From Lecture to Facilitated Learning: Encouraging Kids to be Active Learners
You’re standing at the front of the classroom, delivering what feels like a clear, purposeful lesson. You see nods. A few students are taking notes. A hand or two goes…
Student Independence
Build student independence with scaffolded strategies that gradually release responsibility to learners. Find tools for developing self-monitoring, executive functioning, and agency in students of all ability levels – including neurodivergent learners and students with disabilities who need structured pathways to becoming confident, self-directed learners.
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Alternative Math Tools and Strategies That Help Every Student Succeed
When I was in high school, I failed Math every single year and spent my summers in Math school making up credits. Looking back, I struggled with number sense for…
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How the Gradual Release Model Builds Assistive Technology and Learning Tools Independence in the Classroom
For many kids, assistive technology and learning tools are key supports for engagement and accessibility in the classroom. But having access to a tool is only part of the picture….
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Why Small Group Time Belongs in Every Classroom, Every Day
In a typical 60-minute lesson, a few students tend to dominate the conversation while others settle quietly into the middle, and a handful drift away entirely. As educators and administrators,…
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How Reducing Teacher Talk Time Helped Every Kid in the Room
Delivering content and teaching are not the same thing. It’s an easy trap to fall into, especially when the concepts are tough. When students struggle, our instinct as educators is…
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From the Rug to the Table: How Small Group Instruction Levels the Playing Field
Ever finish a whole-group mini-lesson and scan the room… only to find a few eager hands, a large group of passive listeners, and a handful of students who got lost…
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The “We Do” Phase: Your Secret Weapon for Building Student Independence
Have you ever tried to learn something new – like a complex strategy game or a viral TikTok dance – and felt totally overwhelmed? You probably didn’t want someone to…
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The Think Aloud Strategy Your Students Need
The Think Aloud strategy is one of the most powerful tools you have in the “I Do” phase of the Gradual Release Model, and it might be the piece you…
