Suzanne Kelly and Elizabeth Dobler help us understand that technology, when used with intention, can help teachers augment instruction without letting it dictate what we do.They offer many tools and ideas to guide decision making as we integrate tech into our lesson plans.
Kelly Owens saw that polished texts didnât model the struggles writers go through. âIt was like showing kids an elite Olympianâs performance and asking them to replicate it.â With her âDraft Alongâ activity, students now experience the wrinkly reality of the writing process.
Most students at Laurie Lichtensteinâs middle school were F2F all year, but masked and isolated in small classroom pods as teachers moved about. It was hard, but as time passed teachers found ways to reduce isolation, build community, and let kids have lots of time to play.
Multilingualism / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Tan Huynh · Published 07/26/2021 · Last modified 07/25/2021
Drawing on a conversation with Dr. Brandon Beck, language specialist and co-teacher Tan Huynh highlights the roles monolingual educators have in advocating for multilingualism, fostering being multiliterate, and celebrating multiculturalism to support language learners.
Many students donât consider the source of media they consume on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or elsewhere. Often they donât consider the ramifications of spreading fake news or conspiracy theories. Frank Baker shares ways educators can make media literacy a classroom priority.
A writerâs notebook is a place to write down what you notice and donât want to forget; a place to record your ideas and reactions to things. Most of all, itâs a place for students to take what theyâve learned in class and make it their own. Itâs a place to live like a writer.
Idaho teacher educator Curtis Chandler sees several pandemic positives: Improved teacher attitudes towards digital tools; educators who are more skillful using and troubleshooting tech; and a significant shift toward teaching methods that better engage and involve students.
From a drawing to a book, Maria Walther and Karen Biggs-Tucker trace a 5th graderâs growing creativity, curiosity and individuality. Discover their innovative ways to streamline literacy instruction while offering students opportunities to follow individualized learning paths.
In her book Stephanie Affinito brings together the importance of reflection and the need to examine our classroom practices. She provides a framework for celebrating our reading and writing lives and offers ways we can help our students develop these habits for themselves.
Laurie E. Westphal offers a comprehensive introduction to student choice and how to make menus successful. Aimed at high school, the ideas can also work for advanced students in middle school as they develop their strengths, writes history teacher Erin Corrigan-Smith.
