NBCT and new principal Rita Platt shares the five beliefs that make up her teaching philosophy and serve as the framework of her new book Working Hard, Working Happy. Learn what she “knows to be true about teaching and learning” and why you might want a credo of your own.
Students can follow the trek of early humans toward global expansion through inquiry-based lessons and use resources to hypothesize responses to organizing questions. Ancient History teacher Joanne Bell says the book’s connections approach “is a phenomenal find for me.”
Efforts to improve your school will only be successful with widespread support and ownership. This means involving all stakeholders: teachers, staff, families, and community voices. Leadership consultants Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn offer some helpful guidelines.
Ad Techniques / Close Reading the Media
by Frank Baker · Published 06/30/2019 · Last modified 12/02/2019
In the hope that we can help students become better critical thinkers in a world saturated by social media and unreliable sources, media literacy expert Frank Baker calls attention to techniques used by “media manipulators” to persuade consumers and shape public discourse.
Are you a multitasker? Do you use interesting examples to make learning more relatable? Do you teach to learning styles? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be interested in Five Teaching and Learning Myths Debunked, says principal Rita Platt.
Beyond the Textbook / Future of History
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 06/25/2019 · Last modified 12/02/2019
History is not just the causes of the Civil War, reasons for industrial growth, or dates associated with “big events” and major characters. Lauren Brown works to help her middle schoolers understand it’s about ordinary, often archetypal lives of human beings much like us.
Teaching the “NGSS Way” is challenging, admits science specialist Kathy Renfrew, but unlike 2013 when the New Generation Science Standards were first released, teachers can now find plenty of high quality lessons and video demos to help achieve 3-D science classrooms.
Grading Practices / It's Not Easy Being Tween
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 06/17/2019 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Even if we don’t yet teach in a grade-less utopia, there are steps teachers can take to become more accurate and equitable in our grading policies. Cheryl Mizerny shares steps toward fairer grading: eliminate zeroes, avoid extra points, don’t grade homework, and more.
As much as we love teaching, summer break presents valuable time and opportunity to reflect and rejuvenate – and also retool and sharpen our skills through self-directed professional learning. To help, Curtis Chandler presents an awesome collection of free PD options.
Discover the potential of writing workshop to welcome students into engaging and productive writing practice in Shubitz and Dorfman’s Welcome to Writing Workshop. You’ll find all your questions about writing workshop answered, promises teacher educator Linda Biondi.
