We are living in an uncertain time with significant stress on institutions, including schools. Leaders play a critical role in helping their school community weather change and continue their commitment to serving each student. Williamson and Blackburn offer actionable advice.
Well-designed small-group collaborations can result in kids learning more quickly and more deeply than individual students can accomplish in the same amount of time. Learning scientist Karin Hess shares the “GPS and I” strategy she’s developed to ensure groups work for everyone.
Eighth grade teacher Sarah Cooper shares a class snapshot to show how much our students can understand. She believes it’s the obligation of social studies teachers (and others) to explore imperative issues of the past and present, “even when it would be infinitely easier not to.”
Recently Stephanie Farley was reminded that just because a classroom strategy or routine worked for a few weeks or months earlier in the year doesn’t mean it will continue to work through spring. She and several colleagues offer tips to switch it up for students and reengage.
Cooperation among teachers, parents, students, and administration has been key as Katie Durkin’s middle school has adopted a strict phone-free policy this school year. She cites three factors that she believes account for a smooth transition and shares her hopes for the future.
“Life Skills for All Learners” by A.S.F. Amir and Thomas Guskey offers a comprehensive exploration into crucial life skills education and shows how to integrate the skills into lessons. Melinda Stewart says the book is both insightful and a practical guide to skill-building.
Whether it’s standing desks, beanbags or low tables, flexible seating helps students feel more comfortable, engaged, and in control of their own learning. Kathie Palmieri shares research showing how flexible seating can meet physical, social, and cognitive needs of students.
Lauren Porosoff’s Teach for Authentic Engagement seamlessly ties together the big ideas of student engagement with easy-to-follow protocols, writes Laurie Miller Hornik. The book delves into the 3 spheres in which the students can engage: the content, their work, and each other.
Supporting learners through effective vocabulary instruction is critical to their success. Curtis Chandler offers a “crash course” – a compendium of key principles, strategies, and research-backed methods to help students build key vocabulary skills, whatever your subject area.
Kathie Palmieri has been exploring the significance of vocabulary and the use of context clues to decipher meaning across all the core subject areas. After researching and working with her own students, she shares her findings on the impact of word study on academic success.
