Educators Blog

Inspirational Stories from Trailblazing Teachers

To help provide inspiration and new ideas for engaging your students, we’ve put together a list of articles featuring a few of our favorite trailblazing teachers.

5 stories featuring inspiring K-12 educators: 

I made my classroom look like the […]

Building Life and Workplace Skills through PBL

I often see former students of mine around town. Inevitably, I ask them what they remember from class and I expect them to talk about photosynthesis, mitosis, and food webs, but that is seldom what is discussed. Instead, they mention the skills […]

Differentiating Instruction through Project-Based Learning - Part Two

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part blog series on differentiation in the classroom.  Click here for part one. 

Differentiation is an instructional strategy employed by many classroom teachers around the world. It is based on the […]

Defined STEM Awarded 4-Stars by Common Sense Education

"A stellar collection of STEM resources that support project-based learning"

-Common Sense Education

Defined STEM was recently rated 4-stars by Common Sense; the leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world […]

Strategies that Help Students to Dream and Innovate

Dream and innovate - these are goals that I set for my students. Finding opportunities for them to realize these goals has grown complicated because, as educators, it’s mandatory for us to focus on standardized tests in our current educational […]

How to be an Award-Winning Teacher

On the first day of school, I issue my students a PASSPORT (which stands for Preparing All Students for Success by Participating in an Ongoing Real-world simulation using Technology) and explain that their yearlong adventure to “Johnsonville” […]

Differentiating Instruction through Project-Based Learning

Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part blog series on differentiation.  

By Kelsey Bednar

Differentiation is an instructional strategy used at all levels of K-12 education to meet the needs of students with diverse abilities. Though widely […]

Project-Based Learning and Problem-Based Learning: Can They Co-Exist?

Working with schools around the country, educators frequently refer to PBL in their discussions. When I ask whether they are referring to Project-Based Learning or Problem-Based Learning, some are definitive in their answer and others ask “What’s […]

School & Community Partnerships Showcase the Power of Real-World PBL

At the beginning of the school year, our school district announced a new strategic plan that called for deeper and expanded partnerships within our community. Our goal, at the District's Office of Community Engagement, was to communicate something […]

Two Creative Ways to Engage English Language Learners

Educators share their strategies for teaching academically challenging (and fun) lessons that support native and non-native English speakers.

Transitions can be challenging for any student, whether that is moving from elementary to middle school, […]