To break through the complacency that often slows positive school change, author and middle level leader Ron Williamson turns to Harvard Business School professor John Kotter for four strategies school leaders can use to create urgency within their organizations.
To help students be ready for the challenges of their digital connections, infrequent workshops at school aren’t enough. Media educator and producer Diana Graber outlines what kids need to know and how to provide the curriculum to build competence and protect futures.
STEM Beyond the Classroom / STEM By Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 06/25/2017 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Informal STEM learning – whether it’s after school, in summer settings, or at home – is a major factor in getting adolescents on a path toward STEM careers. Anne Jolly describes the why, where and how, and shares online resources for program and curriculum planning.
School Leadership through the Seasons: A Guide to Staying Focused and Getting Results All Year By Ann T. Mausbach and Kimberly Morrison (Routledge/Eye On Education Book, 2016 – Learn more) Reviewed by Mary Langer Thompson The co-authors of...
Building Community / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 06/12/2017 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Here’s your invitation to stay connected and continue learning through the summer months. Instructional coach Elizabeth Stein looks at four essential questions for co-teachers and welcomes you to the conversation to share your observations and experience. Bookmark it!
It's Not Easy Being Tween / Social-Emotional Learning
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 06/04/2017 · Last modified 11/25/2019
With so much focus on high stakes testing, teachers recognize their students are at risk of not gaining the “soft skills” they need to succeed in school and life. Cheryl Mizerny shares her do-it-yourself solution: easy to use activities she blends into her curriculum.
Anne Jolly has had more inquiries from folk in the middle school arena on whether they should implement a STEM program or a STEAM program. She doesn’t think it’s an “Either-or.” She thinks it’s a “Both” with creativity and critical thinking sharing space.
A book to treasure! All of Jennifer Serravallo’s engaging 300 lessons are fully developed and easily adaptable for differentiation. The premise of the book is to meet the students where they are and not to teach each of the skills in isolation, writes Linda Biondi.
Difficult Topics / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 05/09/2017 · Last modified 11/17/2019
As teens respond en masse to the Netflix series Thirteen Reasons Why, the story of a girl who chooses suicide, Mary Tarashuk considers how difficult topics can be part of learning for her 4th graders and how their read-alouds and personal writing can build empathy.
Middle school behavior has more to do with neurotransmitters than hormones, says veteran teacher and consultant Thomas Armstrong. His strategies will help educators reach adolescents through both their “emotional brain’’ and the still undeveloped ‘’rational brain.’’
