Todd Finley
@toddfinley.bsky.social
Associate Professor of English Education at East Carolina University.
I started a daily practice during my drive to school. I’d choose five students and spend five focused minutes reflecting on the following for each child. Read "A Focused Practice for Relationship Building" in @Edutopia www.edutopia.org/article/focu... #edu #teachers
📋 Have students keep a writer’s watch list of error patterns identified by the teacher or student. Over the semester, the list grows into a running record of revision targets, helping both teacher & student focus on skills that need the most attention. @edutopia #eng www.edutopia.org/article/teac...
Targeted Exercises That Develop Students’ Revision Skills
Across grades 3–12, students often struggle to revise their writing. Having them focus on one issue at a time helps them develop this invaluable skill.
edutopia.org
A sneak peek of @edutopia.org's research newsletter, out this weekend! It's informative and gorgeous 🎨 Featuring a comprehensive look at the benefits of handwriting (with lots of charts!), a new study on greeting students at the door, and more! Sign up here: www.edutopia.org/the-research...
A student struggles with an oral question. To help, the teacher simplifies the question. Finally, the instructor accepts a merely adequate answer. The “funnel pattern” is only an “illusion of learning.” www.edutopia.org/article/how-... #teachers #Edutopia
The Overexplaining Trap
Explicit instruction is necessary, but the most effective explanations act as a springboard to launch students quickly into guided, and then independent, practice.
edutopia.org
Check out Betty Ray's free workshop for parents and T's on helping kids build healthier digital habits with less conflict: Signal Check: A Smarter Way to Manage Kids’ Screen Use (Without the Fights). May 20 • Free online workshop RSVP here for Zoom link: www.bettyray.net/upcoming-eve...
Upcoming Events | BettyRay.net
bettyray.net
Last day to SLOW JAM on @Edutopia's Teacher2Teacher: Meaningful ways to say goodbye at the end of the year! 🏁https://www.edutopia.org/teacher2teacher/may-2026-jam-session-meaningful-moves-to-wrap-up-the-year?utm_campaign=website&utm_medium=email&utm_source=edu-account #teachers #k12
May 2026 Jam Session: Meaningful Moves to Wrap Up the Year
Welcome to our final Jam Session of the school year! This week, join our panelists for a conversation about practical ways to make the most of the final weeks—helping students reflect on their learnin...
edutopia.org
It's that time of year. How do you end it meaningfully? Check out these ideas shared in @Edutopia's School of Practice Podcast. www.edutopia.org/podcast/14-e.... #education #FinishingStrong
Podcast: 14 Excellent Ways to End the School Year
Looking for creative ways to celebrate the last weeks of school? Here’s a toolkit of delightful, memorable activities from veteran K-12 teachers.
edutopia.org
It's that time of year. How do you end it meaningfully? Check out these ideas shared in @Edutopia's School of Practice Podcast. www.edutopia.org/podcast/14-e.... #education #FinishingStrong
Podcast: 14 Excellent Ways to End the School Year
Looking for creative ways to celebrate the last weeks of school? Here’s a toolkit of delightful, memorable activities from veteran K-12 teachers.
edutopia.org
In this month’s Jam Session, @mrswendymturner.bsky.social joins educators @toddfinley.bsky.social, Ms. James, Sydney Whatcott, and Josh Palsky in sharing practical ways to make the most of the final weeks of the school year! Join us here: edut.to/4txBVkV
A 2015 meta-analysis involving 73K students found that task clarity has a profound effect on both engagement & learning. When we are "fuzzy" about what students are supposed to do or make, we invite cognitive overload www.edutopia.org/article/rese... #Edutopia #Education
Research-Backed Strategies to Keep Students on Task
Teachers can help students build their capacity to stay on task by ensuring that they have a clear path to start working, reasons to continue, and support when they lose focus.
edutopia.org
🗓️It's the last Edutopia T2T JAM SESSION of the year, talking about what to do during the last days of school. → How do we make it unforgettable? →Help kids reflect? →Keep them engaged? Celebrate? www.edutopia.org/teacher2teac... #Edutopia #edu #K12 Bring your big ideas!
May 2026 Jam Session: Meaningful Moves to Wrap Up the Year
Welcome to our final Jam Session of the school year! This week, join our panelists for a conversation about practical ways to make the most of the final weeks—helping students reflect on their learnin...
edutopia.org
“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” - Steve Jobs named the essential tension in teaching and learning.
How to organize student papers in your classroom | #edu #paperwork #classroom
Special thanks to educator @toddfinley.bsky.social for the inspiration. You can read his article with all the activities here: edut.to/3OF8JtA
Your Student Finished Early—Now What?
These extension activities for all grades will help teachers keep fast finishers engaged in meaningful work.
edut.to
How to Keep Kids on Task (What the research says) edutopia.org/article/rese... #teachers #k12 #education #Edutopia
Research-Backed Strategies to Keep Students on Task
Teachers can help students build their capacity to stay on task by ensuring that they have a clear path to start working, reasons to continue, and support when they lose focus.
edutopia.org
Special thanks to educator @toddfinley.bsky.social for the inspiration. You can read his full article to get even more ideas: edut.to/3OF8JtA
Your Student Finished Early—Now What?
