Close Reading the Media / Visual Literacy
by Frank Baker · Published 03/16/2021 · Last modified 03/17/2021
So much of our world is visual. Helping students learn how to “read” images and detect fakery and manipulation should be part of a 21st century education. Media literacy expert Frank Baker shares lots of ideas, insights and resources to get teachers and students started.
Cris Tovani has written a true page turner to assist all teachers with literacy strategies that will captivate their most reluctant students. “Why Do I Have to Read This?” begins with insights into the many masks of reading resistance that students wear, says Linda Biondi.
To celebrate Women’s History Month, middle grades teacher Kasey Short offers a list of nonfiction and fiction books representing a wide range of girl’s and women’s voices and experiences. All students benefit from reading about smart, brave women who make positive impacts.
Podcasts / Reading for the 21st Century
by Alex Valencic · Published 03/08/2021 · Last modified 03/09/2021
Professional books play an important role in every savvy educator’s growth and development. Podcasts can serve the same purpose, writes instructional leader Alex Valencic. Podcasts not only stimulate our thinking, they lead us to new authors and help us expand our PLNs.
Elements of Co-teaching / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Tan Huynh · Published 03/07/2021 · Last modified 01/03/2022
Language specialist Tan Huynh offers co-teachers an orientation he never had, sharing what being a language specialist looks like at different levels and with various tasks. Veteran co-teachers may also find helpful tips if they move among elementary and secondary grades.
Similar to reading, listening to what we hear during an interview requires comprehension and the active construction of meaning. Elizabeth Hagan, Lisa Friesen and Sunday Cummins share action research on ways to prepare students to conduct interviews they’ll enjoy and learn from.
Todd Whitaker has the experience, research, data, anecdotes, and feedback from teachers and administrators to help readers see what “great teachers do differently.” He reminds us of the eternal importance of educators and the impact we make, writes Linda Biondi.
Michelle Russell loves teaching statistics and her students enjoy it too. But it took her a few years to find activities that really engage them and that also reinforce the statistics standards they need to learn. Here are three ideas she recommends for the middle grades.
When we take the time to research and develop leadership styles that are true to our beliefs and values, while at the same time encouraging others to develop themselves and their own leadership styles, we become ethical and transformational leaders, writes AP DeAnna Miller.
How can we make sure our classrooms are places that welcome risk-taking in the name of learning, and expect and celebrate inevitable mistakes? Author and innovation leader Colleen Cruz shares five things teachers can do to create a culture where students risk, fail and rise.
