Professional community / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 12/15/2013 · Last modified 11/25/2019
While teachers often lead a vibrant learning community within their classroom’s four walls, those walls can also be professionally isolating, says 6th grade teacher Kevin Hodgson. “Being part of a larger network…is empowering in ways that is difficult to put into words. Connections make you feel anchored to a movement. Seeking help is a show of strength.” The Nerdy Resolutions (#nerdlution) hashtag community, he says, is a prime example.
Bringing iPads and apps into your classes? Having author Lori Elliott along is like having a technology mentor in the room, says Laura Von Staden.
For the 2013 EduBlog Awards we’re defining “best” as among the “especially interesting & attention-worthy.”
Working Draft / Writing with Students
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 11/03/2013 · Last modified 11/17/2019
ELA teacher Kevin Hodgson often joins his students during freewriting time and sometimes shares his own messy work, as a way to model what writers do.
Articles / Teaching Vocabulary / Vocabulary
by MiddleWeb · Published 11/03/2013 · Last modified 01/26/2020
ELA teacher & former llama wrangler Lee Ann Spillane details how she teaches content-related vocabulary using several versatile digital tools.
The founders of What Kids Can Do share a selection of middle grades student voices expressing what teachers can do to help all kids be successful.
Future of History / New Teacher Advice / Novice History Teachers
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/18/2013 · Last modified 11/13/2019
What should new social studies teachers keep in mind as they begin their first year in the classroom? Our three Future of History bloggers have tips!
Interviews / The Future of Learning
by John Norton · Published 07/21/2013 · Last modified 11/14/2019
We interview Tina Barseghian, founder and editor of MindShift, the popular blog about the future of teaching and learning in the digital age.
STEM & the Makers Movement / STEM By Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 06/23/2013 · Last modified 11/23/2019
The authors of “Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom” share an exciting guest post at Anne Jolly’s STEM Imagineering blog. The tools and ethos of the maker revolution offer insight and hope for middle schools and for science and math studies, they say. “The breadth of options and the ‘can-do’ attitude is exactly what students need.”
Book Reviews / Vocabulary Instruction
by MiddleWeb · Published 06/09/2013 · Last modified 02/03/2024
In addition to its comprehensive, CCSS-friendly approach to integrating vocabulary lessons into literacy curriculum, Word Nerds: Teaching All Students to Learn and Love Vocabulary is also fun for students, says reviewer Linda Biondi.
