With all of her math students learning online at least some of the time, Michelle Russell has struggled to “get it right.” Her six lessons learned so far include: Don’t assume they know technology basics. Mix firmness with compassion. Grow their self-sufficiency. Yours?
Teacher collaboration became a lifeline, not a luxury, when Covid-19 interrupted traditional school schedules and forced us to gain new skills and more effective teaching practices. Tan Huynh and Andrea Honigsfeld celebrate the positives of the new normal for ELs and all kids.
The Caring Teacher asks educators to reexamine how and why they teach the way they do, to record reflections, questions and thoughts toward the goal of reducing bias and increasing student success. Linda Biondi believes every moment spent in reflection will be worth it.
Rather than approach math using only a curriculum that follows textbook lessons, we can boost learning by teaching math as a science. Middle grades educator and NBCT Kathleen Palmieri is learning how to incorporate data studies to help students relate math to the real world.
After a spring of Zooming with established classes, Sarah Cooper finds new challenges using virtual breakout rooms this fall. Having to sort groups of unfamiliar students really makes a difference. She shares which breakout strategies still work and what needs extra care.
Distance learning is uncharted territory for most teachers, but Covid-19 has forced it upon us, says Tan Huynh. The advice in Fisher, Frey & Hattie’s Distance Learning Playbook can help create a virtual environment that looks and feels more like the physical one we’re used to.
At the beginning of a new school year, establishing a strong class culture is a top priority, whether we are face-to-face or virtual. We can’t assume this culture exists, even if students have been classmates before. Lynne Dorfman shares some community building ideas.
Worry, anger and fear are not worthy expenditures of a teacher’s precious energy, writes Dina Strasser, as she prepares for a pandemic fall in a new school. “I am inviting us to look upon our exhaustion as a gift. It will teach us what is necessary and what is not.”
Michelle Russell has found the first 10 days of teaching her hybrid classes even more exhausting than her first year in the classroom. But she’s learning fast how to help her math students adjust to a new reality – and to find the time and support she needs to prosper.
Future of History / Social Emotional Learning
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 08/30/2020 · Last modified 09/11/2020
As Lauren Brown heads back to school for a year like no other, she considers how to combine academics and SEL support across the content areas. Along with activities for the first days of virtual or physical class, she offers three guidelines to engage kids all year.
