Relating to Students / The Flexible Classroom
by Amber Chandler · Published 04/23/2017 · Last modified 11/29/2019
Fresh from her middle school’s Falcon Pride Day, Amber Chandler celebrates the joy of a pre-Spring Break event that’s one part competition, one part team building, and one part controlled chaos, noting that kids’ SEL needs are at least as important as curriculum.
Appropriate Education / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 04/18/2017 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Noting the recent Supreme Court decision affirming high expectations and educational opportunities for all students with disabilities, Elizabeth Stein looks at what’s needed in the classroom to ensure an enduring commitment to inclusion continues to move forward.
Resilience is the ability to effectively handle pressure and to overcome failure. It’s a characteristic that many of our struggling students do not bring to the classroom, yet it is one that we can teach. Barbara Blackburn shares five strategies that can help.
When spring fever rises and summer still seems far away, newbie and veteran teachers alike may feel they’re losing their focus and their students are drifting. Check out Elyse Scott’s five regrouping and re-energizing strategies and “do what’s right for the kids.”
Leila Christenbury and Ken Lindblom pack the voices of teachers and students, activities, stories, recommended reading, and references into the journey they lay out for new and novice ELA teachers. Forty-year veteran Linda BIondi recommends their book highly.
Jennie Magiera urges teachers to launch edventures, pursuing innovations that boost student engagement, build class culture, differentiate, promote digital citizenship and more. Laura Von Staden also likes Magiera’s plentiful ideas about professional learning.
Now’s the time to empower middle grades girls with understanding of their own STEM skills, strengths, and potential. Anne Jolly recommends hands-on problem solving, teamwork, and critical thinking to pave the way for success in engineering, life sciences and more.
Classroom Recordings / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 03/27/2017 · Last modified 04/28/2024
When Michelle Russell reviewed video of the classes she had recorded, reality turned out to be much different than what she had imagined was happening. In her usual transparent style, Russell describes what she’s learning and what she’ll do to improve her practice.
Art of Movie Making / Close Reading the Media
by Frank Baker · Published 03/26/2017 · Last modified 12/02/2019
As moviemaking transitions from analog to ever advancing computer-driven technologies that meet the expectations of today’s audiences, the blended learning options involving media literacy, art, science and tech grow apace. Frank Baker explores the possibilities.
Kids on the Cusp / Modeling Learning
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 03/26/2017 · Last modified 11/17/2019
As she receives the Educators’ Choice Award for her blog post “Teaching By Doing Something Meaningful” at her first national conference, Mary Tarashuk remembers Madeline Hunter’s simple wisdom and considers the teaching power that comes from writing with students.
