‘Fix’ Fluency --- or, Comprehension ‘Breaks Down!’
Word fluency will drive comprehension proficiency since the students can read and not deplete their ‘CPU’ trying to decipher the most...
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The New 3Rs Academic Transformation
The Right Systems, The Right Resources, The Right People
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by Blaine Helwig
Feb 7, 20215 min read
Teaching to the Test - A Better Understanding of the Phrase
I have heard the expression – Teaching to the Test – for many years, but I had not deeply considered the thinking behind the phrase until...
617 views
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 13, 20206 min read
Effective Daily Classroom Management – Come Rain or Shine!
Half a century ago, my father, older brother and I watched a herd of horses driven into a rectangular corral from an open field. My father w
157 views
by Blaine Helwig
Jul 8, 20203 min read
Word Problems: Student Benefits and Effective Teaching Tips
The daily teaching of math word problems is essential if students are to become adept problem solvers. The consistency of a daily routine...
208 views
by Blaine Helwig
Feb 12, 20203 min read
Baiting Educators for an Emotional Response
Happens far too frequently in our public schools. A student will use profanity or do something outrageous to get an emotional response...
90 views
by Blaine Helwig
Dec 16, 20197 min read
It’s the Gaps, Stupid! – Part 2
Small Gaps Widen to Larger Chasms While hiking the 500-mile-long El Camino in Spain a couple of summers ago, a small pain ensued on the...
81 views
by Blaine Helwig
Oct 7, 20193 min read
Pick a Number. Any Number. Now - Why is that Number Important?
I am thinking of a two digit number between 30 and 40 that is both an even number and a multiple of 8. Can you guess the number? As...
113 views
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 29, 20193 min read
Align, Teach, Practice and Do Well!
A middle distance runner competing in a 3,200 meter or 5 kilometer race practices and trains differently than a long distance runner...
47 views
by Blaine Helwig
Jul 12, 20193 min read
Major Student Disruption – Identify Triggers, Plan, then Deescalate!
If you are a teacher, it will be impossible to avoid major student discipline problems. It will happen at some point in your career....
108 views
by Blaine Helwig
May 19, 20194 min read
Keep a Minor Student Disruption – Minor!
A couple years before I retired, I was teaching fifth grade mathematics at my Title 1 elementary school – despite the fact that I was the...
57 views
by Blaine Helwig
Nov 28, 20184 min read
Practice without Improvement – A Title 1 Invariant!
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” This old joke is amusing and timeless because of the obviousness of its one-word punchline: Practice!...
102 views
by Blaine Helwig
Oct 25, 20183 min read
Bridge Resources and Their Academic Need
About 15 years ago, I attended weekly central administrator meetings as an elementary program supervisor in a large urban Texas school...
65 views
by Blaine Helwig
Oct 12, 20183 min read
Bad Teaching Day at School – Do not Dwell on the Past
One Friday night about 15 years ago, I was resting on my couch after a long day at work when my cell phone rang. I looked at the phone to...
70 views
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 17, 20185 min read
The First-Year Teacher’s Cry – “Help! I Need Somebody. HELP!”
I was a first year teacher – TWICE in the same school year. I was hired as a second grade teacher, and I taught that grade level for a...
92 views
by Blaine Helwig
Aug 2, 20184 min read
“Drill and Kill” – Analyzed
Earlier this summer I was talking to a seasoned elementary teacher that is a standout educator and asset to the profession. She mentioned...
3,167 views
by Blaine Helwig
Jul 21, 20183 min read
Student Management Redirection – Shorter is Better!
As I walked back to my classroom, I passed the same teacher still reprimanding the same three kids. I gave the four of them more than a...
43 views
by Blaine Helwig
Apr 27, 20183 min read
The Numeracy Power of Making 10, 100 or 1,000
We live in a Base 10 world. Base 10 is everywhere! Of course, a math person may counter with clock time – hours and minutes. Time is kept...
49 views
by Blaine Helwig
Apr 13, 20184 min read
Teacher Tips to Improve Homework Completion
“Andrew will not complete his homework.” “At least half my class does not do their homework, consistently.” “I have called the parent...
356 views
by Blaine Helwig
Apr 6, 20182 min read
Why Give Kids’ Homework, Anyway?
As both an elementary classroom teacher and a principal, a few parents each school year have questioned the modern need for nightly...
70 views
by Blaine Helwig
Mar 30, 20183 min read
Student Choice – Empowerment, but with Personal Responsibility
The choices made by students in their behavior have everything to do with their social and academic success in the classroom. Their...
58 views
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