Engagement / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 04/03/2019 · Last modified 11/14/2019
Among the outdated teaching still found in schools, coach and NBCT Elizabeth Stein singles out round robin or popcorn reading for immediate elimination. Other research-based strategies can easily be substituted and lead to a more effective and just learning environment.
Class Apps / Student Questioning
by Curtis Chandler · Published 04/02/2019 · Last modified 06/21/2023
Too often classroom questioning becomes pedagogical ping-pong, resulting in predictable, back-and-forth exchanges between teachers and students. Use these questioning strategies and tools shared by teacher educator and former Kansas TOY Curtis Chandler to up your game.
Julie M. Wilson explains how to lead educators through change and also looks at how leaders can sustain their effort by taking her readers on a leadership version of The Hero’s Journey. Principal Michael Whisler particularly liked her Strengths-based Conversation script.
Assessment / It's Not Easy Being Tween
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 03/26/2019 · Last modified 04/16/2024
Formative assessment can be fun. Yes, FUN, writes teacher Cheryl Mizerny. How to turn all those frequent checks for understanding into activities students can enjoy? Cheryl shares her go-to’s, both tech enhanced and tech free. Why not give Incredible Shrinking Text a try?
It’s at the precise moment when students are bombarded by facts, whether historical or current, that we need to be especially vigilant, writes American history and current events teacher Sarah Cooper, paraphrasing historian Sam Wineburg. Sifting through sources has become a life skill.
In SPARK!, a book about quick writes, Paula Bourque offers a powerful teaching tool to help students find ideas, discover their voices and build confidence about writing. Teacher educator Linda Biondi notes the frequent, low-stakes writing can stretch across content areas.
Systemic change is still needed to shift stereotypes and achieve equity and equality in STEM fields, writes middle school science educator Cristina Veresan. But educators can make a difference by exposing students to “everyday” science superheroes who defy typecasting.
Math Activities / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 03/18/2019 · Last modified 12/03/2019
Michelle Russell says her classes were beginning the slide into pre-Spring Break slump when she opted to try some math games she’d been squirreling away for “later.” Both the Math Card War and One Incorrect activities proved engaging and useful as formative feedback.
Environmental Action / Wide Open Learning
by Megan Kelly · Published 03/17/2019 · Last modified 04/04/2022
Megan Kelly is passionate about informing students about human impact on the planet and working with them to take action. Earth Day is on April 22. You can plan now how you will celebrate and make your school a more eco-friendly place. Kelly shares her Eco Club ideas.
Mike Schmoker dispels many myths that guide American education, says teacher leader Jennifer Peters, proposing instead a manageable, research-backed solution for educators to revolutionize their teaching and infuse literacy. She’s bought a copy for all her colleagues.
