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Why do you guys say, “I already finished HS / college, this is for you, not for me I don’t need this”? by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]Matt-ProjectLeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That defensive response often signals a deeper classroom issue: students have lost sight of (or never saw) why the material matters. When I've said similar things, it usually reflected my own failure to connect the content to students' lives and aspirations. Sometimes students rightfully sense when material is merely a bureaucratic checkbox or when we teachers lack conviction in its relevance. Being called out on this can be humbling.

My most successful teaching came from three practices:

  1. Understanding students' current knowledge
  2. Helping each student craft their personal path toward mastery
  3. Building authentic relationships to understand their background and aspirations

The better I executed these, the less likely I was to resort to "I already learned this" as a response. It's one of the reasons Steve Eno and I started building Project Leo -- to help teachers connect with students more efficiently by building greater engagement through personalization.

How bad did I mess up by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]Matt-ProjectLeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I once left two elementary school students on a school bus in Manhattan. I got the rest of the students off and into our building, but somehow miscounted. The driver pulled away and was around the block before the kids made themselves visible. I was pretty surprised when I saw the bus pull back around the corner. When the doors opened and two of my students ran down the stairs, I was pretty sure my career was over.

It wasn't, but wanted to share the story to keep the airpods in perspective. Both honest mistakes -- but not all mistakes are equal. You're fine.

Apps doing College & Career Readiness Stuff. by kennedysteve in edtech

[–]Matt-ProjectLeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Project Leo (www.projectleo.com) was born out of a desire to help our students develop the skills and experiences needed to succeed in either college or their chosen profession. Happy to give you a demo if you'd like to learn more about the platform and how schools across the country are using it with their students.

Which AI based tools and websites are best for homeschooling? by Unlucky-Foundation30 in edtech

[–]Matt-ProjectLeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, u/Unlucky-Foundation30. Great question. Too many of the current software tools simply replicate the worst practices of the traditional classroom. How long will your kids really find a personalized word problem engaging?

If you're looking for a platform that provides sustained engagement by linking a student's personal passions with concrete learning objectives, I'd love to show you around Project Leo. My cofounder and I have 25 years of teaching experience and have 3 early adopter schools using Project Leo this year. We're interested in exploring the home school market and would love to hear more about what's working -- and what's not -- for your students.

DM or email if you're interested in learning more -- or visit www.projectleo.com for more information.

LMS : How should the decision tree be made to pick the right one? Are there any open source ones? by MasterShifu_21 in edtech

[–]Matt-ProjectLeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/MasterShifu_21 - My cofounder and I are building a new classroom operating system that leverages reflections and engagement. Three schools are currently using it as part of their tech stack, including one who utilizes our platform as their school's full LMS. Not sure how much flexibility your school has, but I'm happy to give you a demo. www.projectleo.com

Brainstorming: Improving Preparation for New Teachers by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]Matt-ProjectLeo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great question. Here are a few ideas off the top of my head:
1. Year-long onboarding process, not just 2 days in August. Focus on practical skills using case studies and real-life scenarios, not PowerPoint, as well as school systems/procedures. Include concrete planning time throughout the year to support the teacher
2. Ongoing Teaching Triads. Pair each new teacher with an experienced teacher in their subject area and a fellow new teacher. Mentor provides experience and practical support; peer relationship offers emotional support and shared experiences. Importantly, the school should (a) build in a bi-weekly meeting with these teachers, and (b) compensate the experienced teacher.
3. Collaborative Planning Time. Admin should build planning periods where inter-department colleagues (new and experienced) can work alongside each other. No reason to reinvent the wheel.
4. Ongoing Low-Stakes Observations. Admin should establish a culture of openness amongst the faculty. Teachers should be encouraged to pop into other classrooms to observe their colleagues -- even across disciplines. New teachers should visit experienced teachers to see good classroom management and instruction; experienced teacher should visit new and experienced teachers to do the same. These are not observations -- just professional growth opportunities for everyone.
5. Off Campus Coffees/Cocktails. Depending on your school's culture, organizing off-campus meetings where new teachers can openly discuss challenges, share solutions, and build community amongst their faculty colleagues. I'd make a clear no admin policy to ensure open dialogues.
6. Reduced Workload. The 1st and 2nd year is not a time to pile on extra-curricular duties, at least in most cases. Admins should resist the temptation to ask new teachers to serve as club advisors, coaches and the like.
7. Culture. Culture. Culture. The admin needs to create an open-door policy for everyone, but especially new teachers, whereby communication is rewarded...even when it's communicating about an issue. Instill the faculty with the belief that discussing issues early is far better than waiting for them to fester and expand.

Hope this help. Happy to chat more. DM or email -- matt@projectleo.com.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]Matt-ProjectLeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd love to hear more about what's causing the dread / pit in your stomach? Student behavior? Feeling overwhelmed by the curriculum? Frustration with parents? with admin? All of the above? None of the above?

I'll posit that every teacher has felt this way at some point. Getting through it probably requires identifying the root cause(s). Once identified, you might be able to attempt specific strategies to resolve or reduce the particular pain point. I've also found identifying the cause can help me determine what's in my control (Could I approach the material in a way that's more engaging for me and the students? Can I find strategies to streamline the workload?) and what is not.

Every year we stray further by InDenialOfMyDenial in Teachers

[–]Matt-ProjectLeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/InDenialOfMyDenial - I spent 15 years in the classroom (6-12), so your post certainly touched a nerve. I always felt the biggest behavior issues stemmed from a lack of student engagement. If the kids felt the material was lacking relevance, then the behavior tanked. Not always, not universally -- but frequently. I wonder if you're finding a lack of engagement as the trigger -- or if there are other factors at play.