Do your students know how much you care? Especially those students who have built a wall or may face difficult situations at home? How can you connect? Principal Liz Garden found sticky notepads, a favorite book and regular one-to-one time can make all the difference.
Close Reading the Media / Influencers
by Frank Baker · Published 01/08/2020 · Last modified 02/14/2020
In today’s online marketing environment, everybody seems to be after the attention of young people, writes media literacy expert Frank Baker. Many tweens and teens have money and may not see through all the strategies and tactics of influencers. Educators need to help.
When we give in and teach students to “write for the test,” Brent Gilson says, we force them into a writing box that many kids come to hate. Learn how he’s reinventing his writing instruction so students discover their truth, expressed through their own words and ideas.
It’s inevitable. Interruptions will steal instructional time. As winter break approached this year, the urgency to “cover everything” left math teacher Michelle Russell super-stressed and her students sad. Armed with fresh strategies, she’ll try not to let it happen again.
You’re about to launch your class into a full-fledged STEM project when you realize your students lack a particular skill set. Why not start with one or more mini-lessons? Anne Jolly offers an illustrative example – teaching teams how to develop criteria and constraints.
When we use verbal, imaginative, and conceptual play as touchstones for our planning and teaching in middle school, we help students look forward to learning and school itself, say educators Chris and Katie Cunningham. Their idea-rich post offers many jumping-off points.
Family involvement boosts student success. Yet parents of middle schoolers sometimes face a steep learning curve as they seek to interact with an increased number of teachers. Dr. Curtis Chandler suggests ways to engage and support families, including useful technology.
Every child has assets and the potential to develop even more. By focusing on what’s right with our students through Strengths-Based Teaching, we help them gain authentic self-esteem and a genuine growth mindset. Teacher Cheryl Mizerny shares her own classroom strategies.
Taking time to refresh your classroom space, renew positive relationships and reinforce routines you established in the fall is time well-spent the first week back in January. Consultant Stacey Shubitz also recommends getting a head start on the new year with some December prep.
Articles / Teaching the Whole Adolescent
by MiddleWeb · Published 12/08/2019 · Last modified 07/17/2024
It’s hard to strike a balance between nurturing a middle schooler and fostering independence, but they need both from adults in their lives as they toggle between childhood and adolescence. Author and middle school counselor Phyllis Fagell shares 10 ways we can help.
