Dedicated to beginning and preservice teachers
When we provide learners with both the spark to start and the tools to keep going, we help each student move one step closer to becoming self-directed learners who view challenges as opportunities to grow. Curtis Chandler shows how motivation and engagement work together.
Feel-good study methods don’t work. The best research data points to five active strategies as the most effective ways to build lasting knowledge. Teach these methods and we empower all our students to become more effective learners, says teacher educator Curtis Chandler.
Artificial Intelligence / Artificial Intelligence / New Teacher Tips / Technology
by Curtis Chandler · Published 04/15/2025 · Last modified 05/01/2025
Just like Top Gun Maverick had to trust his jet’s tech while employing his instincts and training, teachers are learning how to fly with AI as a co-pilot. The responsibility lies with us to adjust AI’s suggestions. Curtis Chandler offers dozens of teacher-tested prompts to get started.
New Teacher Tips / Stealth Learning
by Curtis Chandler · Published 02/23/2025 · Last modified 07/19/2025
Stealth learning and assessment blur the boundaries between learning, assessment, and fun. Teacher educator Curtis Chandler shows how simulations and practical projects help students across subjects gain knowledge while enjoying the process. Included: some lesson design tips.
Supporting learners through effective vocabulary instruction is critical to their success. Curtis Chandler offers a “crash course” – a compendium of key principles, strategies, and research-backed methods to help students build key vocabulary skills, whatever your subject area.
New Teacher Tips / Sources for Texts
by Curtis Chandler · Published 10/06/2024 · Last modified 11/15/2025
Whatever classes you teach, it can be a tremendous challenge to find engaging texts that help students develop key literacy skills. Teacher educator Curtis Chandler offers resources to find nonfiction texts online and, if needed, ready them for students with assists from AI.
Many teachers are feeling some apprehension about introducing artificial intelligence into their teaching, writes teacher educator Curtis Chandler. Yet “the truth remains that AI is an essential topic for our classrooms this year.” Here are his tips for how and what to teach.
New Teacher Tips / Your First Teaching Job
by Curtis Chandler · Published 04/21/2024 · Last modified 05/12/2025
As pre-service teachers anticipate their first classrooms, former Kansas TOY and teacher educator Curtis Chandler is ready with expert strategies to help them select the right schools and successfully complete the interview process. He stresses staying positive and being persistent.
Brain Breaks / New Teacher Tips
by Curtis Chandler · Published 02/11/2024 · Last modified 04/15/2025
Brain breaks are simple transitional physical and mental exercises to prevent learning fatigue, refocus the attention of the class, and keep students energized and receptive to learning. Curtis Chandler shares 24 break ideas to ease stress and help kids connect with each other.
In classrooms filled with conversations, oral instructions, and academic vocabulary, poor listening skills can drastically limit learning. Curtis Chandler shares seven simple activities educators can use to help students become active listeners who know more and retain more.
