The first step toward gamifying your classroom can be as simple as taking the “ew” out of “review” with these helpful game-oriented apps, selected and described by tech integration expert Curtis Chandler. Included: Quizizz, Kahoot, Classcraft and Class Dojo.
Author and former middle level school leader Frank Buck spends his professional life helping fellow educators manage themselves and their work in ways that maximize performance and benefit students. Buck shares three practical ideas to organize the new school year.
Iconic images from popular culture can raise consciousness about issues, many of them tied to health and gender awareness, writes media literacy consultant Frank W. Baker. He offers memorable examples and ties this phenomenon to teaching visual literacy.
Setting Goals / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 07/05/2015 · Last modified 12/03/2019
Start now! Once you take the time to focus on moments from last year, and then reflect and stretch your thinking beyond your own perspective, your mind will be set for opening up to meaningful co-teaching relationships and more student success in 2015-16.
Relationships are built when children know that caring adults are on their side. If teachers team up with parents and families, they can help create success for even the most difficult students. Amber Chandler shares the strategies that work in her MS classroom.
Author and literacy consultant Regie Routman is a passionate cook who loves to make fresh fruit tarts. Here she draws connections between learning to bake and learning to teach, using her Optimal Learning Model as a framework. Fruit tart recipe included!
Getting Started with STEM / STEM By Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 06/21/2015 · Last modified 11/26/2019
How do you get ready to teach STEM? Anne Jolly reviews key points to consider if you are spending time this summer planning for STEM classes in the fall. By thinking through some fundamentals now, Jolly says, you’ll be in great shape for the school year ahead.
Teacher Evaluation / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 06/14/2015 · Last modified 11/26/2019
Soon Kevin Hodgson’s school will begin including student feedback in teacher evaluation. But Kevin is curious now. He shares a survey he created for his 6th graders to gather their views of learning in his ELA classroom. See how well he met expectations.
Future of History / Year in Review
by Jody & Shara · Published 06/14/2015 · Last modified 12/02/2019
History teacher Jody Passanisi pauses during the end-of-year whirlwind to reflect on classes that went well and teaching that will need more work. TodaysMeet and Ideapaint get a thumbs up. Student blogging will need adjustments. For now, summer PD beckons.
We asked teaching consultant Annette Breaux to write about three of the most pressing questions new teachers have in the weeks (and months) before they open their classroom doors to students for the first time. Here’s her advice on discipline, classroom management, and daily procedures.
