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.
Aimed at middle and high school educators, 5 Questions for Any Text by Marilyn Pryle presents a structured yet flexible approach for helping students move beyond surface-level comprehension toward deeper analysis, reflection, and awareness, writes Melinda Stewart.
Helping math students doesn’t mean showing them the next step – it means giving them the confidence and space to find it. If our goal is to create independent problem solvers, we cannot always be the ones doing the solving, writes teaching coach Mona Iehl, author of Word Problem Workshop.
Kathie Palmieri’s fifth graders loved her gummy bear activity. It transformed a standard lab into an opportunity for authentic inquiry. It shows that even the simplest materials can lead to big scientific thinking – especially when paired with a question that invites wonder.
Jarred Amato “does a fabulous job” explaining how to structure an independent reading program in a middle to high school classroom. He not only explains the process well but also gives concrete examples of how to do activities and writing prompts, writes veteran literacy teacher Beth Hippen.
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.
Self-trust isn’t something school leaders can just turn on or off. It’s a skill they build through conscious action. Veteran educator and leadership author Jen Schwanke shares her “skill and will” model of personal trust-building with four action steps leaders can take today.
Neurodiversity Affirming Schools by Emily Kircher-Morris and Amanda Morin serves as a valuable call to action, encouraging all educators to reevaluate our practices and treat neurodiversity as an essential part of equitable education, writes behavior analyst Rachel Poirier.
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.”
To teach a more effective lesson, you can use quick and easy pre-assessment strategies. Author and consultant Barbara R. Blackburn suggests 3 Alike/Red Herring, Word Sorts, If/Then, and Analyzing Web Content to gauge the readiness of your students and adjust your plan as needed.
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