For teachers who have considered implementing a Genius Hour program but haven’t quite made it to launch, passion-based learning experts and #geniushour chat leaders Gallit Zvi and Denise Krebs have organized a wealth of tips and resources to get you started.
Design Thinking / Future of History
by Jody & Shara · Published 08/21/2016 · Last modified 11/26/2019
Can history teachers apply Design Thinking ideas to a subject often taught as a progression of facts? Jody Passanisi thinks so. “What could be more relevant than looking for solutions to challenges that were created in the past and are still having impact today?”
Expert Anne Jolly suggests a running assessment of your STEM lessons as the new school year begins to make sure your students are engaged, working well in teams, and involved in engineering solutions to meaningful problems. Try her Lesson Plan Debugger!
Class Apps / Quick Communication
by Curtis Chandler · Published 08/07/2016 · Last modified 03/03/2024
With the goal of encouraging learning at school and beyond, Curtis Chandler describes two free tech tools to help get students and the school year off to a good start: Poll Everywhere will quickly spark discussion and the Remind app will keep everyone on track.
Team Building / The Flexible Classroom
by Amber Chandler · Published 08/07/2016 · Last modified 03/08/2021
Amber Chandler and her co-teaching colleague will use the One Word Challenge this fall to set the focus and tone for a cohesive classroom culture. After a trial run last January, they are confident it’s the perfect way to kick off the year. Tips & slides!
STEM expert Anne Jolly shares the 9-step process she uses to write a quality lesson that includes some or all of the elements found in the Engineering Design Process (EDP). Included: free downloads of six STEM lesson-writing tools she developed for her new book.
NBCT Amber Chandler looks at three factors that might be holding teachers back from pursuing National Board Certification – finding time, covering the cost, or “already being a good teacher” – and offers her reasons why you should move beyond all three obstacles.
Students who feel a strong connection to their classmates and teachers are much more likely to persist and achieve shared goals, learn respect, and develop communication skills. Teaching expert Julia Thompson offers strategies to help build positive communities.
Book Reviews / Response to Intervention
by MiddleWeb · Published 05/19/2016 · Last modified 11/12/2019
Best Practices at Tier 1 will help teachers learn how to create brain-friendly environments, develop a powerful core curriculum by shifting to more collaborative teaching, apply differentiation strategies, and use data to inform instruction, says Linda Biondi.
The restorative practices advocated by authors Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey invite teachers “to switch their energies from rules to relationships, and provide meaningful instruction,” writes reviewer and instructional coach Glenda Moyer.
