The 2021-22 school year came with all the expected sound and fury, and for many of us, weariness and low spirits. Now summer’s here and MiddleWeb has pulled together a diverse set of deep-dive PD articles you might have missed. They’re insightful, informative and actionable!
What works when school leaders need to tackle complex challenges? Principal and author Matt Renwick suggests letting go of trying to control outcomes and operating with certainty on “fixing” problems. Pursuing 20 sharply focused questions helped his school gain momentum.
Chris Hall wasn’t satisfied with the way he taught revision in MS writing workshop. After much reflection he’s concluded that the best revision takes place in the mind of the writer during the writing process – not after it’s done. Six mindset ‘stances’ help students learn this skill.
What does it look like when your students are doing rigorous work and thinking deeply? Dr. Karin Hess discusses how content complexity, cognitive engagement, and the intended scope and depth of a learning activity can work together to scaffold and support deeper thinking.
Looking for a way to incorporate creativity into your curriculum next school year? You may want to consider teaching students about design thinking. Teacher educator Katie Caprino and her preservice colleague Alyssa Marzili introduce the concepts and highlight 3 useful apps.
Author and LPC Emily Kircher-Morris, host of the Neurodiversity Podcast, details four ways educators can support twice-exceptional (2e) learners – students who have advanced cognitive abilities as well as a diagnostic disability such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or dysgraphia.
Learning assertiveness skills can help middle school students express themselves while also respecting and empathizing with others. Using six short videos, Drs. Pattie Noonan and Amy Gaumer Erickson share strategies to teach tweens how to apply this key communication tool.
ENL teacher Dina Strasser completes her review of The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide (2nd Ed) by Ferlazzo and Sypnieski and concludes that making full use of this “eminently practical” book will demonstrably strengthen novice and expert teachers’ work with ELL students.
Teacher educator Curtis Chandler guides us through Global Pandemics, a “fantastic” free Chrome app that transports teachers and students back in time to the lives, choices, and dilemmas faced by individuals during some of the most severe plagues and pandemics in history.
Dynamic duo Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne have teamed up again to create a book filled with practical strategies to implement immediately as well as valuable resources to ensure student success. Teacher Cheryl Mizerny says the conversational guide is essential reading now.
