Teacher to teacher

By guiding my students, I helped them overcome their insecurities with answering multiple-choice questions. Even my lowest-achieving students gained confidence as they actually asked for more multiple-choice questions to practice these strategies on.

Much like our 21st-century students, teachers today need be connected. As we become less isolated within the walls of our classrooms, opportunities to tune in and take learning into our own hands present themselves regularly — if we know where to look.

A 5th-grade teacher discovers the value of using artifacts in the classroom during lessons.

When I was in high school, my 10th-grade English teacher at Edward R. Murrow, Lou Frederick, changed the way I perceived the world. Frederick did this through a system called the “Deep Board,” which captivated our interests while doubling as a tool of positive reinforcement for our deep thoughts.

As teachers, we have all dealt with a child who is difficult to reach, and teaching that particular student can be a struggle. Here are some tips to assist you.

While many feel comfortable teaching historical events within a rigorous context by using primary sources and other resources, teachers may be more tentative about tackling other topics, such as the Supreme Court, that are more nuanced and harder to analyze.

I’ve been working with struggling readers to use annotation as a method for reading difficult texts. I encourage students to slow down and annotate what they understand while reading.

Building a classroom community — the cornerstone of any successful early childhood program — goes far beyond learning names and class rules.

You didn’t cause it, but one of the students sitting in front of you this year with learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have already given up on learning.