Exploring human experiences through personal stories promotes discussions that focus on facts and individual realities rather than generalizations and stereotypes and helps students develop empathy, compassion and understanding, writes Kasey Short. Reading suggestions included!
Most teachers are not multilingual learner specialists, writes NBCT and 2018 NTOY Mandy Manning. But most ARE teaching MLs. Overcoming a language barrier may feel insurmountable, but it’s not. Manning shares three key strategies that help fully support MLs in general classrooms.
For well over a decade MiddleWeb has shared helpful ideas for new middle grades and MS teachers. In this post we’ve selected recent articles along with several classics and book reviews that might be MOST useful before and during your first months in the classroom.
When teachers create a welcoming, safe, inclusive learning environment with their students, the chances increase that students will have a sense of belonging and “calm increase,” freeing them to learn. NBCT Elizabeth Stein shares ways to use restorative practices and UDL.
Facing current education’s false head/heart dichotomy and with the concept of what it means to be a teacher – so stressed in recent years – now stretched to the breaking point, veteran educator Dina Strasser is searching for truths toward which she can strive.
Lee Hancock’s “Talent Zones” provides a new perspective on developing talent and growing a healthy frame of mind in all our students and children – one that leads to confidence and success. School leader Virginia Hornberger urges teachers, coaches, parents to read it.
Students Taking Action Together goes deep into five techniques to cultivate civic engagement and a healthy democracy. The strategies – Norms, Yes-No-Maybe, Respectful Debate, Audience Communication, and PLAN – work across content areas, writes Katie Durkin. Highly recommended.
Grounded in research and real-world situations, The Social-Emotional Learning Playbook by Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher and Dominique Smith supports the social-emotional growth in you, your students and your community, writes Anne Anderson, calling the book “a great PD resource.”
Prior to 9/11, Barbara Blackburn’s first choice when crisis and tragedy impacted the classroom was to allow an open discussion. After an inappropriate statement by a student shut down communication, she began to develop more tractable writing strategies, which she shares here.
Want to start a writing club to reach beyond curriculum boundaries and provide a comfortable, social experience for all writers? Sharon Ratliff did just that and shares what worked for students as they took the lead in setting it up and now meet regularly across grade levels.
