Brian M. Pete

Brian M. Pete comes from a family of educators—college professors, school superintendents, teachers, and teachers of teachers. He has a rich background in professional development and has worked with adult learners.
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How We Know What We Know

How We Know What We Know

Presenter linkBrian M. PetePresenter linkRobin J. Fogarty
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Categories: Instruction, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Thinking about Thinking in IB Schools: How We Know What We Know (Fogarty, Pete, 2020) examines teaching techniques in International Baccalaureate schools, focusing on a curricular framework that is used on the international instructional scene.

For students influenced by the high expectations of this “IB kind of study,” their performances show evidence of thought and a rare mindfulness for young learners. That said, this is a practical guide framed by the fine curricular beliefs crafted by the founders of the IB schools (2018) and the Theory of Knowledge (2014). Read more

Vocabulary Reigns Supreme

Vocabulary Reigns Supreme

Presenter linkBrian M. PetePresenter linkGene KernsPresenter linkRobin J. Fogarty
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Categories: Instruction, Literacy

Based on Literacy Reframed

“After we learn the mechanics of reading early on, through phonics and decoding, reading growth then depends, more than anything, on our ability to develop students’ knowledge base and vocabulary” (Lemov, 2015; Pinker in Hirsch, 2016; Shanahan, 2011, 2014; as cited in Schmoker, 2018, pg. 270).

This makes perfect sense because the true roots of reading are in the “knowledge learned and knowingness retained,” both of which are embedded and conceptualized as the reader makes meaning of the message. Read more

The Sound of Literacy

Decoding—The Sound of Literacy

Presenter linkBrian M. PetePresenter linkGene KernsPresenter linkRobin J. Fogarty
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Categories: Instruction, Literacy

Based on Literacy Reframed

Listen, and you will hear, the sounds of literacy ringing in your ears.

As human beings, we come pre-wired to learn language by hearing it spoken. The first sounds of language are even heard in the womb. Tiny ears recognize the sound of Mom’s voice, distinct from Dad’s. These first encounters are followed by the oral language of “baby sounds,” mimicking what they hear and reproducing their interpretation of the sounds that grow naturally into speaking. Read more

Insufficiency of Google

Dr. Google’s Knowledge is Not Enough!

Presenter linkBrian M. PetePresenter linkRobin J. Fogarty
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Categories: 21st Century Skills, Technology

Based on Literacy Reframed: How a Focus on Decoding, Vocabulary, and Background Knowledge Improves Reading Comprehension

“Dr. Google” is often considered “the background knowledge center” of the classroom, standing ready to accommodate student searches for words, concepts, ideas, and factual information.

This notion is well-deserved, as Dr. Google is the ever-ready battery that charges student work. However, Dr. Google’s knowledge is not enough! New knowledge builds on prior knowledge. The more one knows, the more one can connect one piece of knowledge with another. When prior knowledge is weak or missing, students are working with a huge deficit. Read more