Many educators believe we can increase engagement and improve attendance by expanding choice electives for their middle schoolers. But school and system wide? What about scheduling? What about staffing? Jen Schwanke walks us through her district’s transformation step by step.
When you climb to the top of a mountain, the steps become increasingly difficult as you go, but the view is worth it. Consultant and author Barbara R. Blackburn shares five models for organizing higher levels of questions to help students reach the learning summit.
“The Classroom of Choice” is perfect for teachers seeking ways to strengthen their classrooms and curriculum using Choice Theory so students thrive as learners and humans, says MS teacher and NBCT Angela Lee. Each chapter has specific, ready to use, research based strategies.
The deficit atmosphere in schools – unsustainable workloads, lack of resources, minimal supports, terrible pay – contributes to culling, writes Dina Strasser. Rather than seeing a complete image of our lives, the dark and the light, we’re at risk of letting our empathy leach away.
As AI becomes omnipresent in schools, Matt Renwick suggests ways to make sure it benefits you and your students. Included: current AI education research; ways to make AI use intentional, and a guide to developing a unit of study that engages students in AI tools and ethics.
Writing goals help students identify ways to improve in their writing and set specific targets they want to work on, says author-educator Valerie Bolling. Best of all, during the process students will see the growth they’ve made as writers and as goal setters.
Tony Frontier encourages decision makers to view artificial intelligence as a tool for both teachers and students. This tool only works when it’s used with intention. Frontier provides a framework for schools to use AI in purposeful ways, writes veteran teacher Chris Wagner.
Stephanie Farley is teaching expository writing to her class of gifted, neurodiverse students and needs to design a differentiated unit that addresses each of her students’ diverse strengths. Read about what she’s come up with – the Field Guide Project – and add suggestions!
Motivation and Engagement / New Teacher Tips
by Curtis Chandler · Published 01/11/2026 · Last modified 01/29/2026
When we provide learners with both the spark to start and the tools to keep going, we help each student move one step closer to becoming self-directed learners who view challenges as opportunities to grow. Curtis Chandler shows how motivation and engagement work together.
Narrative Writing with Latinx Teens is an amazing exploration of the role of narrative writing in the lives of Latinx adolescents. It is not just a guide for educators, but a rich examination of the intersection between culture, identity and storytelling, says Melinda Stewart.
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