. And over 250 readers wrote comments, most of them long and heartfelt. What happened? Clearly it struck a chord. Not news. Yet, as a number of commenters pointed out - and I agree - the passive and sitting life of a HS student is
- [Argument - the Core of the Common Core - and a clarifying example](https://authenticeducation.org/argument-the-core-of-the-common-core-and-a-clarifying-example/) - The Common Core Standards make crystal clear that college and professional workplace readiness demand student ability to read and write arguments. Indeed, while identifying the three genres of writing in the Anchor Standards, Appendix A stresses the priority of argument: While all three text types are important, the Standards put particular emphasis on students’ ability to write
- [A Fair Test: Ban Secrecy](https://authenticeducation.org/a-fair-test-ban-secrecy/) - What’s the point of standardized tests? [O]n Wednesday, Barbara Byrd-Bennet, the [Chicago] district CEO, said that she still has big concerns about the [PARCC] test and doesn’t want to administer it to students this spring: “The purpose of standardized assessments is to inform instruction. At present, too many questions remain about PARCC to know how this
- [12 Ways to Kill Understanding by Design (UbD) from the Start](https://authenticeducation.org/12-ways-to-kill-understanding-by-design-ubd-from-the-start/) - Sigh. Despite our cautions, well-meaning local change agents continue to make mistakes in how Understanding by Design (UbD) is implemented. Below, find 12 ways of killing the effort for sure, and some suggestions for how to avoid the all-too-common mistakes: Fixate on terminology and boxes in the Template and provide little or no insight
- [5th Graders Speak Out - Survey Results](https://authenticeducation.org/5th-graders-speak-out-survey-results/) - As luck would have it, in the past month 4 elementary schools used our student survey, and so we have responses from 5th graders. The results are intriguing when compared against typical high school responses. Favorite two subjects? Same answer as middle schoolers, and in John Goodlad's massive study A Place Called School 30 years
- [Hands on ≠ Minds on](https://authenticeducation.org/hands-on-≠-minds-on/) - from today's Smartbrief: Student members of the Young Americans for Freedom at a school in Rome, Ga., marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany with a re-enactment at their school. They knocked down a graffiti-covered, 12-foot-long wall made from wood for the dramatization. "It is great
- [Failure: the 8th grade NYS Common Core Math Test](https://authenticeducation.org/failure-the-8th-grade-nys-common-core-math-test/) - As I have often written here, the Common Core Standards are just common sense – but that the devil is in the details of implementation. And in light of the unfortunate excessive secrecy surrounding the test items and their months-later analysis, educators are in the unfortunate and absurd position of having to guess what the opaque results
- [Questions about Questions: NCSS and UbD](https://authenticeducation.org/questions-about-questions-ncss-and-ubd/) - Many history and social studies teachers have asked me a question that is moving around Twitter: “What is the relationship between an essential question and a compelling question?" Their query derives from the language of Understanding by Design – essential questions – vs. the language used in the C3 Framework (The College, Career, and Civic
- [Wise Words](https://authenticeducation.org/wise-words/) - ABOUT EDUCATION; NEW STUDY FINDS LACK OF CREATIVITY By FRED M. HECHINGER THE curriculum is ''sterile.'' Topics of great human interest ''on the way to the classroom are apparently transformed and homogenized into something of limited appeal.'' Students ''scarcely ever speculate on meanings'' or discuss ''alternative interpretations.'' Teachers ''teach as they were taught'' years ago
- [A Post from Paris](https://authenticeducation.org/a-post-from-paris/) - I happened to be in Paris the day of the terror attack, and it was a bit unnerving since I was at the American School. Our meeting abruptly ended as heightened security went into immediate effect, and I took the train back to Paris. I seem to be bad luck: I was in DC during
- [On differentiation: a reply to a rant and a posing of questions](https://authenticeducation.org/on-differentiation-a-reply-to-a-rant-and-a-posing-of-questions/) - James DeLisle recently wrote a Commentary in Education Week in which he trashed differentiation of learning. In this post, I respond to his utterly invalid arguments. In the next post I speak to the larger issue of teacher vs. school obligation in dealing with heterogeneous classes, and what heterogeneity should and should not demand of
- [Shadowing students, part 3 - a nice example of policy and practice in Ontario, Canada](https://authenticeducation.org/shadowing-students-part-3-a-nice-example-of-policy-and-practice-in-ontario-canada/) - Readers will recall that my daughter's post on shadowing students resulted in over 3 million hits (and numerous requests for reprinting or interviews with reporters from all over the world). My follow-up received half a million. I called for educators to share other stories or versions of student shadowing. That led to a few Canadian
