Reflective and restorative practices are not new, writes middle school administrator Sara Johnson, but the pandemic has created an even greater need to view discipline as a tool to guide and support the social-emotional learning of tweens and teens. Here’s how Sara does it.
Alex Valencic began his career sending work home with his students without much thought. Over the years he came to question the need for homework at all – until parents rebelled. Then he invented the Homework Menu. And embraced the D.E.L.I.B.E.R.A.T.E ideas of Erik Youngman.
Teacher Gillian Mertens and her colleagues recommend educators do more than help students debunk social media misinformation they find. Instead, the goal is for students to recognize why the information was believed by so many people, thereby developing greater resistance for themselves.
Barbara R. Blackburn and Melissa Miles show how a re-interpretation of “rigor” can boost ELA and social studies engagement and learning in grades K-5. Teacher educator Linda Biondi notes the authors offer easily implemented solutions along with thought provoking questions.
Podcasts / Reading for the 21st Century
by Alex Valencic · Published 03/08/2021 · Last modified 03/09/2021
Professional books play an important role in every savvy educator’s growth and development. Podcasts can serve the same purpose, writes instructional leader Alex Valencic. Podcasts not only stimulate our thinking, they lead us to new authors and help us expand our PLNs.
Elements of Co-teaching / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Tan Huynh · Published 03/07/2021 · Last modified 01/03/2022
Language specialist Tan Huynh offers co-teachers an orientation he never had, sharing what being a language specialist looks like at different levels and with various tasks. Veteran co-teachers may also find helpful tips if they move among elementary and secondary grades.
Evaluating the K-12 Literacy Curriculum is a valuable resource for facilitating teams through the overwhelming yet vital task of auditing programs, materials and instructional approaches, writes educator Abby Markley, noting its user friendly organization.
Online journaling offers students a place to document feelings, thoughts, and reactions to a variety of texts while they make personal, social and academic connections with their teacher. Rose and Walsh offer a process that can strengthen conferencing now and after Covid.
In Unconventional Leadership, Minnesota principal Jessica M. Cabeen offers principals extensive resources to move beyond the office and become more connected, collaborative, and creative leaders, writes social studies teacher and school PD director Becky Johnson.
Since EL specialist Tan Huynh can’t be in every co-teaching class every day to co-instruct with content teachers, he has developed strategies to guide learning from afar across grade levels and disciplines. Discover his BATS: boxes, acronyms, templates, and structures.
