Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

A Principal’s Playbook for Conflict Management

Conflict in schools isn’t abstract – it’s lived daily. Offering tools, examples, and mindset shifts, veteran school leader Jen Schwanke helps principals understand and manage conflict and lead beyond it with clarity, empathy, and a steady hand, writes principal Dennis Schug.

Live Webcams Help Kids Slow Down and Wonder

Helping middle school students learn how to slow down, notice, and wonder may be one of the most important things we do. Kendra Cameron-Jarvis shows how teachers can use live worldwide webcams to spark small observation routines that build both attention and global awareness.

Would You Let a Robot Do That for You?

As AI becomes omnipresent, it can be tricky to say exactly what “doing your own work” means or why you might prefer to do it yourself. Laurie Hornik shares the day she led her 7th graders in thinking about what they’d be willing to turn over to AI. Cue the robot basketball players.

Bringing a Lab Mindset to Group Work in Math

What if we approached math as an experimental subject and encouraged students to work together to solve problems using a “lab mindset”? Fifth grade teacher and NBCT Kathie Palmieri has been exploring science and math standards with the power of collaborative learning in mind.