- [The baby and the bathwater - further thoughts on not just DI, but many reform failures](https://authenticeducation.org/the-baby-and-the-bathwater-further-thoughts-on-not-just-di-but-many-reform-failures/) - Readers will know that I promised a thoughtful follow-up to my previous post in which I criticized DeLisle’s recent Ed Week rant on differentiated instruction. However, after pondering the subject intensely for a week, I find myself facing a somewhat different and broader question – the baby and bathwater question: why do we constantly fail
- [Maybe we don't understand what readers really do - and why it matters](https://authenticeducation.org/maybe-we-dont-understand-what-readers-really-do-and-why-it-matters/) - How well are we doing in comprehension of text as a nation? You know the answer. We are doing poorly when it comes to genuine comprehension: And look at math vs. reading: And this, from a Christian Science Monitor article on 12th grade NAEP results in reading: In many ways, the 2013 reading scores for
- [Dozens of EQs from a vital source](https://authenticeducation.org/dozens-of-eqs-from-a-vital-source/) - An excerpt from an important book: "We have framed some questions which, in our judgment, are responsive to the actual and immediate as against the fancied and future needs of learners in the world as it is (not as it was): What do you worry about most? What are the causes of your worries? Can
- [5 unfortunate misunderstandings that almost all educators have about Bloom’s Taxonomy.](https://authenticeducation.org/5-unfortunate-misunderstandings-that-almost-all-educators-have-about-blooms-taxonomy/) - Admit it: you only read the list of the six levels of the Taxonomy, not the whole book that explains each level and the rationale behind the Taxonomy. Not to worry, you are not alone: this is true for most educators. But that efficiency comes with a price. Many educators have a mistaken view of
- [Teacher Effectiveness Ratings - Part 1](https://authenticeducation.org/teacher-effectiveness-ratings-part-1/) - In the following two posts, I ask teachers and administrators – especially in New York - to ponder this look at Teacher Effectiveness Ratings with an open mind. I think you will find the evidence and argument thought-provoking - worthy of further discussion and inquiry locally. Can a chronically “failing” school be inhabited by 100%
- [Teacher Effectiveness Ratings - Part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/teacher-effectiveness-ratings-part-2/) - In the previous post I looked closely at the data on teacher effectiveness for six different high schools. In this follow-up post we look more closely at a range of data from two successful schools and one school identified in the Cuomo Report on Failing Schools. Finally, I draw some important conclusions and recommendations from
- [My 200th Post - On Literacy Part 3](https://authenticeducation.org/my-200th-post-on-literacy-part-3/) - Hard to believe I have written 200 posts - the equivalent of 2 books, for no pay, and with surprisingly little pain! Thanks for reading and commenting: the thoughtful back and forth in the comments makes this all worthwhile. [Oops: I updated the post to provide the link to the graphics site.] As part of
- [On reading, Part 4: research on the comprehension strategies - a closer look](https://authenticeducation.org/on-reading-part-4-research-on-the-comprehension-strategies-a-closer-look/) - In the three previous posts on reading for understanding (here, here, and here) I looked at the general question: What can we say for sure (or not) in research on comprehension in reading? Here, I take a closer look at comprehension strategies and what the research does and doesn't say. In general, it supports many of
- [On reading, Part 2: what the research REALLY reveals](https://authenticeducation.org/on-reading-part-2-what-the-research-really-reveals/) - In a previous post I argued that the dreary and un-improving results on tests of reading comprehension mean we need to take a radical look at what we are and are not doing, especially in middle and high school. I argued in the first post that we know far too little about what real readers
- [On Reading, Part 5: A key flaw in using the Gradual Release of Responsibility model](https://authenticeducation.org/on-reading-part-5-a-key-flaw-in-using-the-gradual-release-of-responsibility-model/) - Yes, reading strategies – and explicit teaching of them – make a considerable difference, as my previous four blog posts here, here, here, and here make clear. And there is much to like about the idea of the gradual release of (teacher) responsibility in the teaching of those strategies for reading – or anything else
- [On literacy and strategy, part 6: my first cut at recommendations](https://authenticeducation.org/on-literacy-and-strategy-part-6-my-first-cut-at-recommendations/) - As the first phase of bringing closure to these blog posts on literacy at the secondary level, I want to offer a tentative list of recommendations that I believe follow from all the research cited in the previous posts. I will say more about each principle in follow-up posts, as well as offering brief bibliographic and
