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.”
Class Apps / Understanding Learning
by Curtis Chandler · Published 04/09/2017 · Last modified 11/29/2019
Stressing learning styles and multiple intelligences has limited value in understanding what kids *need* to learn, says award winning teacher Dr. Curtis Chandler. He suggests strategies that emphasize a systematic focus on readiness and thinking metacognitively.
It's Not Easy Being Tween / Poetry
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 04/09/2017 · Last modified 03/30/2024
Over the years Cheryl Mizerny has crafted poetry experiences that her students really enjoy. Her reading and writing ideas enable kids to understand poems without dreading the annual “poetry unit” she herself disliked as a tween. She shares 10 of her favorites.
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.
end-of-year learning / Spring Fever / The Flexible Classroom
by Amber Chandler · Published 04/03/2017 · Last modified 05/01/2024
As spring temperatures rise (and testing begins), students and teachers start to get antsy. What can we do to make end-of-year more productive and enjoyable while also saving our sanity? After 17 springs in the classroom, Amber Chandler has three ideas that may help relieve the jitters.
If bibliotherapy is an effective way to ease the growing pains of adolescents, writes 7th grade teacher Laurie Lichtenstein, The Outsiders is “the gold standard of therapy in middle grades literature.” It’s the only whole class novel she teaches each year.
Rosalind Wiseman’s Owning Up takes on the ambitious task of talking to middle schoolers about some of the complex social situations adolescents encounter. Maeghan Warburton recommends the 17 flexible lessons addressing bullying, social cruelty, and injustice.
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.
What’s one of the best things a school day can offer? Exposure to newly learned words – provided that exposure is in context, well-timed, multisensory, and question-based. Literacy expert Amy Benjamin suggests five ways to achieve these “durable learning” goals.
