We now find ourselves in uncharted territory which requires we improve our remote teaching while we work to maintain calmness, clarity, consistency, and high standards for learning. Teacher educator Dr. Curtis Chandler offers educators a game plan to meet the challenge.
Typical classroom spring cleaning and sorting have hardly happened this year. As distance learning dominates schools, teaching specialist Valentina Gonzalez looks instead at sorting through and acting on our teaching practices: what should we keep, throw away, or begin?
If you’re interested in doing some professional learning at home in addition to the on-the-fly learning that comes with reorganizing your classes so they are distance-friendly, take a look at Principal and NBCT Rita Platt’s collection of online and web-free PD resources.
Articles / Future of History / Pandemic Activity
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 04/10/2020 · Last modified 04/15/2020
The global pandemic “will be in the history books, won’t it?” Absolutely, 8th grade teacher Lauren Brown told her students. She’s devised a simple home assignment – students create a ‘primary source’ for future historians by jotting down their questions, concerns and observations. See her suggested prompts to get kids started.
Michelle Russell’s students don’t just use calculators to speed up tedious math work like multiplying and dividing. Quite often they think of them as “answer givers.” How can teachers nudge kids away from calculator dependence? She shares ideas and asks for suggestions.
What can we do to encourage kids to choose nonfiction more frequently for personal enjoyment? Cate Gerard and Sunday Cummins share what Cate discovered when interviewing middle graders about their reading habits and recommend class and virtual strategies and resources.
When thinking about the tsunami of ed-tech recommendations shared lately on social media, think “less is more.” You probably don’t need more tech apps; you need to do more with the apps you have. Tan Huynh divides his tools into four buckets, tied to learning objectives.
The strange new world we find ourselves a part of is perplexing to say the least. Principal Rita Platt expects, like her, you have experienced a wide range of emotions and concerns since schools closed. She offers practical advice and a virtual hug.
As many of us find ourselves thrust into the realm of distance learning, PA TOY Marilyn Pryle details how she uses two online platforms, Edmodo and Flipgrid, for intellectual and social/emotional learning. “Any tool is only as effective as how it is put to use,” she reminds us.
Articles / Pandemic Activity / Social Emotional Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 03/29/2020 · Last modified 03/30/2020
For teachers to help students not only survive but also thrive through this frightening pandemic, we need to underscore both their and our fundamental need for kindness and gratitude. Author-educator Dr. Debbie Silver shares the science of anxiety and lots of options to help.
