Reflecting on their work gives students an opportunity to look back at what they have done, examine the processes and strategies they used, and think about the importance of their effort and growth. Literacy coach Lynne Dorfman explores ways to cultivate metacognition.
To get her 4th graders off their remote screens for a good old-fashioned, hands-on collage project to strengthen fine-motor skills, Mary Tarashuk asked them to create image-filled books exploring Room 4T’s central Social Studies question this year: “Who Is America?”
Active listening can take any virtual, hybrid or regular class into humanizing spaces that may motivate more students to join the learning process, writes coach and NBCT Elizabeth Stein. And if you’re co-teaching, the active listening process is easy to model!
Over the life of our nation, history has been recorded from a singularly white perspective. Pablo Wolfe, Mary Ehrenworth and Marc Todd suggest ways we can create truth-seeking communities in our schools and “inoculate our students against the viral spread of falsehood.”
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.
Instead of continuing our 130 years of running every public school student through the system in the same way at the same time, Alex Valencic believes we need to shift our efforts to acknowledging individuality, independence, and innovation through mastery learning.
Borrowing books from class and school libraries is less common during the pandemic. Kathie Palmieri encourages her students to read using a Bitmoji Virtual Classroom Library, Virtual Book Tasting Rooms, Flipgrid, and Mentimeter. How-to tips and book sources included!
For teacher Tan Huynh, nothing is more powerful than having students fall in love with reading. He shares ways to nurture readers, garnered from his podcast chat with Book Love author Penny Kittle. Start with self-selected books and in-class reading, guided by conferencing.
Capitol Riots / Future of History
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 01/09/2021 · Last modified 01/10/2021
As U.S. history teacher Lauren Brown prepared for her classes to resume following winter break, she considered what she would say to her students about the Capitol riots. “To say nothing says way too much.” See her full discussion of teaching ideas for now and later.
In a time of great uncertainty and ambiguity school leaders are often left to grapple with the impact of decisions made elsewhere and to support teachers and staff in every circumstance. Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn offer strategies to maximize those efforts.
