What motivates teens to innovate in STEM? Anne Jolly researches the background of young inventors who are making a difference for our 21st century lives and identifies some common experiences that helped them be successful, including the support of teachers.
Every principal needs to lead a coordinated schoolwide effort to interact with families in ways that support students, the school and the larger community. Former principals Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn offer a rich set of strategies to accomplish this goal.
For teachers who like to grow their skills during the break, Curtis Chandler has a shortlist of online resources to check out – including nonfiction goldmines, video filters and easy production ideas, and simple apps to supercharge reports & projects. All free!
Book Reviews / Student Driven Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 05/19/2016 · Last modified 11/12/2019
Want to shift ownership of the classroom to your students, give up reward and punishment systems, eliminate homework, and revamp your current grading system? Laura Von Staden suggests starting with Pernille Ripp’s resource-rich, inspiring Passionate Learners.
Adolescents have a strong attraction to parody, says media literacy expert Frank Baker. Luckily the Common Core includes parody as a genre worthy of study. Baker shares resources and ideas to involve middle graders in some fun as they learn important skills.
“We hate email,” says productivity expert and former principal Frank Buck, “because every time we check it, someone is adding to our already-crowded schedule.” In the 5th post in his Productivity Suite series, Buck shows educators how to keep your inbox empty.
Building on their 2001 edition of Dealing with Difficult Parents, Todd Whitaker and Douglas J. Fiore offer a valuable resource for professional development, says reviewer Holly Foley, especially when addressing difficult relationships between home and school.
Co-teaching Reflections / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 05/09/2016 · Last modified 11/14/2019
The general educator’s perspective is critical as special educators strive to strike a balance and co-teach effectively. Elizabeth Stein queried two co-teaching general ed teachers and asked them to choose a color that represented their co-teaching experience.
Take 5! is a handy science resource targeted for K-5 teachers that can also help differentiate instruction in higher grades, says Laura Von Staden. The year’s worth of prompts will help young students to tie science, writing and critical thinking together.
Digital Portfolios / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 05/01/2016 · Last modified 12/14/2019
This year Kevin Hodgson is moving away from overstuffed 3-ring binders and into the realm of digital portfolios to collect evidence of progress toward goals. And he’s taking his 6th graders along; they’re using Google Apps to create online repositories of writing.