- [8 Reasons that today’s high school is poor preparation for today’s college](https://authenticeducation.org/8-reasons-that-todays-high-school-is-poor-preparation-for-todays-college/) - I'm working hard on my next literacy post: Meanwhile, this occurred to me on my walk just now, after pondering recent chats with my two kids who are currently in college: The schedule. No college has any class meet every day; no college schedule requires a student to be in class every hour of the school
- [Another shadowing report](https://authenticeducation.org/another-shadowing-report/) - Today's post is a guest post from Jeremy Chiappeta, Executive Director at Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy. Jeremy took us up on the challenge set by my daughter in her viral post to shadow students in order to feel their experience of school. Every day I get to work right before our scholars, but on January 26, 2015
- [On transfer as the goal in literacy (7th in a series)](https://authenticeducation.org/on-transfer-as-the-goal-in-literacy-7th-in-a-series/) - In the previous literacy post I identified a few take-away questions and related issues from my recent research on comprehension, and looked at some tips related to the 1st question: Do students understand the real point of academic reading? Do students understand that the aim of instruction is transfer of learning? Am I using the
- [On wise text selection for developing comprehension: Post #8 in a series](https://authenticeducation.org/on-wise-text-selection-for-developing-comprehension-post-8-in-a-series/) - In the previous literacy posts in this series I identified a few guiding questions that stem from the research: Do students understand the real point of academic reading? Do students understand that the aim of instruction is transfer of learning? Am I using the right texts for making clear the value of strategies? Do students
- [Why do so many HS history teachers lecture so much?](https://authenticeducation.org/why-do-so-many-hs-history-teachers-lecture-so-much/) - Really, why do HS teachers lecture so much? Almost every HS I go to I see teachers talking and kids listening (or not) more in History than any other course. And you needn't take my anecdotal word for it. For the past year, students taking our survey have been asked to respond to questions about
- [An Open Letter to Governor Cuomo: Re-think the Regs of APPR](https://authenticeducation.org/an-open-letter-to-governor-cuomo-re-think-the-regs-of-appr/) - Dear Governor Cuomo: I have my whole professional educational life been a supporter of teacher accountability. And, as you may know, I sided publicly with the findings in your recent report on the sham of current local teacher effectiveness ratings in New York schools and districts. However, I have long written and consulted on the
- [A guest post on (too much) Lecturing in HS History](https://authenticeducation.org/a-guest-post-on-too-much-lecturing-in-hs-history/) - In a previous post, I posed the question - based on student survey data and my own observations over the years - why do HS history teachers lecture so much? It generated more lengthy and numerous comments than almost any post in the history of this blog. In that post I mentioned my old friend
- [My mother's puzzlement](https://authenticeducation.org/my-mothers-puzzlement/) - My mother is an extraordinary person. Yesterday, while I made lunch for my son, father, and her, she was playing her weekly game of tennis - at age 90 - for an hour and a half. Two days previously she had hosted 6 for dinner. She is a force of nature. As with all such vital people,
- [Some excerpts from PISA Math Results - 15 year olds](https://authenticeducation.org/some-excerpts-from-pisa-math-results-15-year-olds/) - Some not surprising but still depressing excerpts from the PISA Math Results, US results: Students in the United States have particular weaknesses in performing mathematics tasks with higher cognitive demands, such as taking real-world situations, translating them into mathematical terms, and interpreting mathematical aspects in real-world problems. An alignment study between the Common Core State
- [Part 1 of a reply to Willingham on reading strategies](https://authenticeducation.org/part-1-of-a-reply-to-willingham-on-reading-strategies/) - This is Part 1 of a 2-part response In a recent Washington Post article (excerpted from his new book), Daniel Willingham proposed a provocative view of reading strategies. He refers to the comprehension reading strategies (CRS) as “tricks” not “skills” of reading. Let me offer a counter-argument: his conclusion, analogies, and the evidence from the research
- [My reply to Willingham, Part 2](https://authenticeducation.org/my-reply-to-willingham-part-2/) - In part 1 of my reply to Willingham's article on reading comprehension strategies published recently in the Washington Post, I took issue with his reasoning and analogies. In Part 2 of my response to Willingham, let me get right to the evidence. I propose that he has quoted very selectively and drawn questionable conclusions from the
- [Essential Questions: Why Ask Them?](https://authenticeducation.org/essential-questions-why-ask-them/)

