Blog, New 3Rs, Education Equity, Numeracy, Literacy, Title 1

Subtraction Facts – Elementary Students’ Math Fact Nemesis

by Blaine Helwig

Jul 31, 20172 min read

Subtraction Facts – Elementary Students’ Math Fact Nemesis

God created the Earth in six days and rested on the seventh. While God was resting, the devil created subtraction facts. And, to most...

Repetition and Practice – Necessary to Student Learning and Mastery

by Blaine Helwig

Jul 25, 20173 min read

Repetition and Practice – Necessary to Student Learning and Mastery

For all practice purposes, repetition is practice and vice versa; they are synonyms. Mastery of any subject or task requires that we...

Decimal Place Value and Value – Use the Point

by Blaine Helwig

Jul 18, 20173 min read

Decimal Place Value and Value – Use the Point

A frustrating math moment I remember as a ten year old is decimal numbers and understanding both place value and value of the digits...

Music and Athletics – Lessons to Emulate in Skill Mastery

by Blaine Helwig

Jul 13, 20173 min read

Music and Athletics – Lessons to Emulate in Skill Mastery

When I was in high school, I could hold my own in both wrestling and distance running. I was a respectable high school athlete – never...

Student Math Skill Mastery - Spaced Repetition Instruction

by Blaine Helwig

Jul 9, 20173 min read

Student Math Skill Mastery - Spaced Repetition Instruction

Teaching preparation revolves around daily lesson plans – a structured instructional approach to ensure the teacher is ready for the...

by Blaine Helwig

Jul 7, 20173 min read

Classroom Failures are Informative

I have never met a person in over half a century that has done poorly on a task and felt good about it – absolutely satisfied with the...

Spaced Repetition! A Game Changer in Student Learning

by Blaine Helwig

Jul 3, 20172 min read

Spaced Repetition! A Game Changer in Student Learning

This short passage should have a different title than ‘spaced repetition.’ A more appropriate title may be ‘Elusive Obvious in Learning.’...

by Blaine Helwig

Jun 22, 20173 min read

Learning and Growth – In Small Chunks

About 30 years ago, I read a short book called, “The One Minute Manager” by Kenneth Blanchard. I was intrigued at the author’s Shamu...

Counting by 1’s – How Far is Far Enough?

by Blaine Helwig

Jun 19, 20173 min read

Counting by 1’s – How Far is Far Enough?

When your kindergarten and first grade students practice counting by 1’s in your classrooms, how far is far enough? Public and private...

The Title 1 Teacher Gold Mine – Alternative Certified Teachers!

by Blaine Helwig

Jun 17, 20173 min read

The Title 1 Teacher Gold Mine – Alternative Certified Teachers!

Hiring quality teachers is an absolute must to running an academically successful urban or rural Title 1 elementary school. Of course,...

by Blaine Helwig

Jun 15, 20173 min read

So, I want to be a teacher???

With the globalization effects on the world economy, many traditional university degrees lack a structured pathway to professional work....

by Blaine Helwig

Jun 13, 20173 min read

VALUES – It Determines Priorities

About 25 years ago, my University of Texas investment professor showed a picture on the overhead of an outhouse to the students in my...

by Blaine Helwig

Jun 11, 20173 min read

Principal Selection – Mission Critical!

In the last couple years, I have not given this topic serious consideration. Over the decade I was a Title 1 elementary principal,...

Why Students can’t Problem Solve without Numeracy?

by Blaine Helwig

Jun 9, 20172 min read

Why Students can’t Problem Solve without Numeracy?

The goal of modern day math classrooms is to equip students to solve everyday math problems. There are lots of approaches to developing...

by Blaine Helwig

Jun 7, 20172 min read

What does “Numerical Fluency" mean?

In the world of public education vocabulary – terminology and words often possess multiple definitions and/or subjective definitions that...

One Size CAN Fit All – Commonality Rules

by Blaine Helwig

Jun 4, 20173 min read

One Size CAN Fit All – Commonality Rules

Many Title 1 elementary schools yield chronic academic performance year after year, and if the elementary schools struggle – the feeder...

Michael Faraday – The Ultimate Title 1 Success Story

by Blaine Helwig

Jun 1, 20172 min read

Michael Faraday – The Ultimate Title 1 Success Story

Do kids attending Title 1 schools have the same educational opportunities as their more affluent peers? No. Of course not. But, what are...

by Blaine Helwig

May 27, 20173 min read

Repeating Failure Repeatedly

Most elementary school's State accountability performance ranking continue to demonstrate stagnant academic performance - school year...

What Makes Non-Title 1 Schools More Successful - Academically?

by Blaine Helwig

May 23, 20173 min read

What Makes Non-Title 1 Schools More Successful - Academically?

Beethoven was deaf. But, he was not born deaf – which is a remarkably relevant fact. It is historically estimated he went deaf in his...

Background Knowledge – Needed at All Ages!

by Blaine Helwig

May 20, 20173 min read

Background Knowledge – Needed at All Ages!

After a night out at a local comedy venue with friends, we sat down a restaurant for a late night breakfast and conversation. Of course,...

Achievement Gap Won't Close – Fix the Skill Gap and Gaps be Gone!

by Blaine Helwig

May 18, 20173 min read

Achievement Gap Won't Close – Fix the Skill Gap and Gaps be Gone!

The achievement gap… the achievement gap… the achievement gap… AND, the achievement gap… The achievement gap cliché is a seemingly never...

A Strong Foundation is Essential – Or the Academic Tower Leans

by Blaine Helwig

May 12, 20173 min read

A Strong Foundation is Essential – Or the Academic Tower Leans

During my seven year career designing multi-million dollar state and federal highway bridges in Texas, I was the lead registered...

by Blaine Helwig

May 9, 20173 min read

My Brother's View of Heaven

Nope. You are wrong. This is not a religious essay – at least not in the traditional sense of Heaven. Four decades ago, when my brother...

by Blaine Helwig

May 4, 20173 min read

Praxis with Results - Title 1 Equity

There are many, many moving parts on an elementary campus. A typical elementary campus houses as many as seven grade levels ranging from...

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