Iconic images from popular culture can raise consciousness about issues, many of them tied to health and gender awareness, writes media literacy consultant Frank W. Baker. He offers memorable examples and ties this phenomenon to teaching visual literacy.
Flipped teaching / Future of History
by Jody & Shara · Published 05/03/2015 · Last modified 12/14/2019
Jody Passanisi’s post on confronting her flipped classroom bias is among MiddleWeb’s most popular articles. A year later, as she reflects on her flipped teaching experiment again, she finds herself “a little less starry-eyed and a little more strategic.”
Guest expert Dr. Susan Pruet stresses the need to stretch beyond simple arithmetic to incorporate more challenging math content in STEM lessons. Pruet also cites the supports middle grades math teachers will need to spark student engagement in STEM careers.
In today’s budget-conscious and time-stressed schools, virtual field trips are a great way to excite students without leaving the classroom. Teaching expert Barbara Blackburn shares a sample lesson idea and some good places to hunt for relevant field trips.
Amber Chandler describes a PBL unit, built around the dystopian novel The Giver, that takes students deep into the book’s ideas by having them create and debate their own ideal communities and explore unintended consequences. Tips and handouts included.
Web-browsing teachers must not only harvest the ideas of others but curate what’s valuable and create opportunities online to stretch and grow, says former Kansas Teacher of the Year Curtis Chandler. He shares five digital tools to help make that happen.
The Teacher’s Guide to Tech 2015 by Jennifer Gonzalez welcomes educators into a comfortable space to explore new tech tools, says reviewer Sandy Wisneski. Readers will find practical text & video suggestions for selecting and implementing tools efficiently.
Dialogue circles can facilitate brain function and help “increase generosity, trust, intrinsic motivation, social connection, and cooperation so students can work together for a common purpose,” writes inner-city middle school principal David Palank.
Karen Chace knows storytelling can build literacy as well as joy. In Story by Story she explains in detail how to develop students’ storytelling skills and how to gain support for storyteller festivals. Reviewer Kevin Cordi especially values her reports of student engagement.
Nancie Atwell’s passion for adolescent reading and writing permeates every page of In the Middle, says reviewer Jenni Miller. Reworked with over 80% new material, this classic leads teachers through the intricacies of reading and writing workshop.
