High School Teacher Offers Insight into Long Career
In an Oakland, CA, high school that has one of the worst retention rates for new teachers in the district, teacher LuPaulette Taylor has been holding strong for nearly 50 years. Taylor reveals what keeps her in the classroom and says that she still continues to learn new things.
Do you Have a Portrait of a Graduate?
Many school systems across the country have engaged their larger community in developing a Portrait of a Graduate, a collective vision that articulates the community’s aspirations for all students. The Portrait provides strategic direction for the educational experience for students and reinvigorates and re-engages students, teachers, and community stakeholders.
Measuring Student Engagement as School Success Indicator
Engagement is much more than paying attention in class; it encompasses a variety of behaviors that demonstrate students’ interest in what they are doing in school and whether they feel it has any relevance to their lives. A 2015 report from the Brookings Institution described student engagement as “the intensity with which students apply themselves to learning in school.” How is engagement being measured?
Great Free Communication Tool - REMIND
Remind, a free school communications platform, is the most popular free mobile application, according to Apple and App Annie. Brian Grey, CEO of Remind, says that the app -- used by students, teachers and parents to communicate -- also topped the charts last August as teachers and families prepared for the start of the new school year.
TEACHERS: Reimagining Learning Spaces—The Third Teacher
In the book The Third Teacher the authors argue that in any classroom there are three teachers. First, there is the teacher. Then other students. The environment is “the third teacher.” Combining design principles with research in education, psychology, and cognitive science, the authors make an argument for the importance of the learning environment. What messages about teaching and learning do students see when they walk into your classroom? This post outlines a few ideas that will help you rethink your learning spaces for the 21st century learner.
TEACHERS: The Big List of Classroom Discussion Strategies
In this post you’ll find 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging. They are excellent ways to develop students’ speaking and listening skills, this is your lucky day.
TEACHERS: What Students Gain from Collaborative Writing
In this post teacher Jeremy Hyler shares the benefits of having students write collaboratively along with the practical aspects of making it happen.
TEACHERS: 17 Ways to Help Students With ADHD Concentrate
Research shows that students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can concentrate better when they’re allowed to fidget. But what if this becomes a distraction for the rest of the class? Here are some great ideas for letting students quietly fidget to help them concentrate without disturbing others.
TEACHERS: Parent Involvement: A Two-Way Partnership with Schools
In her book Invaluable Allies: Partnering with Parents for Student Success, Margery B. Ginsberg, PhD, an associate professor in the College of Education at the University of Washington, list a variety of ways teachers can take the lead in facilitating parent involvement by opening channels for positive communication.
PARENTS: The Key to Avoiding Entitlement
Entitlement among children is a growing problem and many parents are looking for ways to keep their kids from feeling entitled. The simple answer to the problem is this: "As soon as children are capable of doing jobs, take the time to teach them to do the jobs and then gracefully hold them responsible to do them.” Read more here.
LEADERS: Increase Student Learning by Increasing Time for Play
Elementary-school students need ample time for recess and scheduled "brain breaks," asserts Lori Koerner, a principal at Tremont Elementary School in New York state. In this commentary, she shares that students in her own school balance academics with 50 minutes of recess daily, formal yoga instruction and more breaks to help students refocus -- all while increasing instructional time.
LEADERS: A Focused Approach to Teacher Evaluation
School leaders face many difficult choices in how to approach teacher evaluations with their staff in a way that is empowering and uplifting and gets to the goal of improving instruction. By partnering with teachers to choosing a few key standards each year school leaders can craft a manageable, impactful review process.
LEADERS: Getting Growth Mindset Right
Carol Dweck, the Stanford professor who pioneered praising kids for effort says we’ve totally missed the point. The key to instilling a growth mindset is teaching kids that their brains are like muscles that can be strengthened through hard work and persistence.
LEADERS: 8 Top Tips for Highly Effective Professional Development
Highly effective classrooms can result from highly effective professional development. Recent research has shown that effective professional development includes creating classroom content, modeling techniques for teachers to use in their classrooms, and feedback on lessons. It is not enough to teach the right things to your teachers -- you have to teach your teachers in the right way. Here are the top strategies for highly effective PD: making it useful, making it relevant, making sure that teachers start practicing it ASAP . . . .
The Influence of Teachers
In this insightful book, The Influence of Teachers, John Merrow draws on his experience as a reporter for PBS and NPR to offer possibilities and solutions to improve education in our country. Told through warm storytelling and compelling case studies, Merrow paints a vibrant and inspiring picture of why and how we must transform - not reform - our schools. Here is an educator discussion guide for the book.
Center for Christian Urban Educators
The Center for Christian Urban Educators seeks to encourage, equip, and empower Christian educators as they impact the lives of the children entrusted to their educational care.
Email: hpotoka@ccuechicago.org
Website: ccuechicago.org
Location: Chicago, IL, United States
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Twitter: @HJPotoka