Teachers have lots of justifiable reasons to complain about their jobs, says author-educator Jenny Rankin. But “loving your work and experiencing peace and success on a daily basis are certainly within your reach.” Attitude isn’t everything, she says, but it helps to avoid toxic thinking.
In “The Writing on the Classroom Wall” teacher Steve Wyborney shows us how to increase student ownership and motivation and help kids become life-long learners by a process of sharing and considering 24 Big Ideas. Laura Von Staden recommends the book highly.
Class Apps / English Language Learners
by Curtis Chandler · Published 02/14/2017 · Last modified 12/05/2019
Today, 75% of U.S. classrooms have English Language Learners. So the question isn’t whether teachers will be working with ELL students, but what can we do to help them be successful. Teacher educator Curtis Chandler shares some great online tools to help ELLs learn.
Jackie Walsh shares resources and strategies teachers can use to partner with students and create new roles and responsibilities in classroom questioning. Replace traditional “interrogation” with methods of inquiry that reveal understanding and strengthen learning.
Gretchen Morgan’s Innovative Educators: An Action Plan for Teachers is a good, concise book for teachers who want to innovate in their classrooms, especially through action research, and aren’t really sure how to go about the process. Reviewed by Laura Von Staden.
Co-teaching Success / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 01/30/2017 · Last modified 12/06/2019
Don’t just think outside the co-teaching box – get out of the box altogether, into a no-boundaries partnership. Coach & NBCT Elizabeth Stein shares several strategies, including informal, efficient co-planning and divergent thinking activities to spark creativity.
Principals and other school based leaders will find succinct, useful discussions of building level concerns in Williamson and Blackburn’s The Principalship from A-Z. Educational leadership professor Margaret Jones-Carey also recommends the book’s online resources.
Current Events Humor / Future of History
by Sarah Cooper · Published 01/24/2017 · Last modified 11/12/2019
Discussing political news in class continues to feel like “walking on glass barefoot,” says Sarah Cooper. She’s drawn toward humorous interpretations of current events to reduce tensions. After some trial and error, Cooper uses four criteria for video selection.
Quality questions are the “bait” that can hook students into deeper discussions and learning that sticks. Questioning expert Jackie Walsh shares a pair of videos and several templates that will help teachers plan a questioning process that pulls all students in.
Art of Movie Making / Close Reading the Media
by Frank Baker · Published 01/17/2017 · Last modified 12/14/2019
CCSS ELA middle grade standards specifically address the importance of teaching film techniques and the decisions made by filmmakers. In a new MiddleWeb blog, Close Reading the Media, Frank Baker breaks down the art of movie making and shares lots of resources.
