Encourage Good Sleep Habits for Students
Most middle and high school students do not get enough sleep, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is approximately 8 to 10 hours a night for teens ages 13 to 18, according to an article in K-12 Dive. One problem is smart phones. “We have so many distractions that are easy…
District Uses Top-Performing Teachers to Coach Peers
Opportunity Culture is a new staffing model being implemented in the Fort Worth Independent School District that designates top-performing teachers as multi-classroom leaders, according to the Fort Worth Star Telegram. The aim is to raise overall instructional quality and improve academic performance by supporting not only struggling teachers but also those who are average. The…
How to Improve Engagement in Learning
Nearly half of teachers (46 percent) say student engagement has declined compared to 2019, according to a survey by The Harris Poll for Discovery Education, according to an Education Week article. And most students, 83 percent, say there are not enough opportunities at school for them to be curious. That’s a disconnect that all vendors…
Workforce Prep Can Start in 1st Grade
Preparing students to succeed in college and careers starts long before high school and doesn’t only involve occupation-specific training, according to an article in Education Week. The abilities to collaborate, solve problems, and communicate effectively – useful in almost in any job — are skills employers seek in new hires, according to numerous surveys. A…
How to Teach Data Literacy to Young Students
Integrating data literacy lessons into early elementary school curriculum can be simple, since young children typically use data already without even realizing it, according to an article in K-12 Dive. Latrenda Knighten, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, makes these points: Pre-K students can track the weather to see if it is…
Early Adopters of AI Can Help K-12 Schools Nationwide
About a third of 40 school districts who were first to use artificial intelligence lack formal policies on the tool, according to an analysis by the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), as reported in K-12 Dive. According to CRPE’s study, early AI adopters: Use teacher-centered AI tools (70%). Offer guidance on AI use for…
How to Use Distraction to Your Advantage
Distraction in the classroom is not always a frustrating irritant, write Eliya Ahmad, a research assistant at the Education Collaboratory at Yale University, and Zi Jia Ng, a licensed child psychologist and certified school psychologist, in Education Week. Distraction is an emotion-regulation strategy. It’s used to divert attention from an emotional situation. Distraction is harmful…
More Daylight, Less Noise & Cool Temperatures Benefit Students & Staff
Smart schools go beyond technology — natural light, reducing noise and a comfortable temperature are significant factors to make a classroom environment more conducive to learning and teaching, according to SmartBrief. Natural light helps students stay alert during school hours by regulating the body’s internal clock to maintain energy and focus. It also releases…
How to Create & Promote Productive Classroom Discussions
The “social nature of learning” — shifting from lectures to students exchanging ideas in peer discussions to better collaborate, actively listen, communicate and express perspectives – broadens understanding and gives students ownership of their learning, says Heather Schwartz, practice specialist at the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, in a K-12 Dive article. To…
Teens Want More Media Literacy Instruction
Almost all students in a recent survey (94%) want some media literacy instruction in schools, with 57% asserting that schools should “definitely” be required to teach media literacy, according to an article in Education Week. Teens are “inheriting the largest, most complex, most frenetic information environment in human history, and they’re getting information in streams…
