Author: MiddleWeb

Useful Teacher’s Guide to Multimodal Composition

If you want to expand your students’ modes of writing (whether or not you use writer’s workshop) Angela Stockman’s book offers great information and insight, says Megan Balduf, including the details of multimodal composition and appendices filled with powerful instruction.

Revamp Book Clubs to Deepen Comprehension

Sara Kugler’s Better Book Clubs offers teachers a valuable resource that supports authenticity and independence in book clubs, helping students deepen comprehension and elevate their conversation. Anne Anderson outlines the book’s take on scaffolding, grouping, and more.

ThinkLaw Strategies Can Grow Critical Thinkers

Find out how adopting a lawyer mindset can help all students develop critical thinking skills and dispositions in Thinking Like a Lawyer by Colin Seale. NBCT Kim Rensch likes that the book is a quick read and offers reasonable ways to integrate thinking skills with curricula.

Turn Your Math Class into a Math Community

In an authentic math community students understand their ideas are valuable and their participation is necessary to grow the community’s collective understanding. One way to facilitate this, writes author Gina Picha, is by having regular math conferences with your students.

Team Leaders Use Clear Parameters to Build Trust

Whether you’re a principal facilitating a change initiative or a teacher leader facilitating a content-level team, it’s essential to set clear parameters with adult learners upfront so that neither goals, nor trust, nor people’s hard work is compromised. Elisa MacDonald shows how.

Strengthen Instructional Leadership Teams

We cannot continue to subject students to practices that are clearly not working. In Collective Leader Efficacy, former principal Peter M. DeWitt shows how to move forward in a team effort, empowering educators to center on students, writes district HR leader Brian Taylor.

Effective First Aid to Quash Teacher Burnout

The 2nd edition of Jenny Rankin’s First Aid for Teacher Burnout offers “realistic strategies teachers can apply to alleviate the major burnout-inducing problems and find sustainable success at work.” Reviewer Anne Anderson shares Rankin’s ways to recognize burnout and respond.

How We Can Finish This School Year Strong

We’ve accomplished so much this year and we still have another big stretch to conquer, write teachers Maggie and Piers Blyth. We’ve reached the peak – we’re ready for the downhill race. It’s important to chart our path and stay alert for the obstacles and opportunities ahead.