It's Not Easy Being Tween / Pandemic Teaching
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 05/11/2020 · Last modified 08/12/2022
Amid global fear and incredible teaching and learning challenges generated by the pandemic, Cheryl Mizerny has decided to take Mr. Rogers’ advice and look for the helpers. Here’s her list of six ‘silver linings’ she’s discovered as her school supports “virtual” students.
As schools enter another month of virtual learning, Megan Kelly has implemented elements of The EduProtocol Field Guide by Hebern and Corippo. Many of the free tools and activities translate easily into online practice, allowing her to create time-efficient new routines.
Words are a low-risk point from which to launch Students with Interrupted Formal Education on their schooling journey. One of the best ways to teach words is with the Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM), a multi-step process to teach vocabulary. Tan Huynh shows how.
Helping students learn to read and love to read are two of the most important jobs of any teacher in the middle grades. You can’t do either without having robust libraries with books of all types, subjects, and levels. NBCT Rita Platt can help you build your collection.
When stay-at-home kids (or students) need an engaging project to grab their interest, introduce them to creating STEAM-y musical instruments they can craft from household items. STEM educator Anne Jolly shares ways to help 4-8 graders try out ocean drums, panpipes and more.
I Will Screw This Up / Remote Teaching
by Dina Strasser · Published 04/20/2020 · Last modified 09/03/2020
“Covid-19 is a red contrast dye,” writes Dina Strasser. “Dumped into the cauldron of schools, it shows us the cracks and flaws that were already there.” Even so, as her students slowly figure out their tech, “they are coming alive to me and for me in ways I never could have predicted.”
In Writing, Redefined Shawna Coppola proposes alternatives (comics, podcasts, etc.) to traditional writing assignments to welcome the students who aren’t drawn to essays and book reviews. Literacy coach Pam Hamilton likes the ideas but wonders if teachers are ready for them.
If you’re interested in doing some professional learning at home in addition to the on-the-fly learning that comes with reorganizing your classes so they are distance-friendly, take a look at Principal and NBCT Rita Platt’s collection of online and web-free PD resources.
Adjusting instruction to virtual learning can be a challenge, and it’s tempting to create easier lessons, says teaching expert Dr. Barbara Blackburn. But educators “need to ensure we hold students to standards that promote deeper learning, no matter the delivery system.”
What can we do to encourage kids to choose nonfiction more frequently for personal enjoyment? Cate Gerard and Sunday Cummins share what Cate discovered when interviewing middle graders about their reading habits and recommend class and virtual strategies and resources.
