Culturally responsive and sustaining teaching needs to underlie and guide all our classroom practices, write Ferlazzo and Sypnieski. When we validate the cultural learning tools that diverse learners bring, we can leverage them to produce positive outcomes for all students.
Reading and writing experts Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher detail how to use essays, book clubs, poetry and digital composition to support student literacy and build student agency. Reviewer Helene Alalouf says your students will thank you for bringing the book’s ideas to class.
Ideally, the “you do together” phase of GRR is a student-led experience that acts as a catalyst for learning. But how often does this kind of student interaction really happen in classrooms? Cummins and Webb consider what teachers can do to foster true collaboration.
What promises do we need to make (and keep) so that our students will truly believe they belong in our classrooms and will be safe and cared for there? Middle grades leaders Laurie Barron and Patti Kinney break down the 25 promises they feel have the most impact.
For much of her career, middle level teacher Stephanie Farley felt confounded when students “told me they didn’t understand where their grades came from.” Then her principal set her on a path of discovery that’s led to competency based learning and students eagerly self-grading.
Students with special needs face a particular challenge in middle school. Literacy is crucial to understanding academic content, and for many, literacy is a weakness. Blackburn and Witzel offer strategies to help them see patterns, read fluently, and comprehend information.
Rather than fixating on immigrant parents’ economic conditions and languages as deficits and labeling them as unable to contribute to their children’s education, ML specialist Tan Huynh advocates for an assets-affirming narrative, sharing the instructive story of his own mother.
If we want multilinguals to develop their speaking skills while learning content (and we do!) then they need multiple opportunities to engage in academic conversation throughout the school day. ML/EL education leader Jenny Vo shares her favorite successful strategies.
Vocabulary / Vocabulary / Wide Open Learning
by Megan Kelly · Published 03/06/2022 · Last modified 02/04/2024
How can teachers be more intentional about teaching vocabulary words given the limited instructional time available? Megan Kelly shares ways she has begun to add more vocabulary instruction into small pockets of class time using focus words, drawing, GIFs, and Spot It cards.
School leaders often find themselves coping with unexpected events that create turbulence and uncertainty. During the pandemic, these challenges have expanded and intensified. Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn share six researched steps to help leaders respond effectively.
