Teachers Samantha Layne and Susanne Croasdaile introduce a new UDL-friendly tool to promote higher thinking, using a model-building strategy. TPRY helps students break down visual content, analyze it, and even build their own visual texts. See a food web modeling example.
The world and our students are constantly changing. Adding modern connections to classic texts can engage readers by helping them relate to and understand the universal themes and messages in these works. ELA teacher Kasey Short shares examples of connection and some favorite titles.
If you have been wondering how you can move on when Jamboard sunsets in December, Kathleen Palmieri has found a super next-generation tool developed through a collaboration of Google – FigJam by Figma – that offers easy transition and improved tools. See her overview and tips.
Stephanie Farley was a reluctant adventurer 30 years ago when she took a teaching job “until something better” came along. To her surprise, she discovered a career that has given her the gifts of meaning, mastery and connection – “a powerfully engaging, ever-evolving vocation.”
Academic success relies on students taking charge of their learning. To achieve that goal, kids must learn to organize and study effectively. G/T Facilitator Sharon Ratliff shares strategies she uses to introduce and implant essential study skills in the middle school years.
Meetings can waste time and resources. Education consultants Ronald Williamson and Barbara R. Blackburn’s strategies can help you avoid pitfalls and lead effective meetings with norm setting, planning, agenda setting, and options for decision making. Productivity tools included!
As students experience physical and emotional changes as part of adolescent development, body image can become a complex and sensitive topic. Reading books that explore body image can help. Kasey Short shares some favorite titles and questions for reflection and discussion.
Collaborating on complex tasks builds relationships, a positive classroom culture for learning and a sense of accomplishment for each student. When the team wins, everyone is a winner! Deep learning expert Karin Hess shares tools to create authentic, time-sensitive projects.
Students need to know what to expect when they enter our classrooms, writes teacher Kelly Owens. Consistency on the front end paves the way for more student autonomy and engagement throughout the lesson. Three tips can help teachers achieve “the loyalty to learning we want!”
There’s an immense difference between rote memorization and giving students tools that allow them to work flexibly and thoughtfully with numbers, writes Kathie Palmieri. When kids learn number sense and can use multiple strategies, they have choice in how they solve problems.
