Joyful Learning offers a student-centered vision to help teachers bring more meaning and fun into their practice. It offers a framework for considering key elements of teaching practice like relationships, curriculum, assessment, grading, assignments, writes Nicole Miller.
Too many take-home tasks focus on repetition instead of reasoning – quantity instead of quality. Curtis Chandler imagines homework as food for the brain. When it’s rich in quality and purpose, it nourishes understanding. When it’s routine busywork, it’s educational junk food.
There’s something pleasingly counter-cultural about going analog with map construction, writes teacher Stephanie Farley. It helps students make connections they wouldn’t otherwise make, provides an entry point to deep conversations, and invites them to exercise their creativity.
Whose job is it to teach students what they need to know about deceptive social media, algorithmic advertising, and deep-fake artificial intelligence? Media literacy educator Frank W. Baker offers advice, resources, and a sense of urgency “in an increasingly deep-fake world.”
Teacher Lauren Brown smiles when her history students eagerly make connections with content they’re studying in another class. Recalling a time when interdisciplinary teaching was common, she suggests ways teachers might revive a practice that emphasizes knowledge-based learning.
Discarded microplastics are everywhere, including inside humans. To advance students’ awareness of the effects of plastics and the options for decreasing them, author and science educator Anne Jolly shares STEM project ideas that focus on recycling, reusing and reducing plastic.
Dale Ripley helps readers delve into crucial methods for positively leveraging student learning, classroom behavior, and relationship development with tactics including handling bias, influence and motivation. The book offers many reflection opportunities, says Trishauna Pulos.
Whether you’re working to create more meaningful learning experiences, establish mastery of standards, or get your planning more organized, you’ll reach for this practical, ready-to-use resource again and again, writes teacher Amy Leach. A valuable companion on anyone’s teaching journey.
Librarians do more than read with elementary kids, check out books to middle schoolers, or gather books for reshelving in high schools. The modern school librarian is an advocate for joyful reading and a provider of meaningful learning opportunities, writes Jennifer Sniadecki.
Down Syndrome Out Loud introduces middle graders to people with Down syndrome and to an overview of the condition and its effects. Librarian Steve Tetreault recommends the book join your nonfiction collection to help students gain perspective or see themselves reflected.
