Randy Swift
@RandySwift9
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Teacher; 14x Ironman; Kona WC; UDL and assessment specialist; Sailor; "Captain"
Saratoga Springs, NY
Joined June 2018
Unpopular opinion: Take your days off, these jobs don't care about you.
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Three New Year’s Resolutions for EVERY teacher. 1. I will firmly say, “No” to any uncompensated projects or committees just because they tell me I’m so great at it and they REALLY value my (free) input (work). 2. I will firmly reset my classroom protocols and procedures from
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Challenge accepted! Who’s in?
I challenge you to do just this one thing this year… Commit to teaching ONE entire unit without technology. None. No Chromebooks, no online research. Do it and see how it transforms your classroom.
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A simple, and yet effective framework for your (math) classroom: 1. Connect - gather your learners. Share a story. Provoke Learning. 2. Explore - work a problem, engage in discussion. 3. Reflect - consolidate, self-assess, check in.
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Likewise for Chromebooks!
It’s simple… Phones don’t belong in classrooms or hallways. Kids aren’t responsible enough to resist the temptation. Phones distract, disrupt, and undermine learning.
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2026 does not need more resolutions. It needs no more excuses. This starts with the small things. The everyday commitments that seem insignificant but are not. Showing up when you said you would. Being on time instead of explaining why you were late. Following through even when
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My third most popular blog this fall argues schools are incoherent systems where students experience contradictory worlds across classrooms and teachers receive fragmented support. Research shows professional development and evaluations—designed to help teachers—are least
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Too many education leaders are busy with low-value work. Ask for their most important success metric and you’ll hear several. If everything matters, nothing does. Focus. #Leadership #EducentricInc
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The biggest adventures are fueled by pure imagination. *Dinosaurs are still extinct and vehicles were not driven by a 9 year old. Professional driver on a closed course. Always drive with caution.
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@Nateemerson @C_Hendrick 100% agreed. Most "educational" apps aren't in the business of providing learning. They're actually selling "babysitting without guilt" https://t.co/U1vbrt1DRo
I've tried all the top reading apps, including ABC Mouse, Duolingo ABC, HOMER, Hooked on Phonics, Khan Academy Kids, and Reading Raven. I was shocked. I left the gaming industry bc I started to feel like a drug dealer. But I never sold drugs by marketing them as health food.
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Please. I ain’t making anyone do anything. At best, I am meeting them where they are and maybe (maybe) helping them get a little farther down their path. Teaching’s meeting, not making. Took me too long to learn this.
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A 15-year-old programmed his home’s Star Wars–themed Christmas light show, and it’s incredible 🤯
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@jeremykauffman Since 1966, only one mass shooting in the United States has ever been stopped by an armed civilian. ONE.
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The mistake so many schools have made os thinking that the best way to help students do well on standardized tests is to make instruction look like the test, using short passages and test-type questions. It's not. A kid who can read a novel can pass a standardized test.
Check out the whole story here. Many surprising details and lots to debate.
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“Why can’t they remember it?” Maybe their working memory was overloaded. Learn how to design teaching that reduces strain and boosts recall. https://t.co/UE1jWfIDaK
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I don't believe in "fidelity." I DO believe in fidelity to evidence. No program is perfect. If I see a weakness in a program, I don't just throw up my hands. I DO something about it. (1/5)
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Grades are for eggs and diamonds. They only serve to sort students. We are here for learning.
The U.S. grading system is broken. A–F grades are outdated, inequitable, and mathematically unjust. 60 points for failure, 40 for success—how is that fair? The @usedgov should ban this system and demand grading that reflects learning, not punishment. #EquityInEducation
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The hardest part of now teaching based on cognitive science is realizing that before I knew better, I shortchanged thousands of students. I wasn’t teaching in line with how we actually learn—and I carry that responsibility. The good part? It drives me to make it right every day.
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Random thoughts swirling in my head this Sunday morning: A)When it comes to effective instruction, pretty is not the same as substance. B)Fun and engagement don’always equal learning or rigor. C) Teacher’s feeling about instruction and curriculum don’t always align with what
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If you're a support/intervention/resource teacher, you absolutely have to read Sara VanDerWerf's blog post called "The #1 thing I did in my support Math Classes". It's the honest reality check that we all need. https://t.co/otgTxanFtn
saravanderwerf.com
I promise I do have a #1 tip for support/intervention secondary math classes in this super long post - if you need to know it right away, scroll down & read the orange highlighted parts parts. To the...
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