Collins Blog

It seems like we were just welcoming you to a new school year, and now here we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Regardless of grade or subject area, it is important to close the year with reflection and summary activities that encourage students to look back at their growth and celebrate how far they’ve come. In this l ast Exchange of the 2023-2024 school year, we offer some suggestions for prompts that can be used to do just that. Click here for the full list

Last month we shared some of the work of Dr. Karen Harris, which reinforces the foundation of our program. In this issue, we are highlighting the work of Steve Graham, who provides us with ideas, tips, and strategies to use with students in the writing classroom. Studying his work reaffirms that our program is firmly rooted in best practices and incorporates the most effective methods for building a community of writers where expectations are clear, instruction is productiv

This month we have been inspired by lessons we took from recent work with CTE (Career and Technical Education) staff and students. We routinely demonstrate lessons for teachers and students in our schools, and CTE areas are no different.

In this issue, we continue to reaffirm our commitment to writing in all areas, including non-core subjects, where assignments naturally meet the three Rs of our framework - real, relevant, and relatable writing.

As we explored last month , writing should be included in all areas of academic programming in order to make lasting strides in thinking, learning, and literacy in all content areas. Many teachers, students, and parents see writing as a responsibility that mainly belongs in the ELA classroom. But, they also believe that writing is a core skill necessary for real world success in all fields. English/Language Arts is one of the four foundational pillars of what have come to be

"How do I know what I think until I see what I say?" - E. M. Forster Our recent newsletters have explored ways to use real, relevant, and relatable writing in all content areas. This is not a new concept. For decades, there has been an evidence-based trend towards using writing in every area of educational programming. Knowing that writing is not exclusively a skill for the ELA classroom is the WHY for our simple, effective, and efficient strategies. The need for cross-cont

Our recent work in PBL and CTE classrooms has caused us to think about, and reassess, what makes meaningful assessment. Research suggests that meaningful assessment should: Steer teaching and learning as a process - not an end point - with short, middle, and long cycles. ( Fisher and Frye ) Ensure that students genuinely understand material and cannot succeed by accident (like some multiple choice, T/F, matching, etc.) — they should be virtually "un-cheatable." ( Hernandez )