Conferences are valuable ways to grow professionally. Consultant Anne Anderson, who attended many such events as a teacher, shares ideas for getting buy-in and funding, prepping for the trip, getting the most from talks and exhibits, and bringing it all home.
Franklin P. Schargel’s guide to school safety addresses student drug abuse, teen driving accidents, pregnancies, truancy, gambling and more. Former principal Mary Langer Thompson would like more detailed discussion about responding to violence and addressing resource issues.
Current Events / Future of History
by Sarah Cooper · Published 01/11/2016 · Last modified 11/12/2019
Current events discussions can be “a litany of disappointment” if they focus only on the dreary headlines of the day. Fortunately, writes social studies teacher Sarah Cooper, “sometimes students bring in articles that make us all laugh and think and give us hope.”
How are you going to tackle the STEM challenges coming in 2016 following passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act? Anne Jolly shares 4 ideas which could join your other education New Year’s resolutions to broaden horizons for you and your students.
Annual resolutions to “get organized” usually fade quickly, despite ready access to smart devices and clever management apps. What we need, writes organizing expert Frank Buck, is some good advice. He begins his 5-part series with the digital calendar.
Principals can use social media to improve communication, provide information during school safety situations, increase collaboration, and enhance professional development. Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn argue, in fact, that social media is a leadership essential today.
Help middle graders take the next step in environmental studies & awareness. Using USDA resource materials, students can join the effort to uncover and eradicate the invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle which threatens 70% of the tree canopy in the United States.
Future of History / US Constitution
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 12/15/2015 · Last modified 12/03/2019
What works to help 7th graders understand the US Constitution? Former HS teacher Lauren S. Brown got a crash course in teaching the document as she returned to full-time teaching this fall. Slowing the pace, using the primary source, and blending in current events all helped.
In “Argue with Me” Deanna Kuhn et al present a full curriculum on teaching argument, informed by their research in low income schools. Used in full or in part, the process can benefit thinking & writing skills, says Mary Langer Thompson.
For teachers considering a career in Special Education, an area of critical need, reviewer Laura Von Staden fears that those readers may not finish That’s Special feeling equipped or encouraged to teach this group of students and may decide not to enter the field.
