Teaching and learning in grades 4-8
Rather than approach math using only a curriculum that follows textbook lessons, we can boost learning by teaching math as a science. Middle grades educator and NBCT Kathleen Palmieri is learning how to incorporate data studies to help students relate math to the real world.
The more we try to exert control in the online classroom, the more stressful it can be for us and for students, writes author and literacy expert Jennifer Serravallo. Six shifts will give learners more ownership and flexibility, increase engagement, and boost learning.
How do teachers’ behaviors reflect our expectations in a remote classroom? For example, teachers tend to probe students more if they have high expectations of the students, writes Barbara Blackburn. She suggests strategies to challenge all students, even at a distance.
The Science Teacher’s Toolbox is written in a practical format with easy-to-follow directions for grades 4-12, says middle level science educator Tracy Albers. She suggests you “have your page marker tabs ready when you read through this treasure trove of valuable strategies!”
After a spring of Zooming with established classes, Sarah Cooper finds new challenges using virtual breakout rooms this fall. Having to sort groups of unfamiliar students really makes a difference. She shares which breakout strategies still work and what needs extra care.
Science consultant Kathy Renfrew hopes we can shift our attention away from “remediation” by building on the bright spots we’ve experienced during pandemic teaching. She shares the story of a STEAM engineering design project and how it was adapted for distance learning.
In her 2nd month of hybrid teaching, Kasey Short is still adapting day by day through trial and error. She’s learned a lot, as you’ll see in this detailed look at her virtual/in-person blending, digital organization, communication, collaboration and feedback – with tips for each!
In a school year when frustration, fatigue and uncertainty make teaching and learning an unprecedented challenge, principal Rita Platt is leading her staff to focus on two top priorities: (1) limit instruction to essential standards, and (2) build personal connections with EVERY student.
Distance learning is uncharted territory for most teachers, but Covid-19 has forced it upon us, says Tan Huynh. The advice in Fisher, Frey & Hattie’s Distance Learning Playbook can help create a virtual environment that looks and feels more like the physical one we’re used to.
In Learning That Sticks, author Bryan Goodwin and colleagues break student learning down into a 6-phase mental model based on what researchers are learning about the brain and the ways it manages information. It’s worth the read, writes teacher leader Laura Von Staden.