Paradigm Shift

                Data-driven decisions have proven to be more efficient and have been used in major fields such as marketing and business. Consequently, using this approach to help educators make the right decision is not surprising. Educators and administrators can use data to assess students’ current level, what they need to learn and can also use this data to help in planning students’ future learning. Data allows educators to create a map that will guide them in their journey toward accomplishing students’ academic goals and school mission and goals.  For example, if you are an admin in a school with a majority of ELL students, you will need to collect all the data regarding student ELA score and work on plans to improve student’s English proficiency level.                 Data-informed decision plays a great role in teaching mathematic...

          Concept map is one of the underestimated learning and teaching tools, that many teachers forgot to integrate in their lesson or avoid due to their advanced level. Concept map is a graphic representation of thinking or essential thinking, which learner can use to find the links between concepts that appear to be separated (Binoy & Raddi, 2022). This is specifically what teachers need when they design or plan integrated lessons, they need to reveal the connection that helps students to make sense of what they learn. For example, if you are a teacher who designs an integrated unit you will start from a real-life problem that has multiple aspects that relate to science, technology, mathematics or history. The only way to show those connections would be laying them on a map and showing how they are connected, which is creating a concept map that links the different integrated disciplines to the essential problem. Another use for ...

                      There is always an argument between teachers about which test is best, is it the test created by the district, the textbook publisher or the one that was created by a teacher? When I started teaching, I was a big supporter of district created tests, as I thought that testing should be completed by a team of professional experienced teachers and coaches, or the testing should come for a designated organization like SAT testing or AP testing. I think the main reason for this feeling is lack of experience, as a novice teacher creating an authentic assignment with accepted validity and reliability was overwhelming. Let alone that test will be used afterwards to create a remedial plan for my weak students and enrichment activities for higher achievers, it seemed like a challenging task.           Now, after 13 years of teaching experience and master...