2018 was a bonanza year for STEM, and 2019 holds even more promise. But we face some big challenges to get STEM education where it can fully deliver on its potential. Anne Jolly outlines four areas to radically improve STEM and instruction generally in today’s schools.
Book Reviews / Professional Development
by MiddleWeb · Published 01/24/2019 · Last modified 01/17/2020
While the goal of Fulfilling the Needs of Teachers: Five Stepping Stones to Professional Learning is worthy and the content well organized, the book’s professional learning model seems overly complicated and difficult to understand, writes teaching coach Ronda Clark.
Teachers at Florence (AL) Middle School use common planning time to discuss many instructional strategies. Once a month they look at student work together, across grades and subjects. Here, instructional coach Jill Edwards shares six video clips and related resources.
What will you say you did this summer? You have enough time to make a major advancement in some area of your life, writes organizational expert Frank Buck, but you need to plan now. Whether it’s daring adventure or professional growth, here’s how to motivate yourself.
Consultant Suzy Pepper Rollins loves dogs and ponies, but she’s not eager to see them in the classroom. Here she shares tips that will help principals, coaches and others who do “Learning Walks” set the stage for authentic observations of student and teacher work.
Critical Thinking / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 11/29/2016 · Last modified 11/26/2019
We have heard for over a decade now that we must be teaching our students how to think critically. Using four examples, coach Elizabeth Stein demonstrates how co-teachers can strengthen their own critical thinking skills using a shared problem-solving mindset.
By adopting Jonathan Eckert’s Novice Advantage, teachers can harness the enthusiasm of the “new” teacher and capitalize on the wisdom they have to improve their practice, says educator/reviewer Amber Chandler. Eckert’s innovative book offers many real-world examples.
Bryan Goodwin & Elizabeth Ross Hubbell make a compelling argument that teachers can improve their impact on student learning by using a “do-confirm” checklist based on 12 essential daily touchstones that represent current research on what works best. Pilots do!
Book Reviews / Technology and Writing
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/06/2015 · Last modified 08/07/2015
Why blog? Starr Sackstein provides lots of reasons in her book, Blogging for Educators: Writing for Professional Learning. Sackstein also shows how to set up a blog. Reviewer Mary Langer Thompson recommends the book for teachers who can’t keep themselves from writing.
Herding educators together for one-size-fits-all professional development often misses the mark of teachers’ real work, says Emily Vickery. Teachers now have tools to tailor their own professional learning “to maximize our growth.” Helpful resources included!
