Administrators and gifted and talented coordinators can include Creating Equity and Access for Gifted Learners with its introduction of the ExCEL Model as one part of a larger body of resources to support the implementation of problem-based learning, writes Kim Rensch.
Teaching dystopian fiction offers students a meaningful way to engage with literature and social issues while developing critical thinking skills. Kasey Short suggests discussion questions, activities, and a sample of dystopian novels and short stories to capture students’ attention.
Project-based learning’s mischievous sibling, problem-based learning, is once again gaining traction in the educational sphere. Kim Rensch, a district gifted services leader, likes that Todd Stanley’s book goes deep into assessment after a thorough look at inquiry learning.
What can you and your students accomplish the last few weeks of school? In this MiddleWeb resource educators share activities that align learning with fun, offer ideas for responding to stress, and suggest strategies to help sustain your classroom community.
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.
Effectively managing resilience has never been more important for educators. In the first of her five-part series, teacher educator Julie Schmidt Hasson shares what she has learned about the need to manage our educator batteries and sets the stage for a battery management plan.
When U.S. history teacher Lauren Brown realized how little her 7th graders knew about the 50 states, she resorted to memorization. “Knowing more about our country’s geography will help students as they go on to learn its history and politics.” Elementary teachers need to help.
Travel abroad is a chance for students to step out of their comfort zones, build connections, and develop a global perspective – to engage authentically with people and places beyond their cultural affiliations or national borders, writes middle school head Michael McLaughlin.
Facing the ‘December Dilemma’ of how to include winter holidays in the instructional day? This MiddleWeb resource offers a multi-faceted look at religious and non-religious aspects of the season, legal issues, and some ideas for seasonal lesson planning.
In the conclusion of their two-part series on supporting student research, our classroom teacher-authors share an Inquiry Chart tool educators can use to coach middle graders as they discuss how their findings are coming together, annotate their work, and plan next steps.
