I first set my feet inside a classroom as a teacher back in 2003, teaching English as a foreign language. After almost a decade of in-class teaching, I transitioned to higher education, earned my PhD, and the journey continues today, though much more as a researcher. Along the way, around 2011, I also started a blog focused on educational technology, which today you might know as Educators Technology. Through it, I explored tools, ideas, and the evolving role of technology in teaching and learning. Now, sitting back and reflecting on this long experience of teaching and technology integration, I thought it would be meaningful to put together a list of…

After writing about the SWOT framework for teachers and exploring how educators can use it to reflect and grow, I started thinking — why not adapt the same framework for academic researchers like us? At the end of the day, SWOT is just a thinking tool. A simple heuristic to help you pause, reflect, and make sense of where you are and where you want to go. Yes, it originally came from the world of business and finance, but its value has long gone beyond that. It’s now used across different fields, from education to healthcare to personal development and I believe research is no exception. As researchers, we often…

SWOT (which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is an analytic framework that was originally popularized in the world of business and entrepreneurship. Companies have been using it for decades to assess their performance, plan strategies, and navigate challenges. However, the value of SWOT goes far beyond business. In fact, I believe it can be incredibly useful for us in education as well. For teachers, SWOT provides a practical and structured way to reflect on your own teaching practice. It helps you identify what’s working, what’s not, what new opportunities you could explore, and what possible challenges or limitations you might need to watch out for. Most importantly, it…

Some ideas in education age well. Bloom’s Taxonomy is one of them. Originally developed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues, Bloom’s Taxonomy was introduced as a framework to classify educational learning objectives. It outlined six levels of cognitive skills: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. This model was intended to guide teachers in designing lessons and assessments that go beyond rote memorization, moving students toward higher-order thinking. Now, I know what some might say: That was the pre-internet era. The pre-AI era. Things have changed. Of course, things have changed. But I would argue that the way humans learn hasn’t changed as much as people think. Many…

In today’s post, I am sharing a collection of important tips to help you take care of yourself. Teaching, as we all know, is a demanding and often stressful profession, making it all the more important to prioritize your well-being. After consulting several trusted sources, I’ve gathered these practical and effective strategies to help you manage stress, boost your energy, and maintain balance in your personal and professional life. Self-care Tips for Teachers Here are 10 importance self-care tips for teachers: 1. Set Boundaries You can only do so much and if you do not learn how to set clear boundaries you will eventually burnout. In his best selling book…

In today’s post, I introduce you to the concept of Structured Literacy (SL). As explained by Louise Spear-Swerling (2022), SL is a comprehensive approach to reading interventions that caters to children with various reading difficulties. SL covers a broad spectrum of instructional strategies and is designed to support students with diverse reading challenges, not just those with specific types of difficulties. SL is not limited to phonics instruction. It includes teaching foundational skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling, as well as advanced literacy skills such as reading comprehension and written expression. This makes SL effective for both decoding problems and comprehension issues (Louise Spear-Swerling, 2022). In this post, I…

In today’s post, I am covering a very important strategy in teaching vocabulary—the Frayer Model. This graphic organizer has transformed the way educators introduce and explore new words across various subjects and grade levels. More specifically, I delve into the definition of the Frayer Model, outline effective implementation strategies, highlight its numerous benefits, and conclude with practical examples. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or new to teaching, understanding how to leverage this tool can significantly enhance your instructional approach and improve student outcomes in vocabulary development. What is the Frayer Model? Frayer model is “an instructional strategy that utilizes a graphic organizer to teach vocabulary” (Dazzeo & Rao, 2020, p.…

Today’s post is all about “Turn and Talk,” an engaging and interactive instructional strategy used in classrooms. If you haven’t heard about it or are looking for ways to implement it more effectively, this post is for you. I will start with a definition of what “Turn and Talk” is all about, explaining its purpose and how it works in a classroom setting. Next, we will discuss practical tips for integrating “Turn and Talk” into your lessons, ensuring you can maximize its benefits. Then, I’ll provide some examples of “Turn and Talk” activities to inspire you and help you get started. Finally, we’ll conclude with insights from research, showcasing the…

In today’s post, I discuss a key teaching and learning strategy known as Think-Pair-Share (TPS). More specifically, I will cover what recent research says about the effectiveness and use of TPS, delve into the key advantages of using this strategy in classroom teaching, and provide tips to help teachers seamlessly integrate TPS into their daily teaching routines. To conclude, I’ll showcase practical examples across various subjects to demonstrate how this strategy can be applied effectively in diverse educational settings. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or new to the profession, this post aims to enrich your teaching toolkit with insights and actionable steps for implementing Think-Pair-Share. For those of you interested…

Understanding adult learners is crucial for creating educational environments that effectively address their unique needs. Malcolm Knowles, a pioneer in the study of adult learning, articulated six core principles of andragogy that have fundamentally shaped how we approach education for adults. These principles emphasize the importance of tailoring educational experiences to the characteristics and expectations of adult learners, who differ significantly from younger students in motivation, experience, and goals. This post delves into each of Knowles’ principles, exploring how they can be implemented in various educational settings to enhance learning outcomes for adults. From recognizing the intrinsic motivation and self-direction that adults bring to their learning, to valuing their life…