Conferences are valuable ways to grow professionally. Consultant Anne Anderson, who attended many such events as a teacher, shares ideas for getting buy-in and funding, prepping for the trip, getting the most from talks and exhibits, and bringing it all home.
Working Draft / Writing & Game Design
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 01/12/2016 · Last modified 12/14/2019
Where is the literacy in the ELA classroom when all of the students are engaged in designing and producing video game projects using science and other content? Kevin Hodgson explains why the work his sixth graders are doing satisfies writing standards.
After reviewing the history of grading, Cathy Vatterott shares reasons for implementing a progressive standards-based grading system, noting the challenges as well as the benefits. Teacher Michael DiClemente sees the need for research-based changes but wonders how to get there.
Annual resolutions to “get organized” usually fade quickly, despite ready access to smart devices and clever management apps. What we need, writes organizing expert Frank Buck, is some good advice. He begins his 5-part series with the digital calendar.
Principals can use social media to improve communication, provide information during school safety situations, increase collaboration, and enhance professional development. Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn argue, in fact, that social media is a leadership essential today.
Help middle graders take the next step in environmental studies & awareness. Using USDA resource materials, students can join the effort to uncover and eradicate the invasive Asian Longhorned Beetle which threatens 70% of the tree canopy in the United States.
In “Argue with Me” Deanna Kuhn et al present a full curriculum on teaching argument, informed by their research in low income schools. Used in full or in part, the process can benefit thinking & writing skills, says Mary Langer Thompson.
If demoralizing teachers worked, then our educational system would already have reached a state of perfection. Instead, says reviewer Jenni Miller, policymakers can find a true roadmap for change in Richard DuFour’s “In Praise of American Educators And How They Can Become Even Better.”
Teacher Teamwork explains the stages of effective team building, including agendas, routines, common purpose & more. Educator Laura Von Staden reports the book is right on point in terms of activities & concepts to implement, but may be overly time consuming.
The difficulty students have in writing clearly can be traced to many factors, says literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo, from muddled pre-CCSS standards to weak teaching practices. Here she offers concrete suggestions to correct persistent writing problems in the secondary grades.
