Working with a group of teachers openly wary of technology, Kevin Hodgson offered this writing prompt: “Recall your first aha moment about tech and teaching.” And then, like the good writing teacher he is, he shared his own story as a model.
Getting Started with STEM / STEM By Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 02/23/2014 · Last modified 12/10/2019
In this STEM By Design guest post, Dr. Susan Pruet shares 7 essentials on how to design and implement a successful, sustainable STEM program. Nothing worthwhile happens fast. So start with a diversely talented team and then work through her steps.
Inclusion Classrooms / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 02/23/2014 · Last modified 12/14/2019
In a new post at the Two Teachers in the Room blog, special educator Elizabeth Stein shares her ideal classroom: profiles a fatally flawed classroom; and offers steps to achieve the first & avoid the second.
Good writing instruction doesn’t have to be complicated, says literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo. No matter what genre you’re teaching – a paragraph, a timed essay or a full-blown research paper – she recommends these basic steps. Rubric included!
In Causes & Cures in the Classroom, author Margaret Searle provides detailed exemplars for getting to the root of students’ academic and behavioral problems. To reduce feelings of inadequacy, read the last chapter first, says reviewer Sarah Grieb.
Every art teacher could benefit by having The Art Teacher’s Survival Guide for Elementary and Middle Schools by Helen Hume in their personal libraries, says reviewer Carrie Manders. It may not be one you use every day, but it is one to reference on a regular basis.
Falling in Love with Close Reading by Lehman & Roberts has cured the close reading fatigue of reading coach Katie Gordon. “I’m learning about the invisible processes I use as a reader so I can reveal them to students for whom they are not automatic.”
Embracing Technology / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 02/19/2014 · Last modified 02/20/2014
“It’s hard to come to terms with the digital dinosaur in myself,” writes 5th grade teacher Mary Tarashuk, who’s been asked to help create online courses. “Technology benchmarks are a bit vague for this novice traveler on the Information Superhighway.”
Introducing the concept of product placement, using pop culture images and sporting events, is a great way to jump-start students’ critical viewing and grow their media literacy skills, says expert Frank Baker. Key questions for analysis included.
Students with learning disabilities can meet high expectations and thrive in Common Core classrooms with the right teacher supports, say “rigor” experts Barbara Blackburn and Bradley Witzel. They recommend several proven scaffolding strategies.
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