Walking meetings are not only a good wellness strategy, they’re great for brain-storming, problem-solving and increasing productivity, writes teacher and school leader Kasey Short. The change in scenery, relaxed atmosphere and movement can be like a “reboot” for body and mind.
Once teachers see, value, and capitalize on a learner’s unique talents and strengths, it changes the student and it changes us, writes Regie Routman. “Possibilities override limitations. Pride of accomplishment replaces failure. Effort leads to excellence. Joy is present, the best gift of all.”
India is different from the U.S. in many ways, writes Fulbright teacher Marilyn Pryle, but many of the issues they are trying to address are global issues that all countries face. Here are three things India’s public schools often do better than their American counterparts.
At times we can be overwhelmed by all the fresh ideas we want to try out in a new school year. By narrowing her goals down to three top priorities, Megan Kelly aims to make lessons more meaningful for students, improve family engagement, and do better at tracking individual progress.
Where there are challenges, there are also opportunities for creativity, novelty, and adventure to put a barricade between us and burnout. Stephanie Farley offers strategies to help teachers avoid or at least soften the sense of emotional exhaustion that leads to collapse.
Collaborating Through Collective Teacher Efficacy Cycles is an invaluable tool that can help jumpstart school-changing collaboration, says Cathy Gessenheimer. Drawing on Hattie’s research, the book by Faddis, Fisher and Frey has links to more than 35 videos and other resources.
Patty McGee invites teachers to infuse some “Harry Styles magic” into social-emotional learning. In countless ways, Styles’ lyrics can be surprisingly fun and effective to build emotional IQ, acting as springboards for exploring and learning about our emotional landscape.
Students in the middle grades think in polarities and will go to great lengths to avoid embarrassment, writes author and school counselor Phyllis Fagell. But with the right supports, they can learn to take risks – asking questions, joining discussions and learning more.
What teachers do the first weeks of school has a dramatic effect on student engagement and achievement the rest of the year. Building a classroom culture of learning and questioning – co-created with students – paves the road to success. Jackie Walsh and colleagues show us how.
Mona Iehl’s Word Problem Workshop lesson plan helped her realize that teaching math was just like teaching everything else. You have to allow students to bring themselves to the work – letting them use what they know and are able to do to figure things out. Then you step in.
