Teacher to teacher

For some reason, suffering appeals to my 6th-graders as readers. Because of this consistent interest, each spring I organize book clubs around what I refer to as “social issue” books. This year, I decided to focus exclusively on nonfiction books.

It’s a challenge to make sure students are doing meaningful work while also giving them opportunities to engage with one another. Throughout my career as a history teacher, I’ve found success using educational protocols to help my students interact.


It’s not easy to engage students in productive and meaningful discussions in math class while still using scaffolds and differentiation. This is where station teaching can help.

I help my students learn to advocate for themselves when they need time, space and quiet to process feelings or calm themselves. One strategy I’ve used with success is to create a Peace Place in my classroom.

When working on my doctoral degree in educational psychology, I embarked on a journey to explore the home-school connection for students with special needs, its challenges and the most effective ways to initiate it.

Creating a classroom culture where feedback is valued and expected requires deliberate and explicit mechanisms.

Here are some ideas for strengthening the professional learning community at your school.

Classroom circles serve as a way to build relationships and resolve conflicts in classroom communities.

Regardless of what your summer plans are, please consider adding the 3Rs: rest, rejuvenation and reflection.

I find my students are more active and motivated when a classmate is leading the class discussion. But what are some steps that teachers can take to create a foundation that will support meaningful accountable talk?