Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

How AI Has Modernized the Student Study Guide

Teacher Scott Silver-Bonito is using an AI bot to create student study guides and build AI study spaces that are interactive, informative, and responsive, taking the burden off the teacher to continually create study materials and review every student response. See his example!

Using Technology in a Differentiated Classroom

Using Technology in a Differentiated Classroom is a well-structured, research-backed guide for educators looking to increase efficiency as they integrate technology into their instructional practices, writes Melinda Stewart, who describes the book’s core strategies as “timeless.”

Teacher Think-Alouds Boost Reading Skills

Educators can build children’s love of listening to stories and improve students’ reading skills by transforming teacher read-alouds into an instructional tool, writes literacy leader Laura Robb. Here she demonstrates how “think-alouds” make visible what good readers do.

Some Tips to Engage the ELA Exceptional Learner

Differentiating is a heavy lift for teachers and often gets pushed down our long to-do list. But we can’t call our most advanced students “learners” if they’re not actually advancing in class. Gifted education leader Kim Rensch shares four tips that simplify differentiation.

How Do We Respond to Toxic Staff Members?

One of the biggest challenges facing school leaders is pushback from teachers and staff that goes beyond the kind of disagreement that can be resolved through civil discourse and compromise. Consultants Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn share tips for managing toxic staff.

Observing Instruction with a Curiosity Mindset

The question isn’t whether principals should observe classroom instruction, writes regional principal coach Matt Renwick. “It’s whether we can observe it with curiosity rather than judgment – as learners alongside our teachers rather than as evaluators standing apart from them.”