Walking meetings are not only a good wellness strategy, they’re great for brain-storming, problem-solving and increasing productivity, writes teacher and school leader Kasey Short. The change in scenery, relaxed atmosphere and movement can be like a “reboot” for body and mind.
Once teachers see, value, and capitalize on a learner’s unique talents and strengths, it changes the student and it changes us, writes Regie Routman. “Possibilities override limitations. Pride of accomplishment replaces failure. Effort leads to excellence. Joy is present, the best gift of all.”
India is different from the U.S. in many ways, writes Fulbright teacher Marilyn Pryle, but many of the issues they are trying to address are global issues that all countries face. Here are three things India’s public schools often do better than their American counterparts.
Like superheroes, every teacher has an origin story that imbues them with powers, prowess and, most important, purpose. Reminding ourselves not only why but HOW we came to be teachers can help us better see the struggles and potential of our students, writes Dr. Daniel Bergman.
Where there are challenges, there are also opportunities for creativity, novelty, and adventure to put a barricade between us and burnout. Stephanie Farley offers strategies to help teachers avoid or at least soften the sense of emotional exhaustion that leads to collapse.
School is a naturally stress inducing place for many students, so working to alleviate those feelings will only make our classrooms happier and more productive. Educator Stephanie Choate writes that Martha Kaufeldt’s De-Stress the Test helps with test anxiety and much more.
When we give students time to read a book they’ve chosen, time to practice skills and strategies they’ve been taught, time to read for pleasure and intellectual growth, time to talk about what they’ve read, they build reading stamina and endurance, write Dorfman and Krupp.
Michelle Russell starts the year with math activities that refresh skills and show students that her class will be welcoming to those with math anxiety. Multiplication refreshers, coloring books, Polaroids and shooting hoops help develop a supportive community.
What teachers do the first weeks of school has a dramatic effect on student engagement and achievement the rest of the year. Building a classroom culture of learning and questioning – co-created with students – paves the road to success. Jackie Walsh and colleagues show us how.
Allison Paludi’s search for student note-taking that makes learning sticky led her to the brain-based concepts of Zaretta Hammond and Harvard’s Project Zero. Applying Hammond’s “ignite, chunk, chew and review” she fashioned a new notes strategy that’s “truly deepened learning.”
