Parental involvement and special-needs students
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.
Feedback in classroom learning
Creating a classroom culture where feedback is valued and expected requires deliberate and explicit mechanisms.
Strengthening PD at your school
Here are some ideas for strengthening the professional learning community at your school.
Developing community through classroom circles
Classroom circles serve as a way to build relationships and resolve conflicts in classroom communities.
Use the summer to reflect
Regardless of what your summer plans are, please consider adding the 3Rs: rest, rejuvenation and reflection.
Getting students to lead the lesson
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?
Documentation helps kids ‘think like scientists’
in my inquiry-based pre-K classroom, I have been experimenting with methods of documentation. By documenting their observations, children can begin to “think like scientists.”
Mastering time management
By becoming more efficient, we can help ourselves, our current and future students, and future generations of teachers for whom we model the concept of teaching as a sustainable career rather than a draining, altruistic sprint.
Skill-building through the arts
I am a special education teacher who teaches performing arts in a theater program for children on the autism spectrum. I incorporate skill-building in my arts instruction — but these activities could just as easily be integrated into the rest of the classroom day.
Creating a student-centered classroom
I have pushed my kids to work at stations so that they spend more time doing hands-on/minds-on work and less time listening to my voice.