Classrooms that teach a broad range of close reading skills are not only rich with texts but host a wide range of types of texts, from traditional to digital to hyperlinked to hybrid, writes ELA teacher Jason DeHart. Critical student thinking needs to occur in all these spaces.
Mona Iehl’s students were shocked when she first asked them to grapple with math problems BEFORE they received instruction. Then, to her surprise, “they got out the blocks, and drew pictures, and tried!” Her trust in productive struggle grew as she saw their confidence increase.
The question Tan Huynh hears most often from English language development (ELD) colleagues is “What can we do when our co-teacher is resistant to collaborating?” After many years of failing with persuasion, Tan has developed a “Traffic Light” approach that works much better.
In classrooms filled with conversations, oral instructions, and academic vocabulary, poor listening skills can drastically limit learning. Curtis Chandler shares seven simple activities educators can use to help students become active listeners who know more and retain more.
Using their own experiences with classroom libraries and ideas from other professionals, Colby Sharp and Donalyn Miller provide insight, wisdom, and actionable practices for teachers in The Commonsense Guide to Your Classroom Library. Katie Durkin highly recommends it.
Math Activities / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 12/05/2023 · Last modified 12/07/2023
Students are more engaged when they’re talking and moving around, says math teacher Michelle Russell. “I won’t lie – it’s hard. But I believe a louder class that’s somewhat engaged in the concept is better than a quiet one.” She rates three engagement strategies she’s tried.
Anne Jolly is thankful for so many remarkable STEM educators – willing to step out and try new cutting-edge ideas and practices, take risks, and educate kids in ways that grow skills, knowledge and leadership. Jolly explains why industry respects STEM teachers and students too.
The authors of Shifting the Balance (Grades 3-5) invite literacy educators in the upper elementary and early middle grades to “engage in both the headwork and the heartwork required to ensure our practices are science-aligned and student-centered.” And do it in a safe space.
Grounded in research and real-world situations, The Social-Emotional Learning Playbook by Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher and Dominique Smith supports the social-emotional growth in you, your students and your community, writes Anne Anderson, calling the book “a great PD resource.”
Gholdy Muhammad’s Unearthing Joy offers ways to elevate meaning, reflection and joy so readers can offer cultural and historically responsive teaching most effectively. Sarah Cooper calls it “one of the most beautiful, inspiring, actionable books about pedagogy I’ve ever read.”