These extension activities for all grades will help teachers keep fast finishers engaged in meaningful work.
edut.to
New teachers—and some experienced ones—may struggle with the second half of formative assessment: deciding how to adjust instruction accordingly. 🔧 @toddfinley.bsky.social shares a framework that can help.
How to Decide What to Do After Your Formative Assessment
You’ve checked for understanding—now you can use this framework to understand what students’ confusion is telling you, and how you can adjust course.
edutopia.org
Stay tuned for more activities for fast finishers! Special thanks to educator @toddfinley.bsky.social for the inspiration. You can read his article with all the activities here:
Your Student Finished Early—Now What?
These extension activities for all grades will help teachers keep fast finishers engaged in meaningful work.
edutopia.org
Students who struggle on a formative assessment commonly have 1 of 4 fixable problems. Professor (and former teacher) @toddfinley.bsky.social shows what to do next. ➡️ #assessment #EduSky
How to Decide What to Do After Your Formative Assessment
You’ve checked for understanding—now you can use this framework to understand what students’ confusion is telling you, and how you can adjust course.
edutopia.org
How to Decide What to Do After Your Formative Assessment | www.edutopia.org/article/what... #education #teacher #k12 #Edutopia
How to Decide What to Do After Your Formative Assessment
You’ve checked for understanding—now you can use this framework to understand what students’ confusion is telling you, and how you can adjust course.
edutopia.org
12 Buddy Systems That Support Learning and Student Well-Being Encouraging students to “look out for each other on purpose” has a powerful impact. These classroom and schoolwide strategies will help you get started. www.edutopia.org/article/usin... #education #teachers
12 Buddy Systems That Support Learning and Student Well-Being
Encouraging students to “look out for each other on purpose” has a powerful impact. These classroom and schoolwide strategies can help you get started.
edutopia.org
Our most recent podcast guest, @toddfinley.bsky.social, wants to hear about the early finisher routines in your classroom! Share your thoughts, talk about the new episode, or ask Todd a question of your own: edut.to/3XlQBpH
What do you do when a handful of students finish their work at warp speed? In our new podcast episode, educator @toddfinley.bsky.social shares 6 strategies to keep your speed racers engaged in meaningful work that’s immersive and challenging. 🏎️ 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/4ofzJfa
My interview on the new Edutopia Podcast (School of Practice) about Converting Fast Finishers into Self-Directed Learners. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c... #education #teachers #k12 #edutopia #ED #learning
Converting ‘Fast Finishers’ Into Self-Directed Learners
Podcast Episode · School of Practice · 11/25/2025 · 20m
podcasts.apple.com
13 Super-Quick Formative Assessments Teachers can use these techniques to gauge students’ understanding mid-lesson and then decide whether to reteach or press ahead. www.edutopia.org/article/quic... #teachers #k12 #formativeassessment #assessment
13 Super-Quick Formative Assessments
Teachers can use these techniques to gauge students’ understanding mid-lesson and then decide whether to reteach or press ahead.
edutopia.org
8 Questions New Teachers Often Ask—Answered Classroom management, projecting authority, dealing with parents, cell phone distractions, and more... www.edutopia.org/article/comm... #edutopia #teacher
8 Questions New Teachers Often Ask—Answered
An education professor and former teacher tackles issues like classroom management, projecting authority, dealing with parents, cell phone distractions, and more.
edutopia.org
Classroom seating decisions are some of the most powerful tools that teachers have to manage a classroom, working quietly behind the scenes to promote prosocial behavior & suppress distractions. Edutopia’s @youkiterada.bsky.social outlines research-based tips for choosing the best layout. #EduSky
Research-Based Tips for Optimal Seating Arrangements
The right approach to seating works behind the scenes to keep students focused on learning while minimizing disruptions, research suggests.
edut.to
Susan Barber notes an essential tension: "Teachers continually express frustration with the lack of student accountability while doubling down on teacher accountability and a desire to return to a more balanced distribution between the two." #edu #teachers muchadoaboutteaching.com/summer-refle...
Summer Reflections - Much Ado About Teaching
Brian and I truly count ourselves blessed as we work in the best of both worlds: classroom teachers and consultants for teachers. Once the school year ends, we work with teachers from across the count...
muchadoaboutteaching.com
❌ Generate rules to guarantee that a class discussion fails. 🙉 How do you show someone you’re not listening? 🤝 List strategies to sabotage a team project. @toddfinley.bsky.social explains how prompts like these can sharpen students’ awareness of common errors and boost their confidence. #EduSky
The Benefits of Anti-Models for Boosting Learning
Teachers can explore with students what not to do—like confusing operations in math or using boring word choices in writing—to set students on the right path and boost learning.
edut.to