Collective Efficacy / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Tan Huynh · Published 08/17/2021 · Last modified 08/22/2021
What factor has the greatest positive impact on student achievement? Collective teacher efficacy, says John Hattie. To foster CET around multilinguals (MLs) use can-do language, collaborate, teach language explicitly, and incorporate asset-based practices, writes Tan Huynh.
Class Apps / Student Participation
by Curtis Chandler · Published 08/15/2021 · Last modified 08/16/2021
Great lesson. Weak response. When it comes to full participation, middle schoolers are a tough audience. The solution is in our hands, says teacher educator Curtis Chandler, who shares strategies from research and many hours observing in the classrooms of effective teachers.
Suzanne Kelly and Elizabeth Dobler help us understand that technology, when used with intention, can help teachers augment instruction without letting it dictate what we do.They offer many tools and ideas to guide decision making as we integrate tech into our lesson plans.
When we are passionate and persistent advocates for middle graders and get them aboard the invisible elevator of agency, we can help them reach levels they once thought unachievable – and show the world what young adolescents can achieve, says middle school principal Dru Tomlin.
Kelly Owens saw that polished texts didn’t model the struggles writers go through. “It was like showing kids an elite Olympian’s performance and asking them to replicate it.” With her ‘Draft Along’ activity, students now experience the wrinkly reality of the writing process.
Award-winning social studies teacher Ron Litz shares some of the ways he makes student voice a top priority in his history classroom – using teaching strategies that focus on engaging students with the past and allow them to demonstrate their learning in a variety of formats.
Most students at Laurie Lichtenstein’s middle school were F2F all year, but masked and isolated in small classroom pods as teachers moved about. It was hard, but as time passed teachers found ways to reduce isolation, build community, and let kids have lots of time to play.
Using rough drafts and revision in middle school math class can reduce anxiety and boost math learning. Kathleen Taylor and Amanda Jansen relate an action research project aimed at shifting lessons from a process of task completion to one of continuous, ongoing learning.
Multilingualism / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Tan Huynh · Published 07/26/2021 · Last modified 07/25/2021
Drawing on a conversation with Dr. Brandon Beck, language specialist and co-teacher Tan Huynh highlights the roles monolingual educators have in advocating for multilingualism, fostering being multiliterate, and celebrating multiculturalism to support language learners.
Michelle Blanchet and Darcy Bakkegard offer teachers ways to turn ideas into actions, personalize professional development, and create innovative learning experiences for themselves and their students. Reviewer Linda Biondi highly recommends the book.
