Michael Niehoff
Michael Niehoff is a Getting Smart Columnist. He is a teacher, leader, blogger, and student advocate. Connect with him on Twitter: @mwniehoff
SmartStart: Starting the School Year Off Right
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If we focus on anything but academics to start the school year - such as culture, opportunity, creativity, relationships and the “why” - we may actually produce a more academically successful student and school year. This post explores how to make that happen.
9 Ways To Make Student Work Authentic
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Making learning more “real” has long been a goal of those who have promoted everything from project-based learning to career technical education. Both learners and learning facilitators want learning where the ‘why’ is an integral part of the process. It’s this desire to be “real” that has now found its way into our vernacular as “authenticity”.
5 Good Ways for EdLeaders to Make Teachers Feel as Important as They Are
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If you ask teachers, most will indicate that they want appreciation and recognition for their hard work. However, they will also often say that they would rather have that appreciation and recognition be an ongoing, sincere and cultural acknowledgment than an official event or days on a calendar.
Letting Students Lead School Culture
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If school leaders and classroom teachers recognize the collective power of their students, then it makes sense for them to give their students the chance to identify needs, challenges, and issues within their school's culture, and develop potential means of addressing them.
7 Real-World Issues That Can Allow Students To Tackle Big Challenges
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How can we creatively collaborate, critically think and communicate in ways that will make our world a better place to live? Letting our students practice thinking about and working on these seven big issues can present hundreds of relevant challenges that can be a big step toward that future.
3 Ways To Model Collaboration and Partnership in Schools and Classrooms
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Our challenge as educators is whether we walk the walk. We ask our students to collaborate, or partner, but do we truly do it ourselves? How can educators model true collaboration and partnering to our students?
Kansans CAN: Redefining Graduate Profiles at the State Level
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Kansas's graduate profile has been redefined to emphasize not only academic and cognitive preparation, but also technical skills, employability and civic engagement. To bring their vision to reality, they created the Kansans Can School Redesign Project. Learn more here
