Creating that Learning Culture in your Classroom
“If I had a plan for doing well in 7th grade, it was this: memorize and regurgitate,” says Tenelle Porter, an assistant professor of psychology at Rowan University, writing in Education Week. “But my English teacher, Mr. Gibbons, wasn’t very cooperative. He would assign an Emily Dickinson poem and ask the class, ‘What does it…
How to Be a “Great Simplifier”
“Embracing new expectations.” That’s how Indiana Principal of the Year Danny Mendez describes his new staff’s response as he transitioned into the top spot at North Central High School in the Indianapolis-area Metropolitan School District of Washington Township, according to an article in District Administration. Mendez has devoted much of his energy toward his teachers…
Helping Students Build Resiliency
Academic resilience embodies the journey of students who persist and thrive academically despite the odds being stacked against them, according to Teacher magazine. About one in 9 socioeconomically disadvantaged students demonstrate this kind of academic resilience worldwide, according to research. What sets resilient students apart? And how can teachers best support them in the classroom?…
How Video Coaching Motivates Teachers to Improve Practices
The Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township has been successfully using video for teacher professional learning for more than seven years, writes Dr. Stephanie Hofer, the interim superintendent at Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township in Indiana, in eSchool News. According to recently retired former superintendent, Dr. Matt Prusiecki, the return on investment has been…
How to Be a Life-Changing Teacher
Hillary Fairbanks is driven to show that a good teacher can change a child’s life, according to a report by MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot. Fairbanks, 46, teaches kindergarten and first grade at the Jackson Public Schools Montessori Center in Michigan. She and fellow teacher Melissa Choate teach their classes in a “looping” pattern — staying with…
Want to Improve Reading Proficiency? Talk More to your Students
Ask an early educator to explain the science of reading, and phonics will likely headline the response. But phonics, and its emphasis on word recognition, covers only part of the reading-proficiency puzzle. Oral language skills are equally important, according to Education Week. Yet, too often, oral language skills are not getting the emphasis they deserve…
AI Teaching Assistant Cuts Grading Time 50% for Computer Science Teachers
Code.org, in collaboration with the Piech Lab at Stanford University, has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) teaching assistant that can significantly reduce the time it takes for computer science teachers to grade coding projects, according to Education Slice. In a limited pilot project, the tool’s assessment closely matched that of experienced computer science teachers. Code.org…
Innovative Schools Tackle Staffing, AI, Mental Health & Pessimism about the Future
New data confirm that staffing, AI and mental health are top of mind for school leaders, and education innovators are working to find solutions, according to The 74. The Canopy project, an ongoing national study of schools that focuses on designing student-centered and equitable learning environments — and challenges assumptions about what school must be…
National Survey: Many Eighth Graders Can’t Take Algebra
Can eighth graders take algebra? The answer to that question, it turns out, depends a lot on two things: how your school identifies students for advanced math, and where you live, according to Chalkbeat Philadelphia. According to a nationally representative survey that was recently, 65% of U.S. principals said their elementary or middle school offered…
Rewards for Student Learning: Teachers Are Split on the Practice
Keeping students engaged and on task can be difficult. Can rewards help? Education Week recently wrote on the question of rewards – good or not so good. Teachers are split on the answer. Some swear by incentives like stickers, a fun activity, or a sweet treat. Others say that learning is its own reward, and…
