Reading Stephanie Affinito’s Literacy Coaching can benefit classroom teachers as well as literacy coaches, writes educator Kathleen Palmieri. In addition to covering learning communities, PD, and collaboration, the book offers extensive digital resources to boost student learning.
Adolescent Development / Book Reviews
by MiddleWeb · Published 07/26/2018 · Last modified 11/17/2019
In addition to explaining the brain science behind adolescent risk taking, John Medina’s Attack of the Teenage Brain! is filled with valuable information to change the way teachers respond to adolescents in the classroom, says educator Elizabeth OBrien.
Math educator Jerry Burkhart expanded his horizons this summer when he taught a 3-week math exploration course to a class of 22 gifted middle level students from across India. Learn what he discovered about the similarities and differences in U.S. and India math education.
Nancy Akhavan encourages teachers to push away from assigned passages with worksheets that require canned responses, and instead promote more freedom in student thinking, and more reflection about their connection to the reading and writing going on in their classroom.
Blending in the arts is not predestined to create a failure of STEM goals, writes noted STEM author and educator Carolyn DeCristofano, who offers four reasons to consider adopting a well-designed STEAM program that protects the integrity of both STEM and arts education.
Glen Pearsall’s Fast and Effective Assessment focuses on making life easier for teachers while improving students’ learning and understanding, writes consultant Anne Anderson. Pearsall includes lots of ideas and efficient tools to create feedback that benefits students.
Stambaugh and VanTassel-Baska focus on purposeful planning, finding stories to engage young readers, and discovering ways to use readings to get the most impactful writing from students while increasing their overall comprehension, says teacher Erin Corrigan-Smith.
Grammar doesn’t need to be numbing. As you consider curriculum additions and tweaks over summer, author and literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo suggests ways you can incorporate grammar into those refreshed lessons to help students understand structure and write more clearly.
Heart of the School / Understanding Protests
by Rita Platt · Published 07/02/2018 · Last modified 11/15/2019
How can teachers broach the topic as civic protest becomes more visible in society? NBCT Rita Platt offers resources for student reading and discussion “because learning to thoughtfully communicate ideas and entertain the ideas of others is a cornerstone of democracy.”
To level, or not to level? Like many educational dilemmas there is no simple right or wrong answer. Literacy coach and author Regie Routman explores the limited role book leveling might play in supporting students to become engaged, deeply comprehending, joyful readers.
