Four years after becoming an instructional coach, Elena Aguilar once again found herself in front of a class of 8th graders, looking for trusting relationships. “Within just five minutes, I was humbled. Who did I think I was that I could incur their trust that fast? I wanted to bow down to the teacher—Oh, yes, this is so hard.”
In her review of Larry Ferlazzo’s Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation, Julie Dermody says, “Educators who read this book will become more effective teachers…better equipped to deal with daily challenges of motivating our students.”
Standardized Testing / Two Teachers in the Room
by Laurie Wasserman · Published 04/07/2013 · Last modified 12/10/2019
Special educator Laurie Wasserman shares details of how her co-teaching team and her entire middle school help students prepare for state testing.
STEM By Design / STEM Program Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 04/07/2013 · Last modified 11/24/2019
STEM educator Anne Jolly says that authentic, mature STEM programs can point to 10 basic outcomes. Does your program have the real-deal ingredients?
Students will take the strategies from Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading beyond their current classroom to strengthen their critical thinking and their enthusiasm about reading, says reviewer Sandy Wisneski.
Media expert Frank Baker offers examples of political stagecraft at the highest levels and suggests several visual literacy lesson ideas.
Closing the Achievement Gap / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 04/03/2013 · Last modified 11/18/2019
Elizabeth Stein & assistant principal Paul McNeil consider personal, classroom, and school strategies that can help close achievement gaps for students with disabilities, including peer tutoring and support for high expectations. It takes a team approach, and it takes time and patience.
The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy Good Stuff I’ve Learned About Teaching Along the Way is a major collection of the author’s columns and articles on middle grades teaching practice and is indeed “crazy good stuff,” says reviewer Elizabeth Stein.
Research supports integrating arts into STEM curriculum, says educator Sammy Parker, citing studies of Nobel laureates and low-achieving students.
In the middle grades, arts integration can deepen learning, address the Common Core, and spark academic progress across the curriculum.
