By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. Now that the school year has wrapped up, it feels like the perfect time to look back at some of the topics we’ve covered in our professional development newsletter. This year, we dug into how to sharpen literacy instruction using clear mastery criteria so students can build strong, automatic reading skills […]
For Teachers
Is your Tier 2 instruction meeting every learner’s needs?
By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. A few years ago, I decided to learn how to knit, and took advantage of easy access to a local yarn shop that offered a variety of high-quality classes. I began with a true beginner’s course and a simple project: a scarf. The instruction was paced to match our needs, and […]
Affordable, Flexible Coaching and PD for Teachers & Teams
By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. There’s a lot going on in the world right now, especially in the world of education. As summer grows near, with the school year close behind it, thinking about upcoming professional development options can be stressful or overwhelming. The Stern Center is here to help you take the stress out of […]
Reflecting on Student Behaviors to Elevate Teaching
By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. and Elizabeth Keenan, M.Ed. Figuring out what works for our students, and what doesn’t, is part of the art and science of teaching. All practicing educators have experienced a time when a thoughtfully designed lesson doesn’t result in the student learning we intended. At other times, we may see that a […]
Are your literacy lessons moving too fast, too slow, or you just don’t know? Part II
By Peggy Price, M.Ed., F/OGA, Director of the Orton-Gillingham Institute and Leigh Buettler, M.Ed., Director of Professional Learning In November, we wrote about the importance of clear mastery criteria and lesson pacing, and recently wrote about the instructional hierarchy, or the five stages of learning every educator should know. To help students generalize skills beyond […]
The 5 Stages of Learning Every Educator Should Know
Understanding the Hierarchy of Learning can be a game-changer in how we approach teaching and assessing our students. By intentionally guiding them from acquisition to generalization, we can help them not only master skills but also apply them in meaningful, real-world ways – and cut down on the amount of time we spend wondering what happened? and subsequently reteaching.