Ruth Miller finds Lessons That Last an indispensable guide to enriching teaching practice and fostering a impactful learning environment. The book’s lessons, drawn from interviews with former students, affirm the significance of teachers’ work and the lasting influence we have.
As pre-service teachers anticipate their first classrooms, former Kansas TOY and teacher educator Curtis Chandler is ready with expert strategies to help them select the right schools and successfully complete the interview process. He stresses staying positive and being persistent.
The decision to give students “extra credit” should be closely tied to a teacher’s reasons for grading, says teaching coach Barbara Blackburn. Do you grade to measure understanding, provide accountability or compare students? She includes a “redo” tool – her preferred option.
Responding to text can take many forms, write literacy experts Brenda Krupp, Lynne Dorfman and Aileen Hower. Teachers want to encourage sincere, honest responses where students share their thoughts, feelings, opinions, and insights about the fiction and nonfiction they read.
In his fourth post in a series exploring ways that digital literacy impacts teaching and learning in the middle grades, Jason DeHart considers a wide range of digital texts (including music, visuals, film, video) and notes changing trends in engagement among his students.
Social media can disrupt concentration and healthy social development in adolescents. To counter its effects, principal Mike Gaskell looks at causes and suggests one helpful strategy to reduce stress and anxiety – ambient sound. Build the focus and flow students need to thrive.
In a time of unprecedented teacher criticism, burnout, and flight, National Board Certification offers an opportunity for teachers to feel empowered and inspired, writes NBCT Marilyn Pryle. Best of all, the challenging, self-directed process helps good teachers become even better.
A Learning Culture / Making Questions Count
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/30/2023 · Last modified 09/16/2024
What teachers do the first weeks of school has a dramatic effect on student engagement and achievement the rest of the year. Building a classroom culture of learning and questioning – co-created with students – paves the road to success. Jackie Walsh and colleagues show us how.
Last Weeks of School / New Teacher Tips
by Curtis Chandler · Published 04/12/2023 · Last modified 05/01/2024
To avoid having movies and parties consume valuable learning time during the last weeks of school, teacher educator Curtis Chandler suggests ways to celebrate and solidify knowledge gained during the year. Tips for new teachers and veterans, including a list from ChatGPT-4.
What would it be like to spend time together with colleagues on a regular basis to learn and improve our teaching skills? To investigate that question, Anne Jolly embarked on a year-long, onsite action research project to design and test a middle school teacher collaboration process.
