Difficult Topics / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 01/30/2018 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Middle grades teacher Mary Tarashuk confronts the line between preserving childhood innocence and honestly exploring the real world. Are her sudden tears during the daily real aloud of The One and Only Ivan encroaching uncomfortably on that unidentifiable boundary?
Every year, writes teacher leader Jennifer Smith, schools “muddle through” standardized testing days trying to design schedules that take less time away from productive learning. Her 5th grade team tried a fresh approach that both engaged and energized test-weary kids.
Alexis Wiggins has taken a 1930s Socratic discussion strategy and enriched it to provide more detail about process, assessment and self-reflection. Teacher Joanne Bell finds Wiggins’ Spider Web technique a useful tool to develop learners ready for 21st century employment.
Justice / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 01/23/2018 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Coach Elizabeth Stein invites co-teachers to extend their MLK Day reflections and consider how Dr. King can move us on a very conscious level to co-create equity in our inclusive classrooms, using four action steps that include speaking our truth and accepting discomfort.
Class Apps / Emotional Learning
by Curtis Chandler · Published 01/21/2018 · Last modified 12/12/2019
Research has given us a better understanding of fun, but educators still struggle to make it part of classroom learning. Curtis Chandler shares 10 questions he asks as he works to create challenge and playfulness in his lessons. Engaging apps and tools are part of the mix.
With sensitivity and practicality, Sarah Cooper takes on the heightened challenge of teaching civics and governance to today’s adolescents. Fellow middle grades teacher Heather Wolpert-Gawron finds practical strategies and lessons that can be used across the curriculum.
Future of History / Teaching strategies
by Sarah Cooper · Published 01/15/2018 · Last modified 11/23/2019
Recently Sarah Cooper’s history classes debated whether the electoral college should be abolished. Reflecting on the weeklong unit, Cooper concludes she “misstepped” in several ways. Learn what she plans to do differently next year, starting with a fresh debate topic.
Self-check classroom and school “real estate” to make sure you’re organized to showcase, celebrate, and convey messages and content that invite all learners to joyfully learn more, writes author Regie Routman. In particular, critically examine your classroom libraries.
Shared reading has the potential to be a useful vehicle for learning IF it’s implemented effectively. Literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo looks at the benefits and drawbacks of investing time in two students reading together and suggests strategies to increase retention and communication skills.
You might look at Heather Wolpert-Gawron’s table of contents in “Just Ask Us” and think that you’ve seen these topics before. You have – but you likely haven’t seen them all in one place, enhanced by the rich voices and wisdom of our students. says teacher Sarah Cooper.