## Pages

- [Home](https://authenticeducation.org/) - We believe that better learning begins with understanding. Founded by Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education has its roots in over 20 years of school reform.
- [Summer Professional Development](https://authenticeducation.org/summer-workshops/) - PD the way PD should be. High-quality, small group UbD professional development for teachers and school leaders offered on both coasts.
- [Inclusive Curriculum Design](https://authenticeducation.org/inclusive-curriculum-design/) - Mike Matthews & Monique Vogelsang offer a 3-day intensive to expand provide best practices for developing more inclusive and culturally expansive units.
- [What is an Essential Question?](https://authenticeducation.org/whatisubd/whatisanessentialquestion/) - What is an Essential Question? An Essential Question is–well, essential: important, vital, at the heart of the matter–the essence of the issue.
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- [Grant Wiggins](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/grant-wiggins/) - Grant Wiggins (1950-2015) is the Founder of Authentic Education and Co-founder, with Jay McTighe, of Understanding by Design®.
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- [Having the “Right” Conversations about Teaching Reading](https://authenticeducation.org/khanreadingseries/) - Why the “reading wars” mindset fails our students and what we can do about it. Having the “Right” Conversations about Teaching Reading. By Emily Quetone Khan.
- [Praise for Our Work](https://authenticeducation.org/praise-for-our-work/) - "Mike was one of the most engaging speakers we’ve had, and he truly came across as a coach, not just a lecturer. Truly the best PD I’ve done."
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- [Jillian O'Neill](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/jillian-oneill/) - Jillian O'Neill Authentic Education Consultant Jillian O’Neill (she/her) has almost 20 years of experience in education as a middle school Spanish teacher. She recently left the classroom to take a position in her school division’s administration office as one of Teacher Support and Retention Coordinators and where she assists with developing the mentor program for
- [Kayla Ketchabaw](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/kayla-ketchabaw/) - Kayla Ketchabaw Authentic Education Intern Kayla Ketchabaw (she/her) is a third-year student at Hobart and William Smith Colleges located in Geneva, New York. She is working towards graduating with a major in Psychological Sciences and minors in Child Advocacy, Education, and Sociology. Kayla is passionate in growing Authentic Education as her career goal is to
- [Emily Quetone Khan](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/emily-quetone-khan/) - Emily Quetone Khan Authentic Education Consultant Emily Quetone Khan (she/her) has 20 years of experience in PreK-12 education as a special education classroom teacher, inclusion specialist, learning specialist and as a leader in public, charter, non-public (NPS), independent and non-traditional school settings across the United States. She is currently the Director of Learning Services at a PreK-12
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- [Sawyer Henshaw](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/sawyerhenshaw/) - Sawyer Henshaw Authentic Education Consultant Sawyer Henshaw (she/her) is a freelance writer based in Southern California. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Scripps College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of San Francisco. Sawyer has worked in education for the past five years, teaching in Kindergarten, third, fourth, and
- [Denise Wilbur](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/denise-wilbur/) - Denise Wilbur Authentic Education Consultant Co-Founder and former President of Authentic Education Denise Wilbur's expertise weaves together many years of teaching experience in social studies, English, and ESL at the middle school, high school, college, and adult education levels with experience in curriculum development, school administration, and academic support. She holds a B.A. from Wesleyan
- [Monique Vogelsang](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/monique-vogelsang/) - Monique Vogelsang Authentic Education Consultant Born in California, to a large, multiracial family, Monique earned a Bachelor’s degree in Black Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara. Upon graduating, she joined Teach for America and moved to New York City, where she taught in Harlem public schools — IS 172 and PS 76 — and
- [Jenice View](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/jenice-view/) - Jenice View Authentic Education Consultant Jenice L. View is an Associate Professor Emerita of Education at George Mason University where her work included the critical teaching and learning of history, critical pedagogy in teacher professional development, and uses of arts integration. Her 15-year academic career followed a nearly 20-year career in the non-governmental sector at
- [Terrance Smith](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/terrance-smith/) - Terrance Smith Authentic Education Consultant Terrance joins Authentic Education’s DC Standards Team with more than a decade of experience in elementary and middle school education to the position. Currently, Terrance serves in the capacity of 5th/6th Social Studies Teacher, and the K-8 Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator at the Friends Community School in College Park, MD.
- [Teresa Ponessa](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/teresaponessa/) - Teresa Ponessa Authentic Education Consultant Teresa Ponessa joined the DC Stage 3 Standards Project as a Standards Expert in K - 12 Teaching and Learning. With more than 30 years in education, Teresa brings a wide variety of experiences to the team. She has taught elementary students in a large Minnesota district as well as
- [Carl Cooper](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/carl-cooper/) - Carl Cooper Authentic Education Consultant Carl Cooper has been an educator for 27 years and has published and presented on equity, global competence, creating a disability inclusive curriculum, and social studies & world language instruction. Carl served as Secondary Subject Matter Expert during Phase 2 of the Washington D.C. Social Studies Standards revision project and is excited
- [Joanna Batt](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/joanna-batt/) - Joanna Batt Authentic Education Consultant Joanna Batt is a former U.S. History teacher, Ph.D. candidate and Donald D. Harrington Fellow at University of Texas at Austin's College of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Informed and inspired by her time as a high school teacher in Buffalo, NY, Joanna is deeply passionate about
- [Susan Totaro](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/susan-totaro/) - Susan Totaro Authentic Education Consultant Susan started her career in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District in 1990, and taught at the elementary and middle school levels before becoming one of the K-12 Supervisors for Curriculum and Instruction in 2013. Her current role in the district is Special Assistant for Strategic Initiatives. Susan has presented
- [Jaden Janak](https://authenticeducation.org/the-ae-team/jaden-janak/) - Jaden Janak Authentic Education Consultant Jaden Janak (they/he) is a Donald D. Harrington Graduate Fellow and PhD candidate in African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on U.S. prison abolition organizing in the 20th and 21st centuries, LGBTQ+ studies, and the Black Freedom Struggle. In their freetime,
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- [Our Clients](https://authenticeducation.org/our-clients/) - Our Clients Authentic Education works across the United States and throughout the world at every level of education. Below, you'll find a sampling of our clients and projects. Extended Projects AE worked with St Tammany Parish Public Schools to development a K-12 "guaranteed curriculum" We worked with Edmonton Public Schools to provide UbD™ training, Train-the-Trainer
- [Interest Form](https://authenticeducation.org/interest-form/)

