To reduce confusion, math professor Dan Ilaria recommends: Stop saying “cancel” and use “name the operation.” Stop saying “plug in” and use “substitute.” Stop saying “reduce” and use “rewrite.” Stop saying “cross-multiply” and allow students to make sense of what they are solving.
Jeny Randall introduces her 6th graders to Shakespeare, first tossing quotes around a circle, then character mapping, and finally prepping and presenting scenes. Keying into themes of Identity and Origin, she rotates among 3 comedies’ mistaken identities. The kids love it!
Alison Dover and Fernando Rodrigues-Valls highlight the gaps in current education policy and practice that affect newcomer and plurilingual students and then offer ways to equitably meet those students’ needs. TESOL educator Kimberlee Elder is grateful for their book.
Many teachers are intrigued by the Socratic method but worry “it won’t work with my students.” A Socratic seminar calls on ALL the big executive skills. Patricia Cook and Susanne Croasdaile found that we don’t need to wait until they’re all “ready” – we can just dive in!
Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn describe ways leaders can effectively advocate for schools by developing strategic alliances with local officials, internal groups in schools and external groups in the community. It can be time consuming but definitely worth the effort!
The more Kasey Short considers joy when planning lessons and responding to students, the more everyone enjoys time together and the more they learn. Her joyful tools include celebrating, sharing ‘fun’ texts, students choosing music, moving indoors and out, laughing, and more.
The authors of C.R.A.F.T. Conversations for Teacher Growth offer sustainable practices school leaders can implement immediately to build positive relationships with teachers and help them cultivate expertise. The reflective questions are particularly helpful, writes Tanya Roy.
After 20+ years of teaching, Dina Strasser has found one thing almost never fails to connect with adolescents: the positive reaction you get when you genuinely compliment a kid on their appearance. Check out the strategy she’s developed to help reap smiles and build rapport.
As she describes some ways she’s begun to work fun, ethical AI components into major assignments, Sarah Cooper wonders how the nature of learning and teaching will evolve in tandem with the evolution of Large Language Models. How do we best prepare our students for the future?
If schools are always being “held” accountable, asks leadership coach and veteran principal Matt Renwick, how will students ever learn to “be” accountable? When do they get to make important choices that affect others and themselves? Three shifts can change the paradigm.
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