Author: Valorie

Recently I was training teachers on vocabulary instructional strategies and left them with this piece of advice, “Take one small bit at a time.” It is the same advice I provide when mentoring first year teachers and is applicable anytime we learn something new. Oftentimes we desire to make a personal change, especially after acquiring… Continue reading One Small Step at a Time

The new year has been upon us for just about two weeks. For those who made resolutions, many of them have already gone by the wayside. A USA Today online article stated that less than 10% of resolutions are achieved. Even if we have not resolved to do it, many of us consistently are working… Continue reading Resolving to Learn

With the holiday season in full swing, your child will be taking a vacation from school and spending more time at home. In addition to making lasting memories with family, you can also support learning in fun ways and he/she won’t even know it! One math skill my students often struggled with was measurement. They… Continue reading Math in the Home

The advances in technology over the last twenty years has revolutionized the society in which we live. It has made our lives both easier and harder. Google has provided us with the ability to answer any question, at any time, and in any place (a life saver to parents of children whose questions get more… Continue reading Children in the Information Society

One firm belief about education I hold is twenty-first century learners are critical thinkers and creative problem solvers. They must be to function in the world we live in today, as well as to be prepared for future jobs (which have not even been thought of). As I watched an episode of “Tiny House, Big… Continue reading Creating Critical Thinkers and Problem Solvers

Parents are a child’s first teacher and home is the first classroom. The couch, or a comfy chair, is the place where children learn the love of books and the sound of language. The kitchen is where science and math come together when cooking. The dining room table is hub of social interaction. Chores also… Continue reading Creating a Home Learning Environment

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve worked with a district as they implement a new instructional strategy with teachers. Their goal is for fidelity and sustainability of the instructional practice so students can be successful learners. Additionally, knowing teachers are at varying levels of skill and the schools involved have various levels of need,… Continue reading Perfection Takes Time

This week I worked with middle school Special Education staff on strategies for their struggling readers. Often this is a hard group of students to work with due to the wide range of their educational needs. Our focus was on comprehension, which contrasts most conversations about reading deficits as they are on decoding strategies. Also,… Continue reading I Can Say the Words, so I’m Reading

Proper preparation prevents poor performance (a tamed down version from the British Army’s 7 Ps) has been on my mind this week. Labor Day officially marks the end of summer, so all students across America are back in school—which their teachers, and parents, have been preparing for their return. Also, as Hurricane Irma is making… Continue reading The 5 Ps

I ended last week by supporting a district level Response to Intervention (RTI) team in the beginning stages of their implementation of a reading intervention for secondary students. Everything about their work is creating a pathway to success for the students—data informed decisions, instruction based upon students’ reading process needs, and teacher training sessions on… Continue reading Responding to Meet Students’ Needs