## Categories

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## Tags

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- [World Language](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/world-language/)
- [Knowledge](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/knowledge/)
- [Skills](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/skills/)
- [SEL](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/sel/)
- [Social-Emotional Learning](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/social-emotional-learning/)
- [Grant Wiggins](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/grant-wiggins/)
- [NAEP](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/naep/)
- [Blog](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/blog/)
- [experiential](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/experiential/)
- [native plants](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/native-plants/)
- [third grade](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/third-grade/)
- [lower school](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/lower-school/)
- [elementary school](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/elementary-school/)
- [tools](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/tools/)
- [resources](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/resources/)
- [research-based materials](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/research-based-materials/)
- [classroom planning](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/classroom-planning/)
- [homework](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/homework/)
- [Authentic Education](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/authentic-education/)
- [UbD retreats](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/ubd-retreats/)
- [Leading UbD](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/leading-ubd/)
- [Inclusive Curriculum Design](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/inclusive-curriculum-design/)
- [Inclusivity](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/inclusivity/)
- [belonging](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/belonging/)
- [equity](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/equity/)
- [Professional Development](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/professional-development/)
- [classroom management](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/classroom-management/)
- [DEIB](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/deib/)
- [Diversity](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/diversity/)
- [Sample Units](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/sample-units/)
- [UbD Units](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/ubd-units/)
- [Essential Question](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/essential-question/)
- [Key Post](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/key-post/)
- [Workshop](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/workshop/)
- [Event](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/event/)
- [Boston](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/boston/)
- [Classroom](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/classroom/)
- [Inquiry](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/inquiry/)
- [Digital Literacy](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/digital-literacy/)
- [Media Literacy](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/media-literacy/)
- [Gemini Gem](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/gemini-gem/)
- [Ignite Talks](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/ignite-talks/)
- [Claude.ai](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/claude-ai/)
- [AI in the classroom](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/ai-in-the-classroom/)
- [technology](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/technology/)
- [Advanced UbD for Curriculum Leaders](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/advanced-ubd-for-curriculum-leaders/)
- [PD](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/pd/)
- [San Francisco](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/san-francisco/)
- [field trip](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/field-trip/)
- [read-aloud](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/read-aloud/)
- [ELA](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/ela/)
- [early literacy](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/early-literacy/)
- [neurodiversity](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/neurodiversity/)
- [design](https://authenticeducation.org/tag/design/)

## Grade Bands

- [Elementary School](https://authenticeducation.org/dlp_document-grade-band/elementary/)
- [Middle School](https://authenticeducation.org/dlp_document-grade-band/middle/)
- [High School](https://authenticeducation.org/dlp_document-grade-band/high/)

## Subjects

- [English](https://authenticeducation.org/dlp_document-subject/english/)
- [World Languages](https://authenticeducation.org/dlp_document-subject/world-languages/)