Intentionally introducing humor, curiosity, enthusiasm, and optimism into each class is a low-tech, high-impact method to build resilience and attention. Stephanie Farley shares ways she’s engaged middle schoolers with elements like (live!) rolling mice and kid-made symbols.
The Unstoppable ML Teacher / Translanguaging
by Tan Huynh · Published 01/25/2023 · Last modified 02/27/2023
As language specialist Tan Huynh learns Khmer, his 6th language, he looks into language acquisition as a skill, not a superpower. He suggests teachers support students’ multilingualism by maximizing translanguaging, learning in context, and integrating all language domains.
Gina Picha’s book offers advice, examples and resources for brief math conferences that focus on listening and observing, naming students’ strengths, and encouraging them to share ideas. Fifth grade math teacher Kathie Palmieri finds it a practical, easy-to-implement guide.
Star Sackstein’s Assessing with Respect is about focusing on meeting students’ SEL needs and how that allows us to work with them on greater academic achievements. She effectively discusses the theory of CASEL competencies and their implementation, writes NBCT Megan Balduf.
When these five strategies are woven throughout a routine, they work in tandem to keep the focus on mathematical thinking, promote student-to-student discourse, and create multi-modal processing opportunities for those with learning disabilities, Kelemanik and Lucenta write.
Responding to uncompromising resistance to change is always a challenge. Wise school leaders are inclusive in the planning stage, share information with everyone involved, and have a well-considered implementation plan. Williamson and Blackburn examine four kinds of objection.
Lorena Germán easily weaves her personal experiences into the presentation of her Textured Teaching framework, holding our interest as she invites us into a deeper reflection about what it means to grow a culturally sustaining teaching practice and how we can bring that about.
Discover the ‘language’ of digital storytelling – imagery, music, sound, words – in Brett Pierce’s “Expanding Literacy.” In addition to describing the skills students can gain by developing stories digitally, Pierce offers excellent activities and projects, says Anne Anderson.
Having volunteered for her district’s PBIS Tier I committee, Dina Strasser looks into the current viability of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports with help from a new federally funded meta-study. She finds lots that hasn’t worked but also some potential.
Amber Chandler not only says what many educators are thinking but lives her classroom truth in the The Flexible SEL Classroom. Her compelling case for everyday SEL in middle schools is supported by a multitude of activities to benefit students, writes teacher Jenni Kramer.
