Learning as a Way of Teaching

The latest buzzword for our disctrict is RTI.  Of course, it is not new to a lot of educators.  We are still catching on.  Two collegues joined me for a day of staff development with an RTI guru.  It sounds to me like we are making RTI harder than it has to be.  Instead of seeing it as a means to qualify students for Special Education, we should be seeing it as better teaching.  Why shouldn’t we work in a scientific manner to identify those students who need more small group instruction and track their progress?  Seems like a simple process.  So, what am I missing?

I came across a middle school math teacher who makes his own music videos to teach math concepts in the classroom. Talk about keeping your students engaged. My question is, how does a teacher have that kind of time to put something like this together? I know it takes the right combination of talent, time, and technology. Kudos to those who have that winning combination.