It’s time to throw out the old rulebook. Today’s classroom demands teacher innovation, embracing of new technology, and rejection of outdated practices, especially when someone tells you it’s “always been done” a certain way.

Meet Josh Stumpenhorst, recently named Illinois Teacher of the Year. Stumpenhorst’s orthodoxy-challenging methods have produced outstanding student outcomes, and in these pages he details how to maximize teacher effectiveness by thinking outside the box:

• Build student relationships on trust and respect rather than fear and punishment


• Rethink homework and letter grades, which—in their current forms—are harming learning 


• Leverage technology by not treating it as a “shiny toy”, but rather understand its power as a tool for rapid progress

Educators who welcome large-scale change are about to pull ahead of those who don’t.