Building Empathy / Future of History
by Sarah Cooper · Published 12/30/2018 · Last modified 12/01/2019
While photos and texts can bring alive an issue one medium at a time, reality-based comics have the power to drop us into a story both visually and verbally. Sarah Cooper’s eighth grade students learned that lesson when they followed the trek of Syrian refugee Mohammad.
Neuromyths serves as an important reference for teachers who want to sort through competing claims before jumping on the brain-based bandwagon, writes teacher Mary K. Marsh. The book provokes teachers into questioning what really makes an approach neurologically based.
In the 2nd edition of Visual-Spatial Learners, Alexandra Shires Golon looks at the needs of these often bright but disengaged students. Golon explains the brain science underlying student learning and offers extensive tools for differentiation, says teacher Joanne Bell.
How can we recognize the significance and impact of our paraeducators to our students, and at the same time help them maximize their effectiveness? Principal and NBCT Rita Platt shares ways to appreciate them, keep communication open, and provide professional education.
Recently Sarah Tantillo worked with 8th grade teacher Bianca Licata to analyze students’ difficulty in effectively explaining how evidence supports arguments in their writing. After they identified causes and potential solutions, Licata tested their ideas in class.
What improves achievement by an average 11 percent, increases appropriate social behavior, improves students’ attitudes, and reduces stress? Social Emotional Learning. Author-educator Marilee Sprenger shares brain-wise strategies to blend SEL into your everyday practice.
Implement the elements of reciprocal teaching – predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing – using Lori Oczkus’s revised book on reading comprehension. ELA teacher Erin Corrigan-Smith likes the guidance in starting the scaffolded discussion method and more.
Assessing Reading / Create Compose Connect
by Jeremy Hyler · Published 12/04/2018 · Last modified 11/27/2019
We want to help our students discover the joys of reading, writes 7th grade ELA teacher Jeremy Hyler. We also need to track their progress as readers. Check out some ways that Hyler assesses reading without committing “readicide,” using book websites, trailers and more.
The use of open-ended, visual tasks is a very non-traditional way of teaching and learning math. But its potential for expanding students’ mathematical creativity and understanding makes it well worth exploring! Math education consultant Jerry Burkhart shares examples.
As someone who teaches media literacy and popular culture, Frank Baker understands the need to meet students where they are. We know they watch TV and they discuss the characters, plots, etc. While they’re engaged, why not raise their awareness about TV commercialism